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Hero image for Lovely Rita

Lovely Rita

Television (Full Length) – 2007

Artist Rita Angus was well known for her enigmatic self-portraits, and this affectionate documentary explores the relationship between the work and the artist's life. Director Gaylene Preston gathers together new information about Angus, plus interviews with friends who knew her, and a new generation of appreciators  including biographer Jill Trevelyan. Many of her paintings are also featured, evocatively shot by Preston's longtime colleague Alun Bollinger. Actor Loren Taylor (Eagle vs Shark) captures an uncanny likeness as a young Angus. Read more here about Angus, and the discoveries revealed in this documentary. 

She was a very honest person about herself ... She wasn't afraid to paint herself as she really is — warts and all.
– Photographer Marti Friedlander on Rita Angus, near the end of this documentary

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