RogerHorrocks
- Academic
- Writer
Roger Horrocks has been raising the quality of debate about New Zealand film and television for nigh on half a century. At Auckland University he campaigned for, then ran, the country’s first and biggest film studies course. Horrocks has written extensively about Kiwi culture, including writing the definitive book on Len Lye. He is also a filmmaker and was a founding board member of organisation NZ On Air.
Screenography
Biography
Roger Horrocks has spent most of his adult life writing about and teaching film — much of it at Auckland University, where he launched New Zealand’s biggest film department. Belying the cliche that academics are often divorced from the rough and tumble of their topic, Horrocks has multiple screen credits of his own. He was also a trusted hand at the launch of NZ On Air, NZ On Screen, and writing organisation Script to Screen.
Awards
2010 Amsterdam Film Festival
Van Gogh Award: Art that Moves
2012 Anima Mundi Festival (Animation Festival, Brazil)
Special Award for his work on Len Lye
“One of the most exciting times for me was the cultural explosion of the 1960s and 70s, with the emergence of a new film industry. I saw the need not only for films, but for a rich film culture with festivals, funding bodies, and film education. Lots of start-ups, and we had to fight for all of them!”