Colin McCahon: I Am

This documentary looks at the life and work of New Zealand's most celebrated painter, Colin McCahon. The first excerpt looks at McCahon's beginnings in Timaru and Dunedin, and his explorations of modernist techniques in paintings that reconceived 'the promised land' in an endemic landscape. The second excerpt covers McCahon's time in Muriwai in the 60s and 70s, and the influence of the environment and Māori spirituality on his work. Sam Neill reads from McCahon's letters and writings. Directed by Paul Swadel, it won Best Documentary at the 2005 Qantas Awards. 

I think you put on the canvas something I know about New Zealand but have not learnt how to say: the raw vitality and brutal simplification ...

– James K Baxter in a 1947 letter to Colin McCahon

Key Cast & Crew

Leon Narbey

Cinematographer

Riki Gooch

Composer

Dave Whitehead

Composer, Sound Design, Sound Mix

Paul Swadel

Writer, Director

Paul Casserly

Narrator

Sam Neill

Reader of McCahon's letters