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Signed, Theo Schoon

Exempt 2021 1m Film
  • Documentary
  • Arts/Culture

When Theo Schoon arrived in Aotearoa in 1939, fresh from Europe, he might as well have "landed from another planet". This documentary from director/producer team Luit and Jan Bieringa (The Man in the Hat, The HeART of the Matter) is partly narrated by Schoon himself, a charismatic artist who wowed 1940s Christchurch. He rubbed shoulders with Colin McCahon and Rita Angus, and shared his love of Māori design with Gordon Walters. He also fought for, and damaged, historic cave drawings, and adopted koru and kowhaiwha patterns for his own art. Some view his career as being built off the back of Māori culture.