NZIFF 2023: Q&A - Director Robin Greenberg, Grant Sheehan: Lights, Ghost and Dreams

1. Tell us about your film -where did the idea come from

Experimental Feature documentary ‘Grant Sheehan: Light, Ghosts & Dreams’ is a kaleidoscopic portrait of the life and art of avant-garde Wellington photographer and publisher Grant Sheehan and his creative AI (Artificial Intelligence) explorations.

I first met Grant in 2003 when I began renting a corner of his cool loft-like studio in central Wellington. The seeds for the film idea started to germinate a few years later, following his award-winning extraordinary black and white photographic book “Ghosts in the Landscape”. Over the years, Grant and I would meet up for regular coffee catch-ups so I could stay abreast of his latest creative projects and continue to feed the development, vision and evolution of the film.

When did you begin shooting and did it all go according to plan?

Fast forward to 2018, when I wrangled a few favours to start initial filming. With Grant’s fascinating multi-faceted AI project, ‘Does Ava Dream?’ starting to take shape, I knew I couldn’t miss documenting some of the early stages – and especially relating to his one-of-a-kind large metal book by the same name. Our filming wrapped up earlier this year.

With documentary filming, even the best laid plans can be thrown asunder due to any number of unforeseen events, including harsh weather conditions, equipment malfunctions in remote locations – and ever-changing COVID-19 alert levels amidst the pandemic. We experienced them all. Yet, one learns to go with the flow, be flexible and get creative to trouble-shoot.

Just as ‘serendipity’ seems to play a role in Grant’s photographic journeys, so too did we experience this with our filming at times, in the best of ways. For example, Grant had spent months trying to access the key to a special lighthouse (which he’d photographed previously over the years) in advance of our filming dates. However, in spite of his best efforts, the key-holder was not able to be located in time. Nevertheless, we decided to proceed with our filming as planned, because the exterior footage of the lighthouse and environs were in themselves dramatic and of significance for the film. Amidst wintry torrential rain and then stark sunshine, we completed our filming and were just getting ready to depart for our long drive back to Wellington, when we made a brief stop at the public toilets. It was there that a chance conversation with a local, revealed that he also held a key to the lighthouse, and he invited to take us up into the lighthouse after all! So, we eagerly followed him back up the cliff-face to film inside the lighthouse, which made for some of the most stunning footage for the film.

What’s the best reaction you’ve had to your film?

We’re currently amidst final stages of post-production for the film, just in time for our World Premiere at Whānau Mārama - New Zealand International Film Festival in Wellington, on 30 th July. So, ask me again in a few weeks. 

The reason I carried on with this film when it got tough is.....

When one is immersed in a passion project, like ‘Grant Sheehan: Light, Ghosts & Dreams’ has always been for me, the thought of walking away, even when things got “tough”, never crossed my mind.

However, the most difficult thing I experienced while making the film was the sudden passing of my amazing co-producer Vincent Burke last year… Whilst the loss of such a key mentor, colleague and friend completely knocked the wind out of my sails for some time, ultimately, it also fuelled my drive to persevere and complete the film to the best of my ability (thanks to an awesome team), and to dedicate the film to his memory – as well as to the memory of former NZIFF festival director, the late Bill Gosden, who started me on my NZIFF journey with my first Feature documentary, ‘TU TANGATA: Weaving for the People’ (NZIFF 2000) and who cheered me on for all my subsequent films. They are  both dearly missed.

The one moment that will resonate with an audience is.......

Grant’s life and career is so astoundingly diverse, that I believe audiences will resonate with various facets, be it his breath-taking images of Aotearoa New Zealand’s landscapes, heritage architecture and night-photography, or coffee culture/cafes of Wellington and the world – and his visually stunning creative AI explorations, ‘Does Ava Dream?’. The one scene that I feel will resonate across the board is the mesmerising montage of his black and white photographs from his book “Ghosts in the Landscape”, which originally inspired the idea for this film, set to haunting music by acclaimedcomposer Rhian Sheehan (Grant’s son).

The hardest thing I had to cut from this film is........

The grandeur of Grant’s photographs are the hero of the film. However, from my perspective, Grant is not only a master photographer and unique creative force, but also a master story-teller. So, it was quite difficult for me to have to let go of several of his photography-related adventure stories, which I love but were too long to include in the film – and which couldn’t be cut-down sufficiently without altering their essence or integrity. Nevertheless, these will be preserved as ‘Bonus scenes’ for our crowdfunding Kickstarter supporters. And it’s also a reminder of how fortunate we are as filmmakers in Aotearoa to have the meaningful service of Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision to help preserve and care for our footage and stories for the future.

The thing I want people to take from this film is ......

I believe audiences will take away an overall feeling of upliftment from experiencing the film. Grant’s mesmerising imagery is a reminder of the immense beauty and poignancy of the world around us, despite the complex challenging times we live in. Still photographs capture just a fleeting moment in time, yet the grandeur of Grant’s photographs is enduring, and his trailblazing experimentation and creative innovation are inspirational.