Documentary on life before and after dam

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By Colin Williscroft on Wed, 30 Mar 2011
The Regions: Central Otago | Your Town: Cromwell
Looking down Cromwell's then main street, Melmore Tce, to the Clutha River in 1985, after the Clyde dam project had started but before many businesses had moved to the new Cromwell Mall. The bottom part of Melmore Tce was flooded when Lake Dunstan was formed. Photo from ODT files.
Looking down Cromwell's then main street, Melmore Tce, to the Clutha River in 1985, after the Clyde dam project had started but before many businesses had moved to the new Cromwell Mall. The bottom part of Melmore Tce was flooded when Lake Dunstan was formed. Photo from ODT files.
An Auckland film-maker plans to make a documentary about life in Cromwell before and after construction of the Clyde dam.

Gemma Duncan is making the film as part of her master of arts degree in screen production at Auckland University.

During her undergraduate degree, at Unitec, she took large digital photos of historic sites around the South Island and spent two and a-half weeks in Cromwell.

"I just fell in love with the place. It's got a rich and in-depth history."

For the latest project, Miss Duncan hoped to interview individuals and representatives of community groups about what it was like to live in Cromwell before the dam was built and what it is like now.

She has already been in contact with the Cromwell i-SITE and the Cromwell and Districts Promotion Group.

She is aware that construction of the dam was controversial.0

"The last thing I want from the documentary is to make a statement about whether or not the dam should have been built. It's more about focusing on what was there and what still is.

"If physical history is lost, people still have their memories. It is about loss but it's also about community spirit." The length of the film was yet to be determined, she said.

"It all depends on what I find. It's very early in the game right now, so, although I have a vision, it's hard to say how long, as the nature of documentaries means everything changes as you meet the people along the way."

Historic footage might be included, but the focus would be on people's memories and what Cromwell was like to live in today.

Miss Duncan is working to secure funding for the film but hopes to be in Cromwell within the next month for pre-production work, before returning in August for filming.

She plans to have the film finished by the end of the year.

"Then I've got to look at getting it screened. I'm hoping a film festival might pick it up. I'd also like to think we could have some sort of community event in Cromwell, to show the residents."

colin.williscroft@odt.co.nz

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Old Cromwell

Submitted by mincer on Sun, 10/04/2011 - 10:04pm.

Yes, old Cromwell did have its charm but the town is now on the brink of moving ahead more than ever. There was always going to be some  pain but Cromwell came through it  all, to be more than the little place that you went on holiday at at Xmas. There are now people here who don't want any development and they are nimbys who have bought in the valley like some residents of Pisa Moorings who don't want a walking track past their houses. My family has been here for  5 generations. We were affected in  6 different locations because of the dam. We have been through it all the good the bad  and now that things are looking up some  new residents want to hold it back.

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Making contact with people

Submitted by GemDuncanfilm on Fri, 01/04/2011 - 5:36pm.

Thanks for you all for your kind comments. 'Molyneux Rush' - I would love to be meeting some of these people you speak of, people whom have lost their homes or lands, as I feel their stories play a huge part of the film I am making. If you know of anyone whom would be comfortable speaking to me on camera about their losses then please pass this article on to them along with my contact email : gemmaduncan.film@gmail.com. I look forward to filming in Cromwell, as it is a beautiful place with a unique story. 

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Cromwell's untold human story

Submitted by Molyneux Rush on Fri, 01/04/2011 - 9:23am.

Certainly, this is a worthy project, but I fear the real human story will never be told on film. It is simply too bitter, too painful, and too controversial, even now after the dust of this monumental fiasco has settled. People lost their land, their homes, their family histories, their livelihoods, their way of life, and they were treated with the utmost political indifference. Many who lost so much are now dead, and others cannot bear to ever return. While I appreciate Miss Duncan's wish to focus on the human story, it is difficult to avoid the underlying issues, as they are at the heart of how people feel. Robin Morrison's photographs provide a grim insight into a community that was slowly and irrevocably torn apart 

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Film of old and new Cromwell

Submitted by Peter Bell on Wed, 30/03/2011 - 8:17am.

Kudos to miss Duncan for attempting to do this. Maybe I"m just a sentimental old fool, but like other old Cromwellians who now live abroad, I miss old Cromwell. "You can"t go back" is so true. Yes the new Cromwell is clean and neat (although the Mall seems really dead most of the time) but it quite simply lacks the feeling and atmosphere of the old town--particularly the old main street.  Peter Bell  Cobble Hill  B.C.

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