Documentary exploring the double life of Jean Watson - an anonymous elderly writer living in a modest flat in Wellington,...
Documentary exploring the double life of Jean Watson - an anonymous elderly writer living in a modest flat in Wellington, New Zealand. But in southern India, she is revered as the famous ‘Jean Aunty’.
"Unassuming heroism may be the only kind that makes any sense to Christchurch filmmaker Gerard Smyth (When a City Falls). 80-year-old writer Watson could hardly be more self-deprecating in responding to his attention, but by the end of his account of her surprising life you might wonder why there’s not been a film about her already. The book-loving daughter of Northland dairy farmers, she’s best known in New Zealand for Stand in the Rain, a novel published in 1965, and for her decade-long involvement with another literary scion of the land, Barry Crump. What is less well known is that 30 years ago she sold her Wellington house and used the proceeds to buy the land for a children’s home in Tamil Nadu in southern India.
"We follow along on one of her frequent visits. She guides us around the rapidly changing world of her ‘Star People’, named for the white stars painted on their faces. The value of her work is there for all to see, not least in the hospitality of successful former beneficiaries, and the shining eyes of the children enjoying shelter and educational opportunities." (NZ International Film Festival)
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Aunty and the Star People | Details
- Rating
- M,
- Runtime
- 82
- Genre
- Documentary
- Country of origin
- New Zealand