Peter Wells

This abstract summarizes the essence and content of a podcast interview with Peter Wells, recorded on October 5th, 2013, in Napier, Hawke's Bay, by Gareth Watkins. The podcast, with a duration of 55 minutes, chronicles Peter Wells' life and career spanning from the 1980s to the 2010s, as both a filmmaker and writer.

Raised in Auckland, Wells engaged actively with the early gay liberation movement at the University of Auckland and was greatly influenced by the progressive milieu of the time, marked by figures like David Bowie. This period witnessed Wells' move away from a conservative background toward involvement in politics, particularly focusing on gay rights. The individual's pursuit of postgraduate studies on Edward Carpenter, a pioneer in advocating for homosexual rights, at the University of Warwick was abandoned in favor of a calling to write.

Returning to New Zealand in the late 1970s, Wells found the country politically apathetic under the governance of Robert Muldoon, contrasting starkly with the politically energized Britain they had left behind. Wells' reintegration into New Zealand's society coincided with forging a significant relationship with Stewart Main, a fellow collaborator in the emerging film industry. The narrator's first recognized foray into filmmaking was a short film called "Foolish Things," an overtly homosexual film that challenged the enveloping absence of gay characters in mainstream New Zealand media.

The interviewee recounts the challenges faced by the gay community in New Zealand during the late 1970s and early 1980s, a time when homosexuality was illegal, and political agitation was a risky but necessary endeavor for rights. The impact of the Gay Liberation Front was especially monumental in shaping the subject's youth and approach to life and culture.

Wells' filmography expanded to include works reflecting and advocating for the gay community, sometimes co-directed with Main. Notable works included "A Death in the Family," which portrayed the human and social impact of the HIV/AIDS crisis in New Zealand, and innovative television projects like "About Face: Jewel’s Darl" highlighting transgender issues long before they gained widespread attention.

The '90s marked a pronounced shift in Wells' creative expression, moving from filmmaking to writing. The individual's written works such as "Dangerous Desires" garnered critical acclaim and international recognition, emphasizing not just queer themes but diverse narratives symptomatic of a complex human experience.

In the late '90s, Wells engaged in literary activism, compiling an anthology that strove to highlight past gay New Zealand writers. The refusal of conservators to grant publication rights for the works of some writers reflected lingering societal apprehensions, addressed in the anthology through blank pages as an expression of censorship.

Towards the 2000s, Wells continued collaborations, notably with Georgina Beyer for the documentary "Georgie Girl," examining Beyer's groundbreaking role in politics as a transgender member of Parliament. This era also witnessed a deeply personal film project with Jonathan Dennis, capturing their end-of-life experience.

As New Zealand edged into a digitally connected era, Wells' views on the global access to their past work are mixed—appreciating the reach yet daunted by the sheer volume of online content. The interview touches upon Wells' philosophical shift from identifying primarily as a gay writer to someone keen on exploring broader artistic endeavors, signifying the evolving nature of queer identity and its representation according to the subject's age and the times.

This summary is created using Generative AI. Although it is based on the recording's transcription, it may contain errors or omissions. Click here to learn more about how this summary was created.

Peter Wells

1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, a death in the family (1986), about face: jewel's darl (tv, 1985), activism, annie goldson, aotearoa new zealand, arts, auckland, best mates: gay writing in aotearoa new zealand (1997), bullying, coming out, dangerous desires (1991), derek jarman, desperate remedies (1993), edward carpenter, film, foolish things (1980), frank sargeson, gay, gay liberation front, gay liberation movement, georgie girl (2001), georgina beyer, good intentions (1989), grant robertson, hiv / aids, homoerotic, homophobia, homosexual, homosexual law reform, jeremy bentham, jonathan dennis, media, memory and desire (1998), napier, narrative, new zealand film archive, new zealand film commission, new zealand labour party, ngā taonga sound and vision, one of them! (1997), oppression, paeroa, pansy (2001), parliament buildings, peter wells, politics, rainer fassbinder, relationships, rex pilgrim, richard turner, robert muldoon, role model, rule foundation, russell wells, salvation army, squeeze (1980), stewart main, storytelling, stuart dryburgh, taxi zum klo (taxi to the toilet), television, the hungry heart: journeys with william colenso (2012), theatre, tony thompson, transexual, united kingdom, university of auckland, visual arts, writing

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