A rare and beautiful cinematic tribute

Dame Robin White is well known in New Zealand and beyond as one of our most celebrated visual artists. Her deep and lifelong commitment to the Bahá’í Faith is a quiet spiritual thread that runs through her work, her relationships, and now through a new feature film about her: Grace—A Prayer for Peace.

Beautifully created by another celebrated New Zealand cultural icon, filmmaker Dame Gaylene Preston, this film shares a portrait of Dame Robin that is intimate and spiritual. The film captures the rhythm of her days, her reflections on faith and practice, and the beauty of a life dedicated to both contemplation and contribution. It’s not often that two Dames come together to create something so personal and it’s even more rare to see the story of a Bahá’í’s artistic expression told in a cinematic way that is itself an artistic expression.

If you have the chance to see it, we warmly encourage you to do so—and to share the opportunity with others who may be inspired by Dame Robin White’s story.

Screenings

The film will have its world premiere as part of the New Zealand International Film Festival, screening in Auckland on Sunday 3 August at 5:30pm at SkyCity, with a second showing on Friday 8 August at 10:15am at The Civic. It will also be shown in Hamilton at the Lido Cinema on Sunday 31 August at 1:15pm.

More screenings may follow as the festival travels to other cities, though the selection of films often varies— the NZIFF website provides updates and ticketing.

The Post article

You can read more about the fascinating film and the beautiful friendship that developed between Robin and Gaylene over the course of the film’s production in a recent article published in The Post, titled “When two Dames met, a documentary was born.” The article speaks to the firm friendship that grew between filmmaker and subject during the creative process. One correction to the article is that Kiribati is not just an atoll, but is a country made up of about 33 atolls.

Feature image: Two friends, Dame Robin White and Dame Gaylene Preston. Source - The Post article.