Michael Forlong

After managing to introduce drama and dance into his post WWII films for the National Film Unit, filmmaker Michael Forlong spent the remainder of his career directing features in Europe. In 1972 he returned to New Zealand to shoot children's tale Rangi's Catch, discovering actor Temuera Morrison in the process. Born in Whanganui on 20 March 1912, Forlong was brought up largely by his mother. Forlong was an announcer on Wellington radio station 2ZB when he was drafted to write the script for an ambitious Government film, marking New Zealand’s 1940 centennial. Originally running at roughly 53 minutes, One Hundred Crowded Years mixed Waitangi re-enactments with modern day doco footage. Ultimately the filmwould win its biggest audiences from school groups. Forlong also worked on at least three other films for the NZ Government, before serving in WWII.

In 1944 Forlong joined recently created Government filmmaking body the National Film Unit, where he began writing and editing for NFU newsreel Weekly Review. Forlong would go on to direct (plus usually write and edit) an impressive tally of 25 plus films at the Unit.

With few exceptions, filmmaking commissioned for the NZ Government had long been based mainly around newsreels and promotional films. Though Forlong worked on his fair share of Weekly Review newsreels, a number of his more noteworthy films incorporated dramatic elements.