International Recognition for Lord of the Rings Documentary
Radio New Zealand has won international recognition for a documentary which examines the creative motivation of
‘unknown’ New Zealanders working behind the scenes during the making of The Lord of the Rings.
The documentary, A Long Expected Party, by Camilla Maling, has been selected for broadcast by the Third Coast
International Audio Festival in the United States. The Festival, organised by Chicago Public Radio, is a celebration of
the very best feature and documentary work heard worldwide on radio and the internet.
Originally created for National Radio, and first broadcast by the network in December 2001, the programme captures
stories from ordinary New Zealanders swept up in the creative passion behind the scenes as Peter Jackson filmed his epic
trilogy. Camilla Maling, a full time Spoken Features Producer for Radio New Zealand, has just returned from a
three-month exchange with the ABC as a producer on the live nightly arts and culture show “ Nightclub”.
She is thrilled A Long Expected Party has been selected for international broadcast by the Third Coast Festival and
feels it vindicates her decision to look behind the scenes rather than focus on the big names.
“ It’s a bit of a philosophy of mine that often the little people reveal more about a situation than the ones in the
public eye. No one was talking to the little people (in The Lord of The Rings) – there were so many interesting stories
out there that revealed so much about the nature of the New Zealand community, about our human nature and our creative
imaginations. It was the group who spent months knotting hair in a tiny room, the couple who built the costume trucks,
and the helicopter pilot, who offered the greatest insight … their stories captured the passion. “
Maling believes that, as a New Zealander, it made perfect sense to make a program about New Zealanders as much as about
Tolkien, his story and the film. “The people in this programme are unique and what we shared in our exchange was also
unique as this film inspired and exposed a great shared love for the land, and for our country. “