Synopsis

Observational Documentary. 8 months spent at the Templeton Centre, home  to 480 intellectually disabled residents live in timeless seclusion on the Canterbury Plains.

Eighty years ago intellectually and often physically disabled people were removed from mainstream community to be locked away in institutions. Their seldom seen successors are today often seen to be mistakes of nature, repulsive and alien.

But now the climate is changing. De-institutionalization is the catch word and the politicians are determined to persevere with their decision to close the Templeton Centre sited on the outskirts of Christchurch, and return its residents to our neighbour-hoods.

As a Christchurch film-maker I saw the need to inform an introduce to main stream audiences a largely forgotten New Zealand sub culture. In all the countless media stories about this contentious issue, no one has asked the group at the eye of the storm-the intellectually disabled-of their dreams and aspirations.

Reviews

Gently, delicately Gerard Smyth allows the residents of the Templeton Centre to reveal their emotions. Smyth’s tenderness has a surprisingly confrontational effect. Having prompted us, by the least cynical means imaginable, to care for these people, he obliges us to consider the issue of how caring about them might best be effected.
-Bill Gosden NZ Film Festival.

This touching film focuses on a handful of residents, suffering from a variety of disabilities who guilessly tell of their daily life, their awareness that they may soon be moving into the community, and their general welcoming of the changes.
Judith moved to Nelson during the filming. Jaebert explains how his right arm has been out of control for 28 years. ‘I know its hard,’ he says.  Robert is the extrovert who keeps pet goats and has a large collection of flash ties, which he wears to be a ‘respectable person’. He could hardly sleep with excitement the night before being visited by his brother from north of Auckland, whom he had not seen for 30 years. Now, he would love to go and live with him, but also knows it would not be easy.
Most of the people shown in the film are able to speak for themselves and should be able to make the transition with some help. “Out of Sight” obliges us to consider the issue of how caring about them might best be affected.
-Hans Petrovic Christchurch Press

Crew List

Producers: Gerard Smyth, Lincoln Rout
Director: Gerard Smyth, Photography: Gerard Smyth
Story Consultant : Sue McCauley  Editor: John Chrisstoffels
Sound Recordist: Hammond Peek