Te Papa was thrilled to work with Production Shed TV in 2013 and 2014 on a documentary inspired by the Berry & Co. soldier portraits held in the museum’s collection. The documentary, which was originally produced for TVNZ,  features the stories of six soldiers depicted in the collection.

This June, you have the opportunity to see the documentary again, but this time on the big screen. The Berry Boys is screening as part of the Documentary Edge Film Festival, New Zealand’s International Documentary Film Festival. You can catch The Berry Boys this Saturday at Q Theatre in Auckland, and at the Roxy Cinema in Wellington from 5 June.

Featuring animatic retellings by graphic artist Tim Gibson, music by Barnaby Weir inspired by war poetry, and interviews with descendants, The Berry Boys documentary has also received accolades on the international film circuit. In November 2014, the film received an Award of Merit at the IndieFEST in the US. Last month, the film received a Bronze Remi Award in the World Peace & Understanding category at Worldfest-Houston. The latter is one of the oldest and largest film and video competitions in the world, annually receiving over 4,500 entries from more than 30 countries! Our whole-hearted congratulations go out to the ProductionShed and their amazing cast of collaborators.

While we have identified many of the soldiers in the Berry & Co collection, we are still seeking to identify about 30 men and their families. You can view the unidentified men and women here.  If you can help email us at berryboys@tepapa.govt.nz, or leave a phone message for us on 04 381 7129. You can also write to Berry Boys Project Team, Te Papa, PO Box 467, Wellington 6140.