ABOUT JUNIPER
Introduction
Having made their first film in Samoa in the seventies, Juniper Films has developed a special relationship with the South Pacific region. Juniper Films has initiated most of their projects with commissions from the ABC, SBS Television Australia and TVNZ, and national and international governments. Juniper Films has a base at The Picture House, Wellington New Zealand.
Juniper has its own production and post-production facilities and has worked successfully with many executive producers in Australia and New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom and USA. Juniper also acted as executive producers for an EU funded documentary series, plus educational and tourist promotional films in the South Pacific.
One of Juniper's films, Le Village, Un Village had the rare distinction of being acquired and used by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their overseas embassies. Juniper was appointed "Approved Contract Producers" to AUSAID.
Juniper has a vast and comprehensive resource of films and stills on the traditions, culture and myths of the South Pacific and has a wide range of recent and historical events and scenic shots of this area.
What we do
Juniper Films produce documentaries from their own original ideas. The company also produces and develops documentaries from selected proposals submitted to them. Focus areas are the South Pacific, culture and the Arts.
Extensive travels and lengthy location work have produced a huge bank of professional class stills.
Specialist DVDs are being produced from Juniper's early footage with injections of new material.
Who we are
John D. Tristram and Ian James Wilson established the Juniper Films partnership in the 1970s with their film on the first Papal visit to the South Pacific.
At the request of the Government at that time, they remained in Samoa to produce the country's first Tourism promotional film which won the PATA Grand Film Award the following year.
Thereafter followed commissions from the Governments of Tonga, Fiji, and New Zealand – and more prestigious international film awards.
Juniper established a base in London for six years and produced a series of films in Europe and Africa for the New Zealand Education Board. All of the films sold to television world wide.
In the 1980s Juniper Films focused on arts programs for television in Australia and continued to produce films and teaching resources for the New Zealand Education Department.
Two major television series, Pacifica and Oceania, took Juniper back to the Pacific in the 1990s and by the new millennium, the Samoan Government co-produced with Juniper the first documentary on the history of their country.
Testimonials
"The Government of Samoa has had a long association with John Tristram and James Wilson, the principals of Juniper Films ... Juniper's professionalism, expertise and skill in documenting life in Samoa is highly regarded, as is their honesty and reliability."
Fiame Mata'afa, Minister For Education, Sports and Culture, Government of Samoa
"We have had a long and extensive association with Juniper Films and John and James since their first work in Vanuatu many years ago ... We have been happy to continue working with Juniper Films over the years for many reasons. Firstly, their professionalism has been always notable, with their researchers travelling to Vanuatu well in advance of filming to scout locations and meet with key people involved in or knowledgeable about their intended topic, the film crew itself conducting itself admirably and the final product being of the highest standard ... I have no hesitation to recommend Juniper Films as the right choice for making any films concerning cultural subjects in the Pacific."
Ralph Regenvanu, Director, Vanuatu Cultural Centre
"Juniper Films has been associated with the Tonga Visitors' Bureau for a number of years, in that they produced and directed the most outstanding and successful promotional film ‘Tonga Royal', that the Kingdom has ever released ... Juniper Films rates exceedingly high to the Tongan Government ... "
HRH Princess Salote-Pilolevu Tuita