Remembering David Comer

Very sad news that David Comer passed away on Christmas day. He is widely recognized as New Zealand’s first international location scout and one of our early exports into the global film community. Dave was the chair of the Film Otago Southland Trust, and a stalwart of the NZ film industry. He was a soft-spoken, carefully thought-out person who had built the trust and support of not only producers and directors, but of the land owners who he made sure got a fair deal. He was also extremely generous with his images, and though he knew their value, he believed in sharing for the betterment of the entire industry. He once told me of an amusing story about an inquiry that came from New York, asking him if he could find a location similar to the reference image they provided, it was one of Dave’s images. Dave also directed Ata Whenua, capturing the best of Fiordland. Watch Ata Whenua and you will get a sense of the skill he brought to his work. We had a fantastic send off for him at Paradise, it was humbling to see the influence he had on so many fine people, a mark of the man. I am grateful for the knowledge and steadfast support provided to me for the last eight years. You will be missed Dave.

By Kevin Jennings