A Stranger Everywhere is a documentary about Douglas MacDiarmid and his views on society by French filmmaker Eric Grinda.

Filmed in 2006, when Douglas was 84 years old, the film explains in a philosophical but simple way how everything in life is interconnected. MacDiarmid describes 10 important issues that surround our existence: beliefs, conflict, communication, progress, respect, ambition, responsibility, tradition, time compression, and work. Within this road to wisdom, we discover his intense and stylish artworks.

French documentary filmmaker Eric Grinda describes MacDiarmid as dynamic, disciplined and active. “Douglas MacDiarmid is a great ambassador not only for New Zealand and France, but above all for human intelligence…Douglas resembles an aristocrat of another time, tall, with a penetrating glance. His fine hands are simply artistic. There is nothing superfluous in the man.”

Please enjoy the trailer for A Stranger Everywhere. The complete documentary (52 minutes) is available to stream instantly or to buy on DVD.

The film features:

• a series of interviews with Douglas MacDiarmid
• an introduction by French art historian Dr Nelly Finet, who authored a book about his art called MacDiarmid (2002)
• visuals of selected artworks by the painter

The project was supported by the New Zealand Embassy in France and launched at the Australia New Zealand Film Festival in St Tropez in 2006.