John Feeney (10 August 1922 – 6 December 2006) was a

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

-born director, photographer and writer.

Early life

Feeney was born in

Ngāruawāhia Ngāruawāhia () is a town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located north-west of Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton at the confluence of the Waikato River, Waikato and Waipā Rivers, adjacent to the Hakarimata Rang ...

, near

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

, on

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. He became fascinated by photography at a very early age and, at age 8, was given his first camera which, for the rest of his life, he would refer to as his 'magic lantern'. While attending

Victoria University Victoria University may refer to: * Victoria University (Australia), a public research university in Melbourne, Australia * Victoria University, Toronto, a constituent college of the federal University of Toronto in Canada * Victoria University of ...

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

, he entered the

Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve The Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNZNVR) is the volunteer reserve force of the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN). History Early history The first Naval Volunteer Force (New Zealand), Volunteer units were formed in Auckland and Nels ...

to do his compulsory service but, with conscription during WWII, was transferred into the

Royal New Zealand Navy The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN; ) is the maritime arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. The fleet currently consists of eight ships. The Navy had its origins in the Naval Defence Act 1913, and the subsequent acquisition of the cruiser , whi ...

. He took part in the

D-Day landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

of 1944 and, a year later, was discharged with the rank of

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

. He returned to New Zealand, where he took the job of research assistant with New Zealand's War History Branch, which was working on its 38-volume ''

Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939–45 The ''Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939–45'' is a 48-volume series published by the War History Branch (and its successors) of the Department of Internal Affairs which covered New Zealand involvement in the Second Wo ...

''. That experience led him to be hired, in 1947, by the

National Film Unit The National Film Unit (NFU) was a state-owned film-production organisation originally based in Miramar, New Zealand. Founded in 1936 when the government took over a private film studio, Filmcraft, the NFU produced newsreels, documentaries and ...

of New Zealand.

National Film Unit The National Film Unit (NFU) was a state-owned film-production organisation originally based in Miramar, New Zealand. Founded in 1936 when the government took over a private film studio, Filmcraft, the NFU produced newsreels, documentaries and ...
of New Zealand

At the time, the mandate of the government-owned the

of New Zealand (NFU) was to produce educational films for domestic audiences, and films which would project a favourable image of New Zealand and attract tourism, trade, immigrants and investment. When Feeney arrived, he was put to work as a production assistant on the NFU’s "Weekly Review", a weekly series of short films distributed throughout the country’s theatres. The pressure to produce the series on strict deadlines forced Feeney to quickly learn filmmaking skills and, by 1948, he was able to direct. His first known film was ''Hutt Valley ... New School for Taita'' and it is known that he was the editor on ''Naval Force 75'' (1950); his first credit was for 1949’s ''New Golden Hind Sails North Supplying Raoul & Niue Islands''. It is thought that Feeney edited, wrote, photographed and/or directed as many as 30 films for the NFU but, by 1949, the unit had stopped including credits in its films. Most of the films from this era have also been lost. In 1951, the NFU ceased production of the ''Weekly Review'' and Feeney was put to work on informational films promoting soil conservation and traffic safety. He was then able to produce documentaries; the result was the four critically-acclaimed films that would start his career: ''The Legend of the Whanganui River'' (1952), ''Kōtuku'' (1954), ''Pumicelands'' (1954) and ''Hot Earth'' (1955). On the strength of these films, Feeney was offered a

bursary A bursary is a monetary award made by any educational institution or funding authority to individuals or groups. It is usually awarded to enable a student to attend school, university or college when they might not be able to, otherwise. Some awar ...

to study film production at the College of Cinematography in Paris. However, the NFU sent him to Canada first, to see how the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; ) is a Canadian public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary films, animation, web documentaries, and altern ...

(NFB) was operated; while there, he was asked if he’d like to make a film, and he created the 1954 ''Hidden Power''. That film, along with his four NFU films, screened at the 1955

Edinburgh International Film Festival The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF), established in 1947, is the world's oldest continually running film festival. EIFF presents both UK and international films (all titles are World, international, European or UK Premieres), in al ...

; ''The Legend of the Whanganui River'' earned a Diploma of Merit. Based on their reception and quality, NFB producer Tom Daly offered him a job. Feeney had intended to return to New Zealand, but he discovered that his delay in going to France and led to the expiration of his bursary and the loss of a promotion at the NFU. The Canadian position offered a much larger salary, more resources and more opportunity. In 1955, Feeney moved to Montreal and joined the NFB as a full-time filmmaker.

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; ) is a Canadian public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary films, animation, web documentaries, and altern ...

Despite reporting that he found adapting to life in Montreal to be difficult, Feeney stayed with the NFB for 10 years, producing 10 films. Daly noted that Feeney has a particular affinity for photographing the landscape and put him to work on documentaries about the Arctic and

Inuit Inuit (singular: Inuk) are a group of culturally and historically similar Indigenous peoples traditionally inhabiting the Arctic and Subarctic regions of North America and Russia, including Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwe ...

culture. His first such film, '' The Living Stone'', earned him several awards, including an

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

nomination. His last NFB film, the 1964 documentary '' Eskimo Artist: Kenojuak'', a groundbreaking look at the process of Inuk artist

Kenojuak Ashevak Kenojuak Ashevak, (Inuktitut: ᕿᓐᓄᐊᔪᐊᖅ ᐋᓯᕙᒃ, Qinnuajuaq Aasivak) was a Canadian Inuk artist. She was born on October 3, 1927 at Camp Kerrasak on southern Baffin Island, and died on January 8, 2013 in Cape Dorset, Nunavut. ...

, earned more awards, including a second

nomination and the

BAFTA Award for Best Short Film The BAFTA Award for Best British Short Film is a film award presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) at the annual British Academy Film Awards. BAFTA is a British organisation that hosts annual awards shows for film, ...

br>
(The NFB notes: "...this is an archival film that makes use of the word “Eskimo,” an outdated and offensive term. While the origin of the word is a matter of some contention, it is no longer used in Canada. The term was formally rejected by the

Inuit Circumpolar Council The Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC; formerly the Inuit Circumpolar Conference) is a multinational non-governmental organization (NGO) and Indigenous Peoples' Organization (IPO) representing the 180,000 Inuit and Yupik (sometimes referred to a ...

in 1980 and has subsequently not been in use at the NFB.") In 1959, while shooting ''Pangnirtung'', in what is now

Nunavut Nunavut is the largest and northernmost Provinces and territories of Canada#Territories, territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the ''Nunavut Act'' and the Nunavut Land Claims Agr ...

, bad weather had forced a stop in filming and, Feeney wrote, he passed the time reading a magazine he’d found about Africa’s Mountains of the Moon, at the source of the

Nile The Nile (also known as the Nile River or River Nile) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa. It has historically been considered the List of river sy ...

. The subject intrigued him, and he starting researching the Nile, its people and the temples of Egypt and

Nubia Nubia (, Nobiin language, Nobiin: , ) is a region along the Nile river encompassing the area between the confluence of the Blue Nile, Blue and White Nile, White Niles (in Khartoum in central Sudan), and the Cataracts of the Nile, first cataract ...

. At this time, governments around the world were increasingly interested in developing their own filmmaking industries, and it was not unusual for them to ask the NFB to send directors to coach their filmmakers–the governments of Romania and Czechoslovakia had asked for Feeney specifically. In 1963, Egypt’s

Minister of Culture A culture minister or a heritage minister is a common cabinet position in governments. The culture minister is typically responsible for cultural policy, which often includes arts policy (direct and indirect support to artists and arts organiza ...

, Dr. Tharwat Okasha, came to the NFB offices and asked if one of its directors would spend a year in Egypt filming the highly anticipated ‘last’ flood of the Nile. Feeney jumped at the chance; he would spend the next 40 years in Egypt.

Egypt

In June 1964, Feeney and a four-man Egyptian film crew set out from Cairo to capture the flood on film, following its progress for 3200 kilometers (2000 mi). This had never been done before, and the 83-minute

CinemaScope CinemaScope is an anamorphic format, anamorphic lens series used, from 1953 to 1967, and less often later, for shooting widescreen films that, crucially, could be screened in theatres using existing equipment, albeit with a lens adapter. Its cr ...

documentary ''Fountains of the Sun'' became the only filmed record of the event. After showing at Cairo cinemas, the film, which took four years to complete, became mired in red tape and fell into obscurity. In 2001, it was nominated for inclusion in

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

’s

Memory of the World Programme UNESCO's Memory of the World (MoW) Programme is an international initiative to safeguard the documentary heritage of humanity against collective amnesia, neglect, decay over time and climatic conditions, as well as deliberate destruction. It ca ...

. The nomination called it “one of the most important films about the River Nile…showing for the first time on the screen the sources and wonders of the White and Blue Niles.” In his writings, Feeney mentions ‘filming’ and it is reasonable to assume that he would not have given up film-making. However, there is no record of any film directed by him between 1969 and 1984, when he was brought to Saudi Arabia by Abdallah Jum'ah at

Saudi Aramco Saudi Aramco ( ') or Aramco (formerly Arabian-American Oil Company), officially the Saudi Arabian Oil Company, is a majority state-owned petroleum and natural gas company that is the national oil company of Saudi Arabia. , it is the fourth- l ...

to produce ''Era of Discovery'', a 21-minute documentary about the early history of company. Feeney’s association with Saudi Aramco began in 1973, when he started working for

Aramco World ''Aramco World'' (formerly ''Saudi Aramco World'') is a bi-monthly magazine published by Aramco Services Company, a US-based subsidiary of Saudi Aramco, the state-owned oil company of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The first issue of the magazine ...

, the company’s bi-monthly magazine. Feeney wrote one article nearly every year until 2006; each article covered a different aspect of Egyptian culture and, for each one, he provided 24 photographs. He became an expert on Egyptian food, and turned to food photography, creating ''The Red Tea of Egypt'' (2001), ''Desert Truffles Galore'' (2002) and ''Egyptian Soups, Hot and Cold'' (2006). In 1995, the

American University in Cairo Press The American University in Cairo Press (AUCP, AUC Press) is the leading English-language publisher in the Middle East. The largest translator of Arabic literature in the world, AUC Press has a reputation for carefully selecting and translating t ...

published his book ''Thirty Years in Egypt''. In 2003, Feeney returned to New Zealand, where he completed his last book, ''Photographing Egypt: Forty Years Behind the Lens''. He attended its 2005 launch, which was held at the

American University in Cairo The American University in Cairo (AUC; ) is a private research university in New Cairo, Egypt. The university offers American-style learning programs at undergraduate, graduate, and professional levels, along with a continuing education program. ...

, in the Sony Gallery for Photography at the Adham Center for Television Journalism. The show, ''John Feeney Retrospective: 40 Years Photographing Egypt'', featured more than 60 of Feeney's photographs. Feeney died in

New Zealand in 2006.

Legacy

''Eskimo Artist: Kenojuak'' found new life in 1992, when filmmakers Colin Low and Tony Ianzelo combined archival and contemporary footage of Kenojuak in ''

Momentum In Newtonian mechanics, momentum (: momenta or momentums; more specifically linear momentum or translational momentum) is the product of the mass and velocity of an object. It is a vector quantity, possessing a magnitude and a direction. ...

'', Canada's IMAX HD film for Expo '92. ''Pumicelands'' was used in the 2015 documentary ''The Ground We Won''. Through pre-production, production and post-production of ''Fountains of the Sun'', Feeney kept a diary. There are eight books, with entries recounting daily events and personal reflections about film-making, travel, administrative and financial matters, and distribution and exhibition of the film. The diary describes Feeney’s experiences filming in Khartoum, Uganda and the

Ruwenzori Mountains The Rwenzori (also known as the Ruwenzori, Rwenzururu or Rwenjura) are a mountain range, range of mountains in eastern equatorial Africa, located on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The highest peak of the Ruw ...

, working with the ‘Studio Msir Lab’, and recording the documentary's music. ''John Feeney's Nile Diaries'', and all of Feeney's papers and photographs, were donated to the

National Library of New Zealand The National Library of New Zealand () is charged with the obligation to "enrich the cultural and economic life of New Zealand and its interchanges with other nations" (National Library of New Zealand (Te Puna Mātauranga) Act 2003). Under the ...

, Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington.

Filmography

of New Zealand * ''Hutt Valley ... New School for Taita'' - short film 1948, editor * ''New Golden Hind Sails North Supplying Raoul & Niue Islands'' - short film, Stanhope Andrews 1949 - writer and editor * ''Naval Force 75'' - short film 1950 - editor * ''Pedestrians or Jaywalkers?'' - short film 1952, writer, editor, director * ''A List of Names'' - short film 1952, writer, editor * ''The Legend of the Whanganui River'' - short film 1952 - writer, editor, director * ''Charting the Sea - H.M.N.Z.S. Lachlan'' - short film 1953, writer, editor, director * ''Kōtuku'' - short film 1954 - writer, editor, director * ''Pumicelands'' - short film 1954 - writer, editor, director * ''Hot Earth'' - short film 1955 - writer, editor, director

*'' On the Spot: Hidden Power'' - documentary short 1954 - director *'' On the Spot: Food Facts'' - documentary short 1955 - director *'' On the Spot: Prairie University'' - documentary short 1955 - director *'' The Living Stone'' - documentary short 1958 - writer, editor, director *''Pangnirtung'' - documentary short 1959 - writer, editor, director *''Fifty Miles from Poona'' - documentary short, Fali Bilimoria 1959 - writer, editor *''Arctic Outpost: Pangnirtung, N.W.T.'' - documentary short 1960 - writer, editor, director *''Sky'' - experimental film, 1963 - writer, editor, director *''A Christmas Fantasy'' - short film 1963 - editor, cinematographer, director *'' Eskimo Artist: Kenojuak'' - documentary short 1964 - writer, editor, director Egypt * ''Fountains of the Sun'', aka ''Yanabie Al Shams'' - documentary 1969 - writer, editor, cinematographer, director * ''Era of Discovery'' – documentary short 1984 – producer, director

Awards

''The Legend of the Whanganui River'' (1952) *

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

, Scotland: Diploma of Merit, 1953 '' The Living Stone'' (1958) * Winnipeg Film Council Annual Film Festival,

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

: Best Canadian Film, Short Subject, 1959 * American Film and Video Festival, New York: Blue Ribbon, Graphic Arts, Sculpture and Architecture, 1960 * Rapallo International Film Festival,

Rapallo Rapallo ( , , ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Genoa, in the Italy, Italian region of Liguria. As of 2017 it had 29,778 inhabitants. It lies on the Ligurian Sea coast, on the Tigullio Gulf, between Portofino and ...

, Italy: Special Prize, Cup of the Minister of Tourism and Entertainment for Best Foreign Film, 1960 * Rapallo International Film Festival,

, Italy: Second Prize, Silver Cup of the Province of Genoa, 1960 * International Festival of Films on People and Countries,

La Spezia La Spezia (, or ; ; , in the local ) is the capital city of the province of La Spezia and is located at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the southern part of the Liguria region of Italy. La Spezia is the second-largest city in the Liguria ...

, Italy: Silver Cup for the Most Popular Film of the Festival, 1967 * International Festival of Films on People and Countries,

, Italy: Medal for Best Ethnological Film, 1967 * International Maritime and Exploration Film Festival,

Toulon Toulon (, , ; , , ) is a city in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the French Riviera and the historical Provence, it is the prefecture of the Var (department), Var department. The Commune of Toulon h ...

, France: Ergo Prize of the Presidency of the Republic, 1969 * Festival of Tourist and Folklore Films,

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

: CIDALC Medal of Honour, 1960 *

Locarno Film Festival The Locarno International Film Festival is a major international film festival, held annually in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narr ...

Locarno Locarno (; ; Ticinese dialect, Ticinese: ; formerly in ) is a southern Switzerland, Swiss List of towns in Switzerland, town and Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district Locarno (district), Locarno (of which it is the capita ...

, Switzerland: Diploma of Honour, 1959 *

11th Canadian Film Awards The 11th Canadian Film Awards were held on June 5, 1959 to honour achievements in Canadian film.Maria Topalovich, ''And the Genie Goes To...: Celebrating 50 Years of the Canadian Film Awards''. Stoddart Publishing, 2000. . pp. 45-47. At this time ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

: Award of Merit, General Information, 1959 *

International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg The Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival (), often referred to by the German-language initialism IFFMH, is an annual film festival established in 1952 hosted jointly by the cities of Mannheim and Heidelberg in Baden-Württemberg, the ...

Mannheim Mannheim (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (), is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, second-largest city in Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, the States of Ger ...

: Special Commendation, 1959 * Robert J. Flaherty Film Awards, City College Institute of Film Techniques: Honourable Mention, 1959 * SODRE International Festival of Documentary and Experimental Films,

Montevideo Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

, Uruguay: Honourable Mention 1960 *

31st Academy Awards The 31st Academy Awards ceremony was held on April 6, 1959, to honor the best films of 1958. The night was dominated by '' Gigi'', which won nine Oscars, breaking the previous record of eight set by ''Gone with the Wind'' and tied by '' From He ...

, Los Angeles: Nominee: Best Documentary Short Film, 1958 ''Pangnirtung'' (1959) * Okanagan Film Festival,

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, British Columbia: First Prize, 1960 ''Sky'' (1963) *

Columbus International Film & Animation Festival The Columbus International Film + Animation Festival is a Columbus, Ohio, United States annual film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theater, cinemas or screening venues, usually ann ...

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

: Chris Award, Special Fields, 1964 *Jubilee International Film Festival,

Swift Current Swift Current is the sixth-largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It is situated along the Trans-Canada Highway west of Moose Jaw, and east of Medicine Hat, Alberta. As of 2024, Swift Current has an estimated population of ...

, Saskatchewan: First Prize, Natural Sciences, 1964 ''A Christmas Fantasy'' (1963) *

: Chris Certificate 1964 '' Eskimo Artist: Kenojuak'' (1964) *

18th British Academy Film Awards The 18th British Academy Film Awards, given by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in 1965, honoured the best films of 1964. Winners and nominees Source: Statistics References {{BAFTA Film Awards Chron 018 British Acad ...

, London:

, 1964 *

Cork International Film Festival Cork International Film Festival (CIFF), also known the Cork Film Festival (), is a film festival held annually in Cork City, Ireland. It was established in 1956 as part of An Tóstal, and is Ireland's oldest and largest film festival. It is typi ...

Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

, Ireland: Statuette of St. Finbarr - First Prize, Art Films, 1964 * Festival of Tourist and Folklore Films,

: Gold Medal - First Prize, 1965 *

Melbourne International Film Festival The Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) is an annual film festival held over three weeks in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was founded in 1952 and is one of the oldest film festivals in the world following the founding of the Venic ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

: Silver Boomerang - Second Prize, 1965 * International Exhibition of Scientific Film,

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

: Second Prize, Category C, 1965 *

: Chris Award, Education & Information, 1966 * American Film and Video Festival, New York: First Prize, Graphic Arts, Sculpture and Architecture, 1967 *Panama International Film Festival,

Panama City Panama City, also known as Panama, is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has a total population of 1,086,990, with over 2,100,000 in its metropolitan area. The city is located at the Pacific Ocean, Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, i ...

, Panama: Grand Prize for Best Documentary, 1966 *

Thessaloniki International Film Festival The Thessaloniki International Film Festival (TIFF) is a film festival held every November in Thessaloniki, Greece. It is organized by the Thessaloniki Film Festival under the auspices of the Greek Ministry of Culture. It features internationa ...

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...

, Greece: First Prize, Foreign Film, 1967 *Festival of Cultural Films,

La Felguera La Felguera is a parish of Langreo, and the most important district in the municipality of Langreo ( Principality of Asturias) in northern Spain, with 21,000 inhabitants. It is located 18 minutes by car to Oviedo, the capital of Asturias. La Fel ...

, Spain: Silver Plaque, 1967 * Philadelphia International Festival of Short Films,

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

: Award of Exceptional Merit, 1971 *FIBA International Festival of Buenos Aires,

: Diploma of Honor, 1968 *Tokyo International Film Festival,

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, Japan: Certificate of Merit, 1966 *

Vancouver International Film Festival The Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, for two weeks in late September and early October. The festival is operated by the Greater Vancouver International Film Festi ...

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: Certificate of Merit, 1964 *

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival (, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival held in Venice, Italy. It is the world's oldest film festival and one of the ...

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, Italy: Special Mention, 1964 *

37th Academy Awards The 37th Academy Awards were held on April 5, 1965, to honor film achievements of 1964. The ceremony was produced by MGM's Joe Pasternak and hosted, for the 14th time, by Bob Hope. The Best Picture winner, George Cukor's ''My Fair Lady'', w ...

, Los Angeles: Nominee: Best Documentary Short Subject, 1965

Bibliography

* ''Al-Azhar, A Millennial'', article & photography,

1973 * ''The Magic of The Mashrabiyas'', article & photography,

1974 * ''The Good Things of Egypt'', article & photography,

1975 * ''Choreography in Cairo'', article & photography,

1977 * ''A Hidden Beauty'', article & photography,

1978 *''Siwa: Resort of Kings'', photography,

1979 * ''A Harvest of Scents'', article & photography,

1980 * ''Under the Big Top in Cairo'', article & photography,

1981 * ''The Hidden Power'', article & photography,

1982 * ''Tapestries of Harraniya'', article & photography,

1982 * ''Memories of Samarkand'', article & photography,

1984 * ''The Minarets of Cairo'', article & photography,

1985 * ''Tentmakers of Cairo'', article & photography,

1986 * ''From Water All That Lives'', article & photography,

* ''Imbaba'', article & photography,

1989 * ''Ramadan’s Lanterns'', article & photography,

1992 * ''Fortress on the Mountain'', article & photography,

1993 * ''The Village of the Past'', article & photography,

1995 * ''Thirty Years in Egypt'', book,

1995 * ''Cairo's Domes, Minarets and Mushrabiyas'', book,

1997 * ''Shadows of Fancy'', article & photography,

1999 * ''Building for the 800 Million: An Interview'', article & photography,

1999 * ''The Red Tea of Egypt'', book,

2001 * ''Desert Truffles Galore'', book,

2002 * ''The Joys of the Bath'', article & photography,

2004 * ''A City Adorned'', article & photography,

2005 * ''Photographing Egypt: Forty Years Behind the Lens'', book,

2005 * ''Egyptian Soups, Hot and Cold'', book,

2006

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Feeney, John 1922 births 2006 deaths Expatriate photographers in Egypt New Zealand photographers New Zealand film directors Mass media people from Wellington City People from Ngāruawāhia Victoria University of Wellington alumni National Film Board of Canada people New Zealand military personnel of World War II New Zealand expatriates in Canada