John Beresford Power (20 November 1930 – February 2016) was an Australian film and television director, who began his career as a journalist.

Early life and journalism career

Power was born in

Maitland, New South Wales Maitland () is a city in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia and the seat of Maitland City Council, situated on the Hunter River, New South Wales, Hunter River approximately by road north of Sydney and north-west of Newcastle, New S ...

. His older brother was Dave Power, a long-distance runner who won medals at the Olympics and Commonwealth Games. After leaving school, he joined the ''Maitland Mercury'' as a cadet journalist, later moving to Sydney to work for ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'' and ''

The Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1903, it is part of Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), which is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead ...

''. He was a political journalist in Canberra at the time of the

Australian Labor Party split of 1955 The Australian Labor Party split of 1955 was a split within the Australian Labor Party along ethnocultural lines and about the position towards communism. Key players in the split were the federal opposition leader H. V. "Doc" Evatt and B. A. ...

, events which he would later cover in the documentary film ''Like a Summer Storm''.

Awards

Power won the AFI Award for Best Direction for the 1974 TV

docudrama Docudrama (or documentary drama) is a genre of television show, television and feature film, film, which features Drama (film and television), dramatized Historical reenactment, re-enactments of actual events. It is described as a hybrid of docu ...

Billy and Percy ''Billy and Percy'' is a 1974 Australian docudrama based on the relationship between Prime Minister Billy Hughes and his private secretary Percy Deane during World War I. It was based primarily on Deane's diaries.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on ...

''.

Select filmography

*''The Other Side of Innocence '' (1972) (documentary) - director *'' Like a Summer Storm'' (1972) (TV movie) - director, writer, producer *''What did you do at school today?'' (1974) (documentary short) - director *''

Escape from Singapore ''Escape from Singapore'' is a 1973 Australian TV dramatised documentary about General Gordon Bennett and his escape from Singapore in World War II.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p29 It was ...

'' (1974) (TV movie) - director, writer, producer *''

They Don't Clap Losers ''They Don't Clap Losers'' is a 1975 Australian television documentary-drama film directed by John Power. It aired on March 1, 1975, the first night Australian television turned to colour. Power had made a number of drama documentaries for the A ...

'' (1975) (TV movie) - director, writer, producer *''

The Picture Show Man ''The Picture Show Man'' is a 1977 Australian film directed by John Power, about a travelling film exhibitor (John Meillon) in the 1920s. He has to deal with the rebelliousness of his son ( Harold Hopkins) and a rival American exhibitor (Rod Tayl ...

'' (1977) - director *'' The Sound of Love'' (1978) (TV movie) - director, writer *'' A Single Life'' (1986) (TV movie) *'' The Dismissal'' (1983) (TV miniseries) - director *''

The Great Gold Swindle ''The Great Gold Swindle'' is a 1984 Australian TV movie based on the Perth Mint Swindle. It was shot on location in Perth.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p71 As far as is known, the gold bul ...

'' (1984) - director *'' Special Squad'' (1984) (TV Series) - director *'' Return to Eden'' (1986) (TV series) - director *'' A Single Life'' (1986) - director, writer *'' Alice to Nowhere'' (1986) (TV miniseries) - director *'' Willing and Abel'' (1987) (TV series) - director *''

Mike Willesee's Australians ''Australians'' (also known as ''Michael Willesee's Australians'') is a thirteen part anthology documentary drama series which screened on the Seven Network in 1988. A lavishly illustrated spin-off coffee table book was released the same year. I ...

'' (1988) (TV series) - director episode "Clyde Fenton" *''

The Dirtwater Dynasty ''The Dirtwater Dynasty'' is a five-part Australian drama miniseries, first screened on Network Ten in 1988. It was directed by Michael Jenkins and John Power.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxford Uni Press, 19 ...

'' (1988) (TV miniseries) - director *'' Tanamera - Lion of Singapore'' (1989) (TV miniseries) - director *''

Father A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. A biological fat ...

'' (1990) - director *'' Sky Trackers'' (1990) (TV movie) - director *'' All the Rivers Run 2'' (1990) (TV miniseries) - director *'' Charles and Diana: Unhappily Ever After'' (1992) (TV movie) - director *''

The Tommyknockers ''The Tommyknockers'' is a 1987 science fiction novel by Stephen King. While maintaining a horror style, the novel is an excursion into the realm of science fiction for King, as the residents of the Maine town of Haven gradually fall under the i ...

'' (1993) (TV miniseries) - director *''

Someone Else's Child Someone may refer to: Literature * ''Someone'' (McDermott novel), a 2013 novel by Alice McDermott Songs * "Someone" (Lee Greenwood song), 1987 * "Someone" (The Rembrandts song), 1991 * "Someone" (SWV song), 1997 * "Someone (Laissons nous un ...

'' (1994) (TV movie) - director *'' Betrayed by Love'' (1994) (TV movie) - director *'' Fatal Vows: The Alexandra O'Hara Story'' (1994) (TV movie) - director *'' A Child is Missing'' (1995) (TV movie) - director *''Heart of Fire'' (1997) (TV movie) - director *''Goldrush: A Real Life Alaskan Adventure'' (1998) (TV movie) - director

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Power, John 1930 births 2016 deaths Australian film directors Australian journalists Australian television directors Australian war correspondents Logie Award winners