Copyright scotsman
Dame Jacinda Ardern is to speak at a Glasgow cinema following the Scottish premiere of an award-winning, “intimate” documentary charting her time as prime minister of New Zealand. Ms Ardern, who led the country from 2017 to 2023 and was the youngest-elected female world leader at the time, is to take time out of a family holiday in Scotland to visit Glasgow Film Theatre for a Q&A event, following the screening of new documentary about her political career, Prime Minister. The event will be Ms Ardern’s only in-person appearance outside of London to promote the film, which won the Audience Award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Prime Minister is an intimate portrait of Ms Ardern’s time in office, blending home footage shot by her husband with never-before-heard audio recorded during her years as New Zealand’s leader. Co-directors Lindsay Utz and Michelle Walshe go behind the scenes of both Ms Ardern’s administration and private life, tracing seven turbulent years in which she guided her country through a deadly volcanic eruption, its worst-ever terror attack, and a global pandemic. Beginning with her unexpected appointment to opposition leader just weeks before a general election, Prime Minister charts Ms Ardern’s meteoric rise to the top of New Zealand politics — from becoming a feminist political icon and giving birth while in office, to her sudden resignation and continued advocacy against isolationism, fear, and the distortion of truth. At that time she became the youngest female head of government anywhere in the world, taking charge of her country at the age of 37. She then became the second ever head of an elected government to give birth while in office, when she had her daughter in June 2018. Ms Ardern said she “no longer has enough in the tank” to do the role justice when she announced she was stepping down from the role to spend more time with her family. Her memoir, A Different Kind of Power, was released in June this year. Paul Gallagher, head of programme at GFT, said: “We are honoured that Dame Jacinda Ardern will be taking time out of her family holiday to Scotland to visit GFT in person for the Scottish premiere of Prime Minister. The documentary is a remarkably intimate political portrait, humanising a great world leader who made history during her tenure as New Zealand’s prime minister. “GFT is renowned in Glasgow for bringing our audience face to face with the people behind the movies, and we are delighted to add Jacinda Ardern to the long list of famous faces we have had the pleasure of welcoming to the cinema over the past 50 years.” The event will take place at GFT on Friday, 21 November.
