# In 1995, Peter Jackson fooled a nation and caused an uproar: “We weren’t trying to fuck people off”

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/in-1995-peter-jackson-fooled-a-nation-and-caused-an-uproar-we-werent-trying-to-fuck-people-off/
- Published: 2026-11-01T14:30:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-01T15:15:11+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/in-1995-peter-jackson-fooled-a-nation-and-caused-an-uproar/
- Topics: Music

## Key points

- Peter Jackson and Costa Botes invented a pioneering film-maker for a 1995 mockumentary.
- Many viewers mistook the fabricated story for fact.
- The hoax prompted threats and the film’s long withdrawal from circulation.

## Summary

In 1995, Peter Jackson and Costa Botes made *Forgotten Silver*, a mockumentary about an imaginary New Zealand film-maker, Colin McKenzie. It presented fabricated claims that McKenzie had pioneered techniques such as colour, sound and tracking shots, and used staged archival footage and interviews to make the story convincing. The film’s reception showed how readily a documentary style could persuade viewers when its subject was presented as fact.

Many viewers believed the claims, and the creators received hate mail and death threats after the hoax was revealed. Botes said they had intended an amusing film, not to upset people; *Forgotten Silver* was subsequently withdrawn from circulation for years. The production also involved actor Sam Neill and filmmaker Harvey Weinstein, while the performer playing McKenzie later appeared as Gollum’s cousin in *The Lord of the Rings*.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.