In 1995, Peter Jackson fooled a nation and caused an uproar: “We weren’t trying to fuck people off”
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 Botes said they had intended an amusing film, not to upset people; *Forgotten Silver* was subsequently withdrawn from circulation for years.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*.
In short
- 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.
Explained simply
Peter Jackson is a New Zealand film-maker who later became widely known for directing The Lord of the Rings films. In 1995, he and fellow film-maker Costa Botes made Forgotten Silver, a mockumentary—a fictional story presented in the style of a documentary—about an invented pioneer of New Zealand cinema called Colin McKenzie.
The film used staged archive footage and interviews to make claims about McKenzie’s supposed inventions seem genuine. Actor Sam Neill and film-maker Harvey Weinstein were also involved in the production. Many viewers took the story as fact, and the reaction after the hoax was revealed made the film an example of how documentary techniques can shape what audiences believe.