White letters arranged in a circle spelling 'EVERYONE' on a black background.
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Three military hats with badges displayed on a rocky shore by calm water, one decorated with a sprig of rosemary.
COMMEMORATING
A SPIRIT OF PLACE

New Zealand Defence Force

Since 2015, Everyone™ has worked alongside the New Zealand Defence Force Heritage and Commemorations team to create the visual theme for their WW1 Commemorations. For Anzac Day 2025, Everyone™ was asked jointly by the NZDF and the ADF to produce a short film to open the Dawn Service at Gallipoli, interpreting the theme of ‘Spirit of Place’.

This open brief provided Everyone™ with an opportunity to set a precedent for a more contemporary way to commemorate Anzac Day and respectfully honour the stories of those who served.

Working closely with New Zealand Sculptor, Professor Kingsley Baird, we introduced Baird’s three bronze cast soldier helmets as the focal point for the storytelling. We filmed them in the imposing landscapes of the south coast of Wellington and commissioned new footage of the Gallipoli Peninsula to include in the final film. The helmets, in their landscapes, were then laid alongside Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s ‘Words to the Anzac Mothers,’ shining new light on his timeless tribute.

The ‘Spirit of Place’ film amplified the tone of the commemorations - a reminder of the astonishing courage of those who fought at Gallipoli and how it will forever be a place of mourning and reflection. It recognises the past and embraces the present through a lens of shared humanity.

Throughout the years of creating visual identities for the commemorative services, we have had access to artefacts that once belonged to fallen solders. Learning about these items and their past allowed us to re-contextualise them within the natural landscape that they once existed in, transforming their meaning to become symbols of remembrance today.

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Three bronze sculptures, ‘Birth of a Nation’, ‘Gallipoli’ and ‘Gelibolu’ by Professor Kingsley Baird acted as a focal point for the storytelling. Filmed in the imposing landscapes of the south coast of Wellington and set aside new footage of the Gallipoli Peninsula, the helmets were then laid alongside Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s ‘Words to the Anzac Mothers,’ in a film for the 2025 commemorative services at Gallipoli.

Excerpt from a letter by Private Huirua Rewha to his parents in May 1915 expressing farewell and hope amid battle, noting this may be his last letter.
Quote from Major John William Hamilton in a letter to his wife on 24 April 1915 about the eve of landing on the Peninsula, expressing the danger faced and bidding goodbye to his wife and daughter.

Letters home of fallen soldiers from New Zealand, Australia and Türkiye were read out over top of footage of commemorative statues, representing generations of grief and remembrance from each nation.

Stack of two magazines with cover photo of three hats on rocks by the sea labeled 'Gallipoli' and 'Anzac Day 2024'.
Six open books displaying images and text about soldiers, including landscapes, military hats on rocks and sand, vintage black-and-white photos of soldiers, and memorial messages.
Framed photo of a brass shoulder title with the words 'NEW ZEALAND' against a blurred golden field and cloudy sky background.
Four open book spreads with imagery and bilingual farewell messages; images include a bugle in misty forest, a silver fern pin over the sea, a carved wooden figure in woods, and a brown leather book in a golden field.
Black and white photo of hands holding a vintage compass with a visible directional arrow.Hand holding a carved wooden tiki figure with detailed patterns and inlaid eyes.Black and white photo of hands holding a vintage Waltham pocket watch showing 7:01.
Group of soldiers and performers in military uniforms performing the Haka dance in front of a war memorial with wreaths under a blue sky.Woman with glasses wearing a red fringed shawl and green sweater speaking at an outdoor podium with a microphone.
Framed collar badge shaped like a silver fern leaf with 'NZ' letters, displayed against a blurred ocean and sky background.
Close-up of hands holding a bronze star-shaped military medal with a red, white, and green striped ribbon.Two hands gently holding a silver medal with a red and black striped ribbon and an embossed profile of a crowned figure.Two hands holding a silver cross medal with a white and dark blue ribbon, on a cobblestone background.
Open book displaying two pages of text and images of medals held in hands, and a spread with illustrated floral emblems labeled with locations from Italy 1943-45.
Two hands holding white flowers with a gold New Zealand military emblem resting on top, above clear water with visible rocks.