WIFT NZ Events

Thursday

Jul

2025

Wellington Wellington

Beyond Blockbusters: Virtual Production for NZ Productions

Posted Thursday 10 Jul 2025

Beyond Blockbusters: Virtual Production for NZ Productions
Thursday 24 July 2025 – Massey University, Wellington

Virtual Production (VP) isn’t just for Hollywood anymore. From indie dramas to short-form content and TVCs, creatives across Aotearoa are actively experimenting with LED volumes and real-time environments to rethink how we shoot and create.

Join the VFX Guild and National Academy of Screen Arts | Massey University for a unique evening unpacking how VP is being used on the ground in New Zealand—what’s working, what’s not, and where we go next.

The evening includes:

A walkthrough of Massey’s state-of-the-art VP studio
A chance to network with industry peers and talent

Two expert panels featuring directors, DOPs, VFX producers and supervisors, gaffers, animators and more

Panel 1: Indie Features in VP Moderated by Sharon Lark, VFX Producer → Featuring Jonathan King (Director, Black Sheep), Charlie Tait (VFX Supervisor, Wētā FX)

Panel 2: Short-Form & TVC Moderated by Nicci Lock → Featuring Matt Eastwood (Director), Matt Henley (DOP), Adrian “Wookie” Hebron (Gaffer), Jacob Luamanuvae-Su’a (Animator)

Schedule:
5:30 PM – VP Studio Tour
6:00 PM – Networking (nibbles provided, cash bar), VP Studio Tours
7:00 PM – Panels begin
9:00 PM – After Party @ Havana Bar

Tickets:

Free for WIFT MEMBERS, VFXG members and Massey University students/staff
$25 Non-VFXG Members | $10 Non-member Students

Old Museum Building, Entrance D, Top of Tory Street, Wellington Virtual Production Stage

RSVP Required!!!!!! PLEASE REGISTER HERE

Date: Thursday 24 Jul 2025
Location: Old Museum Building, Entrance D, Top of Tory Street, Wellington Virtual Production Stage
Time: 5:30pm

Thursday

Jul

2025

Upcoming events...

Tuesday 15 Sep 2026

Opportunities and Choices in the age of AI (Auckland)

Trust, technology and storytelling in Aotearoa’s screen industry

As AI becomes part of everyday screen production, what choices remain in our hands, and where can Aotearoa lead the conversation?

Artificial intelligence is reshaping the screen industry at remarkable speed, with new tools influencing the workflows of every department. At the same time, storytellers, audiences and funders are grappling with questions about transparency, trust, authorship and creative autonomy.|

It is necessary that we discuss the implications for our industry. Just a few years ago, debate often centred on whether AI had been used at all. Today, the questions are more nuanced: how is AI being used, when does it matter, what should be disclosed, who benefits, and how do we maintain trust between audiences and creators as technology evolves?

WIFT NZ hosts a conversation with director and researcher Caroline Bell-Booth, whose Master’s research explores the categorisation and disclosure of AI-generated screen content, Amie Mills, Head of Funding at NZ On Air, and Steven Finnigan from award-winning Post Production house Images & Sound.

Moderated by producer and audience strategist Gemma Gracewood, together they’ll explore a central question: how can Aotearoa’s screen industry retain agency, build audience trust, and make thoughtful choices about the stories we tell and the technology we use?

CLICK HERE TO BOOK

Date: Tuesday 15th September
Time: Drinks from 6pm, panel from 6:30pm - 8pm.

Location: Images & Sound, 113 Grafton Road, Grafton, Auckland.

Free for WIFT members, $20 for non-members. Drinks & nibbles provided.

Auckland

Find out more >

Wednesday 16 Sep 2026

Opportunities and Choices in the age of AI (Wellington)

Trust, technology and storytelling in Aotearoa’s screen industry

As AI becomes part of everyday screen production, what choices remain in our hands, and where can Aotearoa lead the conversation?

Artificial intelligence is reshaping the screen industry at remarkable speed, with new tools influencing the workflows of every department. At the same time, storytellers, audiences and funders are grappling with questions about transparency, trust, authorship and creative autonomy.|

It is necessary that we discuss the implications for our industry. Just a few years ago, debate often centred on whether AI had been used at all. Today, the questions are more nuanced: how is AI being used, when does it matter, what should be disclosed, who benefits, and how do we maintain trust between audiences and creators as technology evolves?

WIFT NZ hosts a conversation with director and researcher Caroline Bell-Booth, whose Master’s research explores the categorisation and disclosure of AI-generated screen content, Amie Mills, Head of Funding at NZ On Air, and Liam Craig, Programme Manager, Technology & Research, Wētā FX.

Moderated by producer and audience strategist Gemma Gracewood, together they’ll explore a central question: how can Aotearoa’s screen industry retain agency, build audience trust, and make thoughtful choices about the stories we tell and the technology we use?

CLICK HERE TO BOOK

Date: Wednesday 16th September
Time: Drinks from 6pm, panel from 6:30pm - 8pm.

Location: Wētā Workshop Space, 129 Park Road, Miramar, Wellington

Free for WIFT members, $20 for non-members. Drinks & nibbles provided.

Wellington

Find out more >

Sunday 27 Sep 2026

WIFT Special Screening + Q&A: Big Girls Don't Cry

Miss it at NZIFF? Now's your chance to catch Big Girls Don't Cry (2026) before it hits cinemas in October. And you better believe the hype - the film is FANTASTIC!

Co-Produced by WIFT member Vicky Pope, Big Girls Don't Cry played to a full house at the Civic for its NZIFF debut. It has travelled to some of the most competitive festivals on the international circuit including Sundance and SXSW and received the Grand Prix at the 2026 Biarritz Film Festival.

WIFT and Madman are hosting an exclusive preview screening, followed by a Q&A with Writer and Director Paloma Schneideman and lead actor Ani Palmer, moderated by Kate Rodger.