Posted Tuesday 09 Sep 2014
New Zealanders have a chance to invest in Lee Tamahori's second New Zealand film. The last 5% of the funding for The Patriarch ($500,000) is being sought via the country's first equity crowdfunding platform, Snowball Effect, and investors will be rewarded with a stake in the film's profits.
Producer Robin Scholes, who has produced New Zealand feature films Once Were Warriors, Rain and most recently Mr Pip, says, "This is a great opportunity for film lovers and genuine investors alike to play a vital part in getting an exceptional film made, while also having the ability to gain a return for investment through this new form of crowd funding."
Twenty years after the release of Once Were Warriors, Lee Tamahori wants to come back to New Zealand and make another film with the same team, including producer Robin Scholes and actor Temuera Morrison.
Shaun Edlin, head of Snowball Effect's company pipeline, says "We are really excited that Robin and the team behind The Patriarch want to offer this film investment opportunity to New Zealanders through Snowball Effect. It's our chance to show the world how innovative equity crowdfunding can be. If Kiwis get behind this offer, it will demonstrate that equity crowdfunding can be utilised to fund commercially viable creative projects and one-off events".
The Patriarch is based on Witi Ihimaera's novel, Bulibasha. It is a classic story of the struggle of family dynamics and the conflict of generations for a rural East Coast Maori family in 1950s New Zealand.
Ihimaera has said that this is Tamahori's " return home" film based on one of his best-loved novels Bulibasha. Witi says, "Lee's talent as a film maker combined with John Collee's strong script, will deliver a film with universal appeal."
Producer Robin Scholes explains, "The people who put money forward for this final $500,000 will be part of an elite tier of investors. They will be first priority to recoup their capital along with a 20% premium from net income. Other rewards for investors include being named in the film credits, invitations to the set during filming and invitations to the film's premier.
The goal is to raise $500,000 by beginning of October so that Tamahori can return to New Zealand to begin work on The Patriarch in December.
To watch the pitch video visit: https://www.snowballeffect.co.nz/the-patriarch
Investment Memorandum available on request (10MB).