We are delighted to announce that WIFT members Philly De Lacey and Alyx Duncan were honoured at the recent Spada conference in Wellington. Well done to two of film's brightest stars!
Independent Producer of the Year, sponsored by Crombie Lockwood
Philly de Lacey, Chief Executive of Screentime New Zealand
Over the last year, Philly de Lacey, as CEO of Screentime New Zealand Limited, has produced a raft of innovative, challenging, entertaining, educational and award-winning New Zealand content for our screens. Her work included the award-winning tele-feature drama How to Murder Your Wife, Venus & Mars, The Monster of Mangatiti, and Anzac Girls.
Philly is currently in pre-production on tele-features relating to the Rainbow Warrior bombing and the Pike River disaster as well as a further series of I am Innocent, the ongoing Police Ten 7series, Marae DIY and the Inconceivable series relating to fertility issues.
Philly was been a SPADA board member in 2009 and 2010, and again from 2014 to 2015. She is a member of and supportive of WIFT. As part of a DEGNZ and NZ on Air mentoring initiative Philly has signed up to bring on board a Director Attachment for the Rainbow Warrior project. This is in keeping with her ongoing commitment to providing opportunities for young graduates as interns to gain work experience.
She has gathered a loyal, talented and productive team around her and is extremely supportive of them and determined to keep them all in work. She has an acute ability to think in a highly creative manner, whilst at the same time, being always mindful of the financial implications and responsibilities of each project.
Working with the NZ Tourism Board, Philly has forged strong relationships with Chinese and Canadian production companies with respect to the two reality series Daddy Where Are We Goingand Vol 920.
Philly has made an outstanding contribution as an independent producer in the last year to the growth, development and promotion of the independent screen production industry.
SPADA New Filmmaker of the Year, Principal Sponsor Park Road Post Production
Alyx Duncan
Alyx's first feature The Red House won Best International Debut at REEL WORLD Film Festival, and BEST SELF FUNDED FEATURE at the NZ FILM AWARDS 2012. She self-distributed the film with a theatrical release in 35 cinemas in 2013.
Alyx has made films recognized for their excellence and creativity. She produced, directed and wrote shortThe Tide Keeper (2014), a silent film in which the dreams of a man who's spent his life on the sea turn to nightmares. It has played at 20+ festivals winning awards: NZIFF NZ's Best Short Film, WARSAW FILM FESTIVAL Best animated short, WHISTLER Best International Short, FIPRESCI Award at Vladivostok, JURY PRIZE at ANIMANIMA in Serbia. Yesterday in Auckland it won the Oscar-qualifying Best Film award as well as the awards for Best Director and Cinematography at Show Me Shorts.
In recent years Alyx was awarded a place at the highly prestigious Berlinale Talent Labs Doc-Lab; as well as undertook a six-month mentorship with Rolf de Heer as part of Script to Screen's FilmUp Programme. She has just finished an NZFC director's internship with Alison Maclean on The Rehearsal. As well as had her screenplay (written with writer and filmmaker Lani-rain Feltham) The Surrogate shortlisted for Sundance Writers Lab.
Alyx has also had the advantage of a mentorship with Rolf de Heer as part of Script to Screen's FilmUp Programme.
Alyx's next feature is a co-production between Australia and New Zealand shooting mid 2016. Lonely Girl is a psychological thriller about an isolated young woman who accidentally runs down and badly hurts a suspected killer, produced by Sam Jennings of Causeway Films (The Babadook) and Emma Slade of Firefly Films