Archive Jul 2017

Yet another reason to get to your screening on time - nine members have been involved in shorts screening before features (names and roles in bold).

Have you tried, maybe, not worrying? (above)
2017, 15 minutes, World Premiere
Director/writer: Rachel Ross
Producer: Ham…

This short is from the same creative team behind I'm Going to Mum's (including producer Jeremy Macey), and received funding through the Fresh Shorts 2013 programme. It's one of seven M?ori and Pasifika short films in this programme, presented in English, M?ori, NZ Sign Language and To…

WIFTers have written, directed, produced and acted in three of the six finalists in the New Zealand's Best 2017 competition - woohoo!

Book your tickets to see the films, then cast your vote for your favourite (WIFTer film, cough cough) to win the Audience Choice…

Gaylene Preston directed, co-produced and co-photographed, and Catherine Madigan co-produced, this fascinating portrait of Helen Clark on a mission - and a laconic account of the exasperating circumstances wherein she hit the glass ceiling at the United Nations.

After its gala screening at th…

Vincent Burke is the producer behind 100 Men, a window onto four decades of gay history and an exploration of how it has affected personal lives.

100 Men
Director: Paul Oremland
2017, 94 minutes, World Premiere

100 Men fast-tracks through 40 years of g…

Shirley Horrocks is firmly in the driver's seat of this documentary, being the director, producer, writer and co-researcher - and, impressively, it's her 10th documentary to screen at the NZIFF.

Free Theatre
2017, 76 minutes, World Premiere

Founded by Peter Falkenberg in 1979, Christchu…

Director Annie Goldson's impressively detailed documentary clearly sets out the battle between Dotcom and the US government and entertainment industry, going to the heart of ownership, privacy and piracy in the digital age.

Kim Dotcom: Caught in the Web
2017, 108 minutes
Festiva…

Producer Nadia Maxwell and actor Sophie Henderson have helped bring this knotty psychological thriller, set on an isolated subantarctic island, to the big screen.

Human Traces
2017, 87 minutes
Director/Screenplay: Nic Gorman
Producer: Nadia Maxwell
With: Sophie Henderson, Mark Mitchinson

The feat…

Pace is important in a wonderful character doco like this, which is why we're pleased WIFTer Abi King-Jones is the editor on No Ordinary Sheila - it will be a delightful watch for that and many other reasons!

No Ordinary Sheila
2017, 98 …

We've been looking forward to this one: congratulations to Jackie van Beek for completing her first feature! Van Beek directed and wrote this philosophical enquiry with wonderfully complex female characters.

The Inland Road
2017, 80 minutes
Festivals: Berlin 2017, Seattle 2017, Giffoni (Ju…

Annie Goldson played a supervisory role during the making of this short documentary exploring the significance One Tree Hill/Maungakiekie holds to Aucklanders - and the nation as a whole.

Not Just Another Mountain
2017, 31 mins, World Premiere
In English and M?ori, wit…

This is something a bit special: director/writers Ainsley Gardiner and Katie Wolfe and producer Kerry Warkia are part of a collaborative narrative feature film, directed by eight M?ori women, that tackles a tough subject.

Waru
2017, 88 minutes, World Premiere
Directors: Awanui Simich-Pen…

We're stoked to bring you this special NZIFF edition of e-news - because there's a power of good news in the items that follow.

Today's e-news highlights all the films at this year's New Zealand International Film Festival in which WIFT members pl…

Catherine Fitzgerald co-produced this heady combination of ethnography and lyrical expressionism, set in the spiritual world of the Lak people in the rainforests of southern New Ireland, Papua New Guinea.

What Lies That Way
New Zealand/?Papua New Guinea, 2017, 89 minutes, in Lak&nbs…

As well as the riches offered up by WIFT members in the NZIFF programme, there's also a comprehensive line-up of female directors in general (again, hooray!). From big names to quiet achievers, these women bring us characters and events from their particular point of v…

As this year's cinematic feast looms, the New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF) expands online with the launch of an online screening platform supported by SHIFT72.

Films from the back catalogue of Florian Habicht, Summer Agnew, Adam Luxton, Jeremy Dumble, Simon Ogston, and Rebecca Ta…

Are you M?ori, living in Auckland and working in the creative sector?

Brown Pages and the M?ori business development unit of ATEED (Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development) are working together to identify and support Auckland's M?ori creative sector. But to do th…

Great to see another approach to increasing diversity in the screen industry, this time in New York. It's the first initiative of its kind, in fact, and focuses on TV shows so the results can be seen more quickly.

"TV shows made in New…

The folks at NZ On Air (NZOA) have been busy little beavers, changing a lot of the documentation and processes for the start of the NZ Media Fund - which came into being on July 1, 2017.

The last of the key document change…

On the other side of the Pacific, a storm has broken, over pay equity for women and people of colour.

"Actors Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park have decided to leave Hawaii Five-O after starring on the hit show for seven seasons due to pay inequality…

Women in Film and Television Vancouver is pleased to announce that submissions are now open for the 2018 Vancouver International Women in Film Festival and Screenplay Competition (#VIWIFF).

The five-day celebration, happening March 7-11, 2018, will showcase an impressive line-up of short and …

All you writerly types, employ your considerable skill in putting yourself forward for this year's SWANZ Awards.

Nominations are now open for the 8th Annual SWANZ (Script Writer Awards New Zealand) and Unproduced Script Competition. The New Zealand Writers Guild is proud to support and cele…

If you came to the last WIFT Awards, you will remember the fabulous performance by DYNAMOTION - so you might like to support their latest show at the Basement (remember, WIFT members get concession prices on tickets and artist drinks at the bar).

Dy…

Congratulations to Rachel Jean and Leela Menon, for being part of the two projects that have won a terrifyingly good opportunity.

The New Zealand Film Commission is pleased to announce the successful applicants for the Women's Horror Short Film Fund, who will each receive a…

Is there something in the WIFT office that keeps staffers active in theatre too?! Kate McGill, current doyenne of Monday office organisation, and Shoshana McCallum, who did that job previously, both have shows on in Auckland this month.

Following a successful premiere at Auckland's …

Several WIFTers take to the stage to share the stories behind their films in the Script to Screen/NZIFF TALKS series (July 23-August 6) - a fantastic chance to get ideas and ask your own questions.

Gaylene Preston, Ainsley Gardiner and Katie Wolfe will talk about…

This week we have two ticket giveaways: the first to verdant English rom-com Hampstead.

Set on and around gorgeous Hampstead Heath, London, the tale follows American widow Emily (Diane Keaton), who can't quite focus on the things that need attention in her life. Everything …

Well, it ain't every week an 80-year-old woman directs her first feature film. Given that woman is Eleanor Coppola, matriarch of the Coppola family, it sounds a little more feasible - but still, we thought it a feat well worthy of another ticket give…

Producer Irene Gardiner has had a long career in television, including roles at TVNZ as head of the Production Unit, and Commissioning Editor. She is also a media commentator, and spent seven years as NZ On Screen's Content Director.

NZ On Screen h…

The spine-tingling debut trailer for the supernatural young adult film The Changeover is doing the rounds, and it has us on tenterhooks already - co-director Miranda Harcourt and her team have created something special.(Watch the trailer here.)

The film will hit Kiwi cinemas on …

TALENT DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR (JOB SHARE)
Are you a team player, who loves to get things done with a willingness to muck in? Do you enjoy supporting others to reach their full potential? Do you have a passion for New Zealand film?
An exciting opportunit…

Applications close this Friday, 14 July at 5pm, folks! If you're planning to put your short-film project up for funding, step into the NZFC's new Online Application portal.

You can find further Fresh Shorts details on the NZFC website.

Send any Fresh Shorts questions to funding@nzfilm…

A round of applause for Julia Parnell and Nicola Peeperkorn, and Marilyn McFadyen... their films came out triumphant in the latest round of production financing considered by the NZ Film Commission board.

In total, six projects were funded: 50% of them were written by …

Are you a student? You need to read this. Do you know any students? Tell them they need to read this.

Park Road Post Production is joining up with New Zealand's film and digital industry training institutions to offer aspiring Kiwi film makers an adv…

Huge congratulations to Leanne Pooley - she and Christine Jeffs have been invited to become members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Known to many in New Zealand for her track record in making excellent documentaries, Leanne was invitied for her wo…

Get your skates on, folks - the folk at NZ Web Fest have told us final submission deadlines for this year are fast approaching, and getting in now will save you money.

The NZ Web Fest is New Zealand's festival for online content, web se…

Make a note of this link when you fancy a break from work - New Zealand-born director Jessica Hobbs talks to Drama Quarterly about her big break on Australian teen drama Heartbreak High and moving to the UK to direct shows including Broadchurch, …

Congratulations to several WIFTers, who have worked on three films recently announced as part of the Melbourne International Film Festival in August.

The Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) presents a curated global programme and has been running continuously since 1952, making it the leadin…

Enter yourself! Encourage someone else to enter! The New Zealand Television Awards are officially open for business.

The New Zealand Television Awards recognises excellence in television, and honours the special skills and unique talents of the companies and individuals who create, produce, and perform i…

Big round of applause to WIFT members Notable Pictures, Screentime New Zealand, Great Southern Television, Attitude Pictures, Diva Productions, Greenstone TV, Cabrikaan Productions and A C Productions...

They've all just received funding to tell a wide range of Kiwi stories, in NZ On Air's first fundin…

Lala Rolls's three-part mini-series Tupaia's Endeavour is about to screen over three weeks on Maori TV - and it uses some unconventional techniques to ask the question, "Without Tupaia, would Captain Cook have survived his first Pacific voyage?"

Six years in the making, …

New Zealand Fim Commission Chief Executive
Dynamic and high-profile sector. A position of influence and engagement. The Chief Executive will provide inspiring leadership to the Commission and to the New Zealand film industry. This will involve leading a high-performing team, extending engagement with the sect…

A Hollywood star for 35 years, Geena Davis has devoted the later years of her career to exposing her industry's flaws. This excellent Guardian article from a few months ago takes a wide-ranging look at Davis's film career, her growing realisation that all was…

Nurse Me - a short film by Kezia Barnett, choreographed by MaryJane O'Reilly and produced by Rebekah Kelly - has been accepted into the Aesthetica Short Film Festival, 2017.

Founded in 2011, ASFF is an international film festival that takes place annually in York, UK, at the beginning of Novemb…

"Jane Campion, one of the world's great film directors, has had it with the movies. It is eight years since she last made a full-length feature (the Keats biopic Bright Star), and 14 years since her sexually explicit thriller In The Cut almost did…

Series producer Julia Parnell and director Corinna Hunziker are excited to announce the arrival of Both Worlds season six, beginning this Sunday (July 30) at 11am on Three.

Both Worlds follows a diverse group of Kiwis from migrant and refugee backgrounds as they face the c…

There are lots of nuggets of wisdom in the new NZ On Screen ScreenTalk interview with long-time producer Catherine Fitzgerald. She speaks about:

� How producers are creative too
� Learning a lot about filmmaking from director Vincent Ward
� Why she appreciated the tal…

The NZIFF is up and running and coming to a city near you - watch out for the regional dates, which run through August and September.

Meanwhile, make sure you pop along to see some fantastic short films in New Zealand's Best 2017 (We…