WIFTers awarded funding for Runaway Millionaires

Posted Wednesday 15 Aug 2018

We're cheering for Carmen Leonard and Deb Cope of Fearless Productions, who received NZOA funding to produce telefeature Runaway Millionaires. Directed by Danny Mulheron, Runaway Millionaires dramatises the story of Kara Hurring and Leo Gao, the Rotorua couple that hit headlines in 2009. Gao and Hurring fled New Zealand for a new life in China with ten million dollars of stolen money. Their story captivated the country for two years and the hunt for New Zealand's most wanted couple gripped the nation as average kiwis pictured themselves in the same situation. Set against a backdrop of five star hotels and the hidden back alleys of mainland China, the couple struggled to keep up their unusual lifestyle. When the police drained the offshore accounts, Gao took the rest of the money leaving Hurring to fend for herself. She had a six-year old, no money and was on the run. Runaway Millionaires is Hurring's incredible untold story.