Archive Jun 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic forced a huge number of changes on the film sector in a matter of days. Cinemas shut, productions went on hiatus and almost everyone is watching TV and VOD content. Film data hound Stephen Follows took the industry's temperature, interviewing 363 film…

Cinemas and film festivals have keenly felt the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, however one Kiwi company, Shift 72, is providing a technical solution. Shift 72 board member John Barnett tells us that the Hamilton company has created technology enabling cinemas and festivals to present…

Congratulations to all WIFT members who are principals in the following companies, and to all the individual WIFT members who stand alone. This NZFC funding round was a successful one for so many of you - excellent news! We've listed the fund name, the company,…

Got a spare four minutes? We're sure you have, so check out this latest short film from Candlelit Pictures. Walkies is the debut of writer/director/actor Sez Niederer. Featuring original music by Kiwi artist Mainard Larkin (aka RANDA), a peculiar crime and an adorable doggo, Walkies…

We came across this interesting series of podcasts with animation directors - some of whom are women, thank goodness! Whether you're a director, someone interested in directing or filmmaking in general, this is the podcast for you!

Click here to have a listen

Applications are open for this year's Production Finance Market (PFM), which is set to take place from 12 - 13 October in association with the British Film Industry London Film Festival. The market connects filmmakers and financiers from across the globe through 1-2-1 meetings as…

Celebrate filmmakers and journalists all over the world and hear from some of the industry's finest in a series of exclusive live stream events at the new online One World Media Awards on June 18.

Click here to register for free

Hooray for being at Level 1! Below is the link to the ScreenSafe Health and Safety Protocols Level 1 guidance for you all to read and absorb.

Click here to read the ScreenSafe Health and Safety protocols for Level 1

We're glad to hear that the charming Victoria Cinema (lovingly known as 'The Vic') in Auckland's Devonport, has reopened. Manager Dorothée Basel reports that patrons are slowly returning to get their fix of film. Dorothée is waiting on the big US studios to feel confident…

Now that we can get out more, go and see Robin Murphy's indie comedy feature Births, Deaths And Marriages which has just secured screenings in Auckland at Newmarket's Rialto Cinema and the Hawkins Theatre in Papakura. It has two more weeks to go at the…

Former WIFT member Rose Goldthorp, who's now in London, is running a series of scriptwriting competitions via her website the-greenlands.com. The first two winners of each competition will have their screenplays (or audio/theatre plays) enacted, recorded and podcasted. To enter and for more information visit…

The organiser of Mipcom, an entertainment market tradeshow, is pushing ahead with plans to hold the Cannes event in October. The industry website c21media.net reports that Mipcom organiser Reed Midem issued an update to exhibitors about its plans to hold the 36th edition of the…

Fans of Māori film from across Aotearoa will gather once more this Labour Weekend for the 15th annual Wairoa Māori Film Festival. Postponed from Queen's Birthday weekend, the marae-based film festival will now be able to take place as our country moves to Covid-19 alert…

A big congratulations to Annabelle Lee-Mather for collecting this gong! Annabelle won the Voyager Media Award Editorial Executive of the Year for her work on The Hui. Annabelle is also a finalist for the 2020 WIFT Awards and you'll be glad to know that a…

Writer/Journalist/Communications
Global Film Solutions

Producer - Radio/TVC/Stills
Wellcomm Group

Studio and Audio Lead
SKY TV

Production Editor
BWB Bridget Williams Books

Executive producer, Checkpoint
RNZ

Editor
Metropol Magazine

KEA Kids News Journalist
Luke Nola and Friends (Stuff)

Teacher/tutor/business developer
Marrzipan D…

New Zealand On Air is seeking a Funding Advisor for a 12-month maternity cover position. This is a mid-career role that would suit someone with strong media sector relationships and a background in report writing and analysis. The job description, in both English and te…

It's great to hear that Poppy, produced by Robin Laing and Alex Cole-Baker, has wrapped filming and is now in post-production. The debut feature for writer-director Linda Niccol was in its final week of filming when New Zealand went into Level Four lockdown on March…

The BlueCat Screenplay Competition is opening for another season! In this competition, every script submitted receives complimentary written analysis, and there's over $10,000 in cash prizes awarded to writers. Scripts for features, pilots and shorts are eligible.

Click here to find out all the details…

A big congratulations to producer Abba Rose Dinah Vaiaoga-Ioasa (pictured) one of the five women comedy creators to win a New Zealand Film Commission 2020 Gender Scholarship. Each recipient will receive $10,000 to support further development of their projects and careers. Abba Rose has produced…

The Women's Institute is celebrating its centenary in 2021, and the Centennial Committee is certain that the WI founder, Anna Elizabeth Jerome Spencer (Bessie to her friends), would make a fabulous documentary subject. Spencer, who had a university education (unusual for a lady in the…

Script to Screen, in partnership with Northland Youth Theatre, presents a free four-day film workshop in the July school holidays for 15 - 23 year olds. The workshop is aimed at helping young participants develop skills in crafting a story idea, writing a script and…

Here's some interesting reading - the latest See Jane 2020 TV Report, from the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media explores cultural equity and inclusion in popular children's TV shows from 2019. This year's report explores representations of characters across six dimensions: gender, race,…

Aliesha Staples and the team at Staples VR have come up with a solution for getting people together when travel is expensive or just not possible. Avatour lets you transport your clients, collaborators or friends to join a real place in real time wherever they…

Congratulations to Bayley Broome-Peake for joining the New Zealand Cinematographers Society  Committee, and to Nina Wells, NZCS vice president, for staying on for another year!

You have until 1 July to enter your work in Show Me Shorts 2020 so put down whatever you're doing and enter! Now that New Zealand has moved to Level One in the response to the Covid-19 pandemic, all going well Show Me Shorts will…

We're very pleased to see that the Intimacy Guidelines are now freely accessible and we encourage you to read them. We congratulate Equity NZ on this excellent piece of work!

Click here for ENZ Intimacy Guidelines

Lala Rolls devoted eight years to making her documentary Tupaia's Endeavour, which will have its world premiere in a special director's cut exclusively for Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF). Lala directed, produced and edited the doco on a stop-start basis, fundraising for…

Anna Marbrook's Loimata, The Sweetest Tears, will also have its world premiere at the NZIFF. Executive produced by Dame Gaylene Preston with cinematography by Jess Charlton, Marbrook's documentary takes us with her dying friend, the extraordinary ocean-going waka captain, Lilo Ema Siope on an emotional…

Another doco to have its world premiere at the NZIFF this year is The Girl On The Bridge. Directed by Leanne Pooley, produced by Cass Avery, Alex Reed and edited by Margot Francis, the doco tells the story of mental health activist Jazz Thornton's journey…

And the web series Rūrangi will be a special presentation at the NZIFF. Produced by Craig Gainsborough, the series is packaged into a slick five-episode binge watch, and details the struggles of a young trans activist stuck between needing to talk about and express his…

We're thrilled for these members who won awards at the 15th annual Doc Edge International Documentary Film Festival Awards, held online on 19 June. The Best NZ Short went to Kirsty Griffin and Viv Kernick for Pluck; The Best NZ Director and NZ Editing went…

Māoriland is hiring! They're looking for four self-motivated individuals who are passionate about working with rangatahi. If that sounds like you, check out the full job descriptions via the links below.

MATCH (Māoriland Tech Creative Hub) Programme Manager

MATCH Facilitator

Rangatahi Relationships Co-ordinator

He Paki…

If you have a short film or web series (fiction and nonfiction) in any style or genre that you'd like to see on the big screen, check out the MWFF website for entry requirements, fees, and dates.

Click here for more information

Enjoy online screenings of a specially curated collection of Māori short films via Matariki TV. Curated by Leo Koziol (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Rakaipaaka) from the Wairoa Māori Film Festival, this selection of rarely seen films will be uploaded every Tuesday throughout the festival, remaining…

There's still time to give your feedback on the Māori Media review in its current stages, and present those findings (and your say) to Te Puni Kōkiri and the Minister. The feedback will let the Minister know your views on:

- The review process

-…

Register now for this event, which runs tomorrow - it's accessible to anyone, whether you're participating in the market or not.

Kua rite mātou Aotearoa New Zealand - Open for Business

This inspiring and information-rich panel discussion features writer/director Niki Caro, Weta Digital's Executive VFX…

Congratulations to members involved in the finals of the NZIFF Best Short Films, and the Ngā Whanaunga Māori Pasifika Shorts, which will in 2020, for the first time, be recognised as a competitive section in the Festival.

Best Short Films Finalists

Daniel: director Claire Van…

Head of promotions, integration and events
MediaWorks

Marketing and communications specialist
Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School

Communications manager
University of Otago Aging Well National Science Challenge

News producer
Private advertiser

News editor/business reporter
Tarawera Publishing

Drama teacher/tutor/business developer
Marrzipan Drama

Senior Newshub reporter
MediaWorks

…

We like to help our regional members out when we can, and so many of us are affected by cancer - directly or indirectly. New Plymouth-based member Marlaina Curtis will host a Pink Ribbon Breakfast this year, to help support Breast Cancer Foundation NZ's vital…

If you need a bit of a giggle, here's a film that will have you laughing, crying and relating to every family gathering you've ever been to! Robin Murphy's Births Deaths and Marriages is screening in Wellington at the Penthouse Cinema in Brooklyn starting tomorrow,…

Here's one Chill worth catching this winter! It's fabulous to hear that The Chills: The Triumph & Tragedy of Martin Phillipps, co-directed by Julia Parnell, and written and co-produced by Nicola Peeperkoorn, has been made available worldwide on digital platforms and DVD by Notable Pictures,…

The New Zealand International Film Festival is almost upon us, so we've collated some of the recent announcements involving our lovely members. This year's homegrown selection includes four documentaries and one episodic drama, and for the first time ever, it will screen a web series…