Archive July 2021

Headlands is an anthology series of short films adapted from and inspired by the Aotearoan stories in Headlands: New Stories of Anxiety (VUP, 2018).

Writers who contributed to the book have partnered with proven emerging film makers, most of whom are female directors.

Ten films are now…

We were thrilled to see that screen projects lead by WIFT NZ members were among those who received development funding in the first round of Ara ki Te Puna Kairangi – The Premium Development Fund.

These successful projects are helmed by WIFT NZ members:

Series…

This really was the little film that could! Milk has been accepted into 12 international film festivals, including the pick of the bunch, the LA Shorts, one of the few Oscar-qualifying festivals in the world.

Martinborough-based director and writer Celia Jaspers and her team, including…

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has announced the 395 artists and executives to have been invited to join this year — and we’re thrilled to see that WIFT NZ member Ainsley Gardiner (producing) and Liz Mullane (casting) are among them! The 2021…

Today's Video Slot is a shoutout to director AJ Greenwood and DOP Tammy Williams, (with a nod to Finch and to Google), whose series of short films give a moving account of the lives of six members of the LGBTQIA+ community in the Asia Pacific…

A warm WIFT NZ welcome to all our new members who have joined in the last three months. We can't do what we do without your support - thank you!

Charlotte Hill, Lynette Mentink, Gemma Ward, Jaimee Poipoi, Rachel Forman, Marc Laureano, Margo Regan, Krystal…

It was shocking to hear that world-renowned stuntwoman Dayna Grant had sustained a head injury while on set. After experiencing symptoms of Traumatic Brain Injury, Grant was sent for neuroimaging CT and MRI scans, and received the devastating diagnosis of an 8mm aneurysm and upper…

Due to the cancellation of the ETNZ Tradeshow (thanks Covid!) some of the suppliers have put together a mini tradeshow in Auckland on Friday. Enjoy drinks, nibbles and lighting tools and technology from 2pm till 6pm at the Hunua Rooms (Aotea Centre). It's FREE to…

Founded by WIFT NZ member and musician Jan Hellreigel, Aeroplane Music Services turns 10 this month! 

Here are a few highlights from the great work they've been doing in the past decade!

PROJECTS
The challenges of 2020 saw the birth of digital music compilationMusic From Tomorrow…

Are you a writer working on your feature film script, or a producer seeking to strengthen your development skills? Write Room Auckland can support you financially and offer industry-leading mentorship.

Write Room Auckland is a screenwriter residency programme offered in partnership with Te Tumu Whakaata…

If you missed it in the cinema, you can see Cousins, helmed by Māori filmmaking duo Ainsley Gardiner and Briar Grace-Smith, on Netflix where it will be streaming from July 22.

Also, Array Releasing, the distribution arm of Ava DuVernay’s Array collective, has picked up…

The effervescent Isabelle Huppert returns in The Godmother, where the gritty realism of Breaking Bad meets the stoner comedy of a Cheech & Chong movie.

Huppert will leave you grinning from ear-to-ear in her performance as Patience Portefeux, a middle-aged police interpreter who switches sides…

The CinemaStreet Women’s Short Screenplay Competition invites women screenwriters to submit short dramatic scripts of any genre (20 minutes and under) to CinemaStreet Pictures for production consideration. The winning screen writer will receive a $1,000 prize (about $NZ1,386.00 at the current exchange rate) for the…

In anticipation of the upcoming New Zealand on Air Targeted Audiences funding round, RNZ is seeking short pitches for entertainment content to support into the round once it has opened.

They're looking for social-first pitches for New Zealanders aged 18-25 from diverse communities of a…

Attention women and gender diverse filmmakers! Submissions for the 2022 Melbourne Women in Film Festival are now open! Send in your amazing short films, web series or music videos.

First Nations, Pasifika, trans, and gender diverse filmmakers, and Deaf and Disabled filmmakers are eligible for…

Running from 5-8 August, this is a selective event for producers to pitch their script-stage screen projects to potential financiers. The Market also includes screenings for buyers, modules for publishers and IP owners (including IP relating to games, podcasts, stage, musicals, online content, and pieces…

This year’s WIFTI event for Cannes is online - but that means everyone can go! Hosted by the African Pavillion at the Cannes Film Festival and moderated by WIFT Africa President Inya Lawal, the guests are Tope Oshin (Nigeria), Joyce Pierpoline (US), Rangita Pritish Nandy…

There are only a few days left to submit your project for this year's Doc Edge’s Rough Cuts programme.

Rough Cuts is a small market/lab event specifically for factual film and series content nearing completion. In 2021 Rough Cuts will expand its reach and the…

Here's your opportunity to learn about filmmaking from the comfort of home!

Script to Screen's Paerangi Project is an online programme designed to reach fresh, distinctive and authentic voices across Aotearoa.

It offers accessible learning for new and emerging talent living across Aotearoa who have…

We thought you’d be interested in these two videos on women who work behind the scenes in film and TV. Make a cuppa, find a comfortable spot and watch!

A Thousand Cuts: Female Editors on Stitching Stories and Creating Magic (In Partnership with MPEG) features…

They say that travel broadens the mind but since we can't do that so easliy right now, watching international films is a good substitute!
Show Me Shorts has put together a fabulous programme of award-winning and innovative short films from Denmark.

Book your tickets at the…

You’ve very likely seen Ngā Taonga material much more than you realise. Its Customer Supply Team works with dozens of productions a year, each reflecting New Zealand history to a unique audience. Here's a little more about the work they do and how production requests…

Here is a fantastic opportunity for young newbies to film! 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 helps young participants to develop skills in…

Weta Digital is looking for enthusiastic individuals with customer service experience to join its  Wrangler team in IT. Wrangling is an important support position that is unique to the film and visual effects industry, involved with rendering, data processing and delivering our VFX work to…

The Screen Music & Sound Guild is looking for a well organised, great communicator and administrator to join the Guild team.  This is a part time contract role on a trial basis likely for 10 - 15 hours a week @ $30 per hour.  The…

Entries to the New Zealand Television Awards 2021 are now open so it's time to get nominating!
Entries close August 11th - that gives you SIX weeks to enter!

Click here for the terms and conditions

An updated list of categories can be found here.

Open…

Based on the classic story ‘The Christmas Match: Football in No-Man’s Land 1914’ by Pehr Thermaenius, The Haka is directed by Isaac Lee, and written by Lee and WIFT NZ member April Phillips.

The 15-minute film set in the trenches depicts Māori soldiers in World…

Check out Anna Parsons’ debut web series Retrograde which is playing in the LA Shorts International Film Festival (15-31 July).

Multi-skilled Anna created, co-wrote, produced, and acted in the supernatural drama about a coven of Millennial witches who invite a seemingly innocent outsider into their…

And we were delighted to see lots of WIFT NZ members in the mix to receive funding for public interest and Māori journalism, and journalism training initiatives. We've listed you all below.

Māori journalism

Party People, for RNZ, Tūranga FM, Radio Waatea, up to $236,930.…

We were thrilled to see WIFT NZ members among the outstanding filmmakers selected into Script to Screen’s 2021 FilmUp Mentorship Programme.

High fives to Rouzie Hassanova, Paula Whetu Jones, Jessica Sanderson, and Gwen Isaac, we’re looking forward to seeing your work!

FilmUp is a high-end…

And a big round of applause to the many WIFT NZ members below who will receive funding from NZ On Air for their factual projects - new and returning. It's wonderful to see hard work rewarded! You are all listed below.

New

Documentary New Zealand 2022,…

Congratulations to Paula Whetu Jones and Emma Slade, who have been selected for the Storieroad International programme, and a shout-out to semi-finalists Louise Lever and Gaylene Barnes.

Script to Screen partnered with US-based Catalyst Story Institute to provide the Storieroad International programme which focused on…

It's fabulous to see so many projects receive funding from NZOA in their latest funding rounds - and even fabulous-er to see WIFT NZ members among them! The first bunch to be congratulated are those who were funded for scripted content for online and broadcast…

A tale of women's empowerment, Warrior Queen tells the true story of Lakshmibai, the historic Queen of Jhansi who fiercely led her army against the British East India Company in the infamous mutiny of 1857. From Queen Elizabeth to Queen Victoria, two-and-a half-centuries of East…

Here are the August dates for the next round of ScreenSafe/SWAG Screen Industry Professional Respect Training  workshops being held in Wellington and Auckland attached. We encourage you to be a part of this screen sector culture change and help make the sector a safe environment…

The NZFC is inviting eligible New Zealand filmmakers to apply for two one-off masterclasses, based around the Netflix Original film, The Power of the Dog, and presented by See-Saw executives and Jane Campion, respectively.

Each masterclass will be approximately 6 hours long and will both…

Aiming to create original New Zealand and Australian content that resonates with global online audiences, Every Voice is an initiative for TikTok creators or creators who want to expand to work on TikTok. 

Interested practitioners are strongly encouraged to register to attend the upcoming Q+A…

Do you have a feature film story that needs to be told? Story Camp Aotearoa is a residential feature film workshop that cultivates exceptional filmmaking by fostering voice, honing craft, and clarifying vision and kaupapa. Talented storytellers workshop their film project with esteemed advisors from…

GSDF is open to applications from all parts of the world, for documentary projects up to 30 minutess, either in production or post-production, with existing footage. Twelve filmmakers will be selected to attend a series of online workshops, mentoring, and one-to-one pitches.

To encourage new…

A wildly imaginative film about a serial killer who is impregnated by a car has won the Palme d’Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

The win on Saturday makes French director Julie Ducournau only the second female filmmaker to scoop the top honour in…

Producers and distributors, here's your chance to promote your scripted drama and comedy series to an international audience! The C21 Drama Series Pitch is the most significant pitch initiative in the global business. Fifteen projects will be shortlisted and their creators selected to present live…

There are only three workshops remaining before this fantastic series concludes! A ‘must do’ for any actor, director, editor or writer who seeks a successful career in New Zealand's screen industry. These workshops will arm you with the knowledge, information and resources you need to…

The first female director to win a Golden Bear is 90 this year, and as a showcase of her films plays in London, she reflects on her career, from documentaries to dramas, and the impact of censorship in this interview with The Guardian.

"Mészáros has been…

Recognising the best in global scripted creativity, the C21 International Drama Awards are one of the most highly regarded awards shows in the business. 

The awards are judged by more than 100 of the world’s leading drama commissioners and buyers, making them unique in being…

Learn how to make your feature film script stand out in this in-depth scriptwriting workshop. Writer and director David White will lead you through some of the things he discovered while making This Town.

Openings! Whether on the page or on screen, the opening scene…

The Attitude Awards are the only nationally televised event celebrating the achievements of New Zealanders living with disabilities. They celebrate excellence and achievements of New Zealanders living with disabilities, recognising athletes, employers, employees, young people and people who are game-changers in their communities

The list…

Kaiwhakarite Rautaki Māori - Rautaki Māori Co-ordinator
New Zealand Film Commission

Brand manager
TVNZ

Publications editor
New Zealand International Film Festival

National publicist
New Zealand International Film Festival

Film logistics manager
New Zealand International Film Festival

Executive producer
Toonz Entertainment

Videographer/editor
MoMac

Digital media support - video
AUT

Videographer / Photographer
Wolfbrook Property

Video and digital content producer
Tearfund

This one-off researcher contract can be completed by working from home or remotely.

The Screen Industry New Zealand Inc. (SINZ) consists of a representative number of New Zealand screen industry guilds, associations and other entities.  

SINZ is leading the work to research the structure for…

Submissions close August 11 for these fabulous awards that celebrate the best in the industry. You have 21 days, people, so don't be shy - get nominating!

The New Zealand Television Awards recognises excellence in television, and honours the special skills and unique talents of…

Perhaps you did something special on a GroPro, or you used a studio camera. Maybe it was a job for the web, or maybe you did a great installation or drama piece. Whatever it was, now's your chance to enter it in the New Zealand…