Archive Mar 2022

A big congratulations to all our members who won at last night's NZTV Awards! It was very special to be able to celebrate everyone's hard work at last (remember these are actually the 2021 Awards!). We've listed the awards where WIFT NZ members are involved,…

It's fabulous to see WIFTers among the filmmaking team selected for Script To Screen's Kōpere Hou Fresh Shorts! Each team receives project development and a grant of $15,000 to make their short film.

They are: Producer Maria Tanner, writer/director Briar March, producer Caroline Hutchison, producer…

The trailer for indigenous sci-fi thriller Night Raiders has just launched ahead of its New Zealand theatrical release on 24 March. Produced for New Zealand by Ainsley Gardiner and Chelsea Winstanley Night Raiders has been nominated for Best Motion Picture, and Cree-Métis writer-director Danis Goulet…

Take a trip back to Aotearoa in the early 2000s with this fresh new comedy from Kevin & Co (Bronwynn Bakker). Comedian Pax Assadi channels his own childhood in new comedy series Raised by Refugees now screening on Prime TV, NEON NZ and Sky Go.

We can't wait for the New Zealand release of this comedy from writer Jackie van Beek and writer and director Armağan Ballantyne! Produced by Emma Slade, Nude Tuesday is unique in that it was shot in a made-up language, with subtitles added by British comedian…

If you like your comedy bite-sized, I Got You will go down a treat. Produced by Abba-Rose Vaiaoga-Ioasa, and the team at Cadness Street, I Got You is a 'vertical' show – designed to be watched on your phone in portrait mode, just like TikTok,…

Directed by Francis Baker, the music video Ka Puta from Māori rock and roll band Kiko, really packs a punch. The South by Southwest Festival programmers thought so too, and have included it in their music video competition.

‘Ka Puta’ is a track performed entirely…

Writer and director Isabel Coixet (The Bookshop) delivers a story of reinvention and romance with a dash of danger. 

Peter (Timothy Spall) is a man of routines and few joys. After being forced to retire he decides to go to Benidorm in Spain, to visit…

A shoutout to Morag Brownlie who won Best Female Editor at the 11th edition of the Toronto Women Film Festival for her short Perfect Storm. 

Set on the wild west coast of Auckland during the Covid-19 pandemic, Perfect Storm follows one man’s enforced isolation. Pacing…

Producers, selection for this course comes with the opportunity to attend a pitching competition at the Australian International Movie Convention in Sydney! The team at Share The Knowledge have supplied the information below - read on for all the details!

Picture 2022 is for New…

Thanks to the streaming wars, stars in their 40s are finally getting interesting roles, writes Helen Lewis in The Atlantic.

"In 2019, a 60-year-old Emma Thompson explained her sudden career renaissance. She had spent her youth playing romantic leads, but once she turned 40, she…

These talented women have given audiences many good movies throughout their careers, but only one stands as their most iconic film, says ScreenRant.com.

First on the list is Ida Lupino (pictured) who, after directing several films, became the first woman to helm a film noir…

Film data sleuth Stephen Follows looked at the most profitable movies budgeted between $3 million and $10 million, and all released between 2000-2016, and found some interesting patterns. 

Follows says this budget range makes up an important part of the independent film landscape - "high…

RNZ's TAHI platform has come up with a plan to give 10 content-creators the chance to get commissioned to make some short-turnaround content.

TAHI will pay 10 creators $1000 each to make some cool content for rangatahi, to be released on the TAHI social channels.…

Writers, the NZ Writers Guild has put together this helpful list of answers to all your FAQs about Seed grants. 

Click here to read them

Grants available for Round 1 for 2022:

Seed: 6 Grants of $10,000 - includes $2,500 for script consultation.
Seed Advanced: 2…

The Hot Docs Industry Online Pass offers industry professionals exclusive access to unparalleled market intelligence and networking opportunities with the world's foremost decision makers. Pitch your project, attend the Hot Docs Forum, stream the latest docs and network with colleagues around the globe.
The Hot Docs…

So mark Saturday 28 May in your diary! The NZ Cinematographers Society Awards will be streaming to your computer, phone, TV or or whatever device you choose to watch them on! 

The NZCS says you can look forward to seeing clips shown as usual, and…

Watch lots of short films! At home! Show Me Shorts is recruiting volunteers in Auckland to help programme the 2022 Festival. The work takes place across five months, from March until the end of July.

They're looking for humans of all ages, genders, cultural and…

Register now for the inaugural NYWIFT Tech Talks! To kick off the first day of the event, WIFT NZ member Aliesha Staples, founder of Staples VR, gave a keynote speech this morning, and there are plenty of other amazing and inspiring speakers to come on…

How exciting to see the Ainsley Gardiner and Chelsea Winstanley-produced Night Raiders will be released in New Zealand cinemas on 24 March! The film, directed by Canadian Danis Goulet, is a Canadian-New Zealand co-production set in a dystopian North America where Indigenous children are captured…

Our members have been getting about in the media! RNZ's Lynn Freeman talked to Greenstone CEO Rachel Antony (pictured) about the enduring appeal of their long-running Motorway, Highway and Border Patrol reality shows, and about the company's recent dramas, including teen-sci-fi thriller series The Cul…

During last year’s lockdown, WIFT NZ member Leanne Pooley produced and co-directed a documentary about Kiwi boxer Joseph Parker that’s guaranteed to make you laugh…and maybe even cry a little. Financed 100% offshore, Fightback - Joseph Parker is now screening in New Zealand on NEON.…

We feature a different member with an insightful Q+A on our homepage every month; this month it's Nikola Vasakova, who moved to Auckland, New Zealand in 2020.

Nikola is a producer, programmer and founder of Girls in Film, an international network and platform for a…

Francis Baker’s music video has been selected for one of the world's biggest film and music festivals, the SXSW (South by Southwest) in Texas. Francis would like to attend the festival to make the most of the opportunities there but, as you can imagine, the…

If you’re stopping work to have a baby, we will waive your membership fee for a period of up to 12 months while you're unavailable for work. This will operate by trust – let us know how long you are intending to be off and…

Check out these 'web bites' from director Louise Tu'u. MEEPS is a black comedy about a fictional health promotion agency in South Auckland, starring Carrisse Utai as the eponymous crook. Proudly shot in South Auckland with location help from Robyn Martin, Lesley Matia and Pauline…

Here's a big shoutout to the many WIFT members involved in this six-episode anthology series of supernatural stories:

Ngaire Fuata, Sharlene George, Libby Hakaraia, Jane Holland, Morgan Leigh Stewart, Hweiling Ow and Kerry Warkia all have directing, writing, producing credits, while Ginny Loane was the…

Join Script To Screen's TALK about the developing and making of TVNZ's dark comedy series. Co-created by Roseanne Liang, and co-produced with Bronwynn Bakker of Kevin & Co, Creamerie was released in 2021 and created quite the buzz, not least for its setting: a post-pandemic…

Cinematographers do a lot of work before they ever get on set. Working with directors, analysing scripts, building a style, and homing in on a shooting approach are all crucial elements of pre-shoot planning.

Bayley Broome-Peake will moderate this Zoom discussion with fellow cinematographers Maria…

Sound is a powerful storytelling tool that shortcuts the pathways and goes straight to the emotions of the viewer. It is a critically essential part of filmmaking, not just the "decoration on the tree". Yet, it is often overlooked or left to the last minute…

Here's an interesting challenge for film fans. WIF is encouraging us all to take on the #52FilmsByWomen challenge. Introduced a few years ago, the basic rules are simple: watch 52 films directed by women within the course of one year. Share about the films you're…

A recent report shows that 28% of the 100 most popular films of 2021 meet the ReFrame Stamp criteria for gender-balanced productions. That's lower than it was for the top films of 2020, but encouragingly, it marks a 133% increase from the first annual ReFrame…

Head of Music
New Zealand On Air

IT Operations Manager
NZ Film Commission

Graphic Designer 
Weta FX

Matte Painting Dept Production Manager
Weta FX  

Overflow Manager
Weta FX  

Shots Crew Coordinator
Weta FX

Motion Department Production Assistant
Weta FX

Marketing Manager
Weta FX

Autocue/Library Assistant
TVNZ

CLA & Postproduction Tutor
Yoobee College

Studio…

Well done to the team who made the feature documentary Six Angry Women, which has just won best feature at the MujerDOC - Mujeres del Mundo festival in Spain. And, we're told by director Megan Jones that the festival organisers now plan to have special…

Take five minutes to read this great article by WIFT member Gemma Gracewood on the importance of Unit Stills photographers, and why they are still relevant.

Featuring Jane Campion and her photographer, WIFT member Kirsty Griffin, David Lowery, Eric Zachanowich, Joachim Trier and Christian Belgaux…

Prize-winning news from New York! Congratulations to director Linda Niccol and producers Alex Cole-Baker and Robin Laing whose film Poppy won Best Narrative Feature at the Socially Relevant Film Festival, and to the film's star Libby Hunsdale, who won Best Actress Narrative Feature. 

The film…

A shoutout to musician, director and WIFT member Teremoana Rapley, soon to release her debut album Daughter of a Housegirl - which she claims has been 32 years in the making! 

Click here to listen to RNZ's Kim Hill interview Teremoana about her life, her…

For a glimpse into the creative processes of Academy Award-winning director Dame Jane Campion, check out Behind The Scenes With Jane Campion, a short documentary by Prisca Bouchet and Nick Mayow on the making of The Power Of The Dog. 

The film was shot in…

Abortion is illegal in France in 1963, and when bright young student Anne gets pregnant, she sees her opportunities to finish her studies and excel slipping from her grasp. As her final exams approach and her social life begins to fade, Anne's pregnancy progresses, forcing…

Nau mai haere mai to all our new members who have joined! 

Our membership is our lifeblood (well, along with coffee) and we cannot do what we do without you. So, we're very glad to have you join us: 

Hana Vraniqi, Muringa Stewart, Kalyani Nagarajan,…

Director Dame Jane Campion made history this week by winning Best Director at the 94th Academy Awards; she is the first woman to be nominated twice for Best Director. Her film The Power of the Dog, shot in Central Otago, had a total of 12…

Winter suddenly looks a little cheerier with the NZIFF to look forward to!  

The film festival will open in Auckland at The Civic on July 28, in Wellington the following week, Christchurch and Dunedin on August 11, with the regions – Hamilton, Tauranga, Hawke's Bay,…

Hear from a panel of DPs who specialise in aerial and underwater cinematography. Murray Milne, Mike Bhana, Amber Jones and Ben Ruffell will share their knowledge and discuss what it takes to achieve stunning shots both up in the air and down in the water.…

Here's your chance to see a collection of short films from top Lithuanian directors. Show Me Shorts in collaboration with the Lithuanian Film Festival, Lithuanian Society of New Zealand and Lithuanian Shorts present a collection of six short films to screen in Auckland, Wellington and…

Why wouldn't you want to make the most of the earlybird discount on your entry fee? Enough said! 

Click here to submit your film

Still not sure if you should enter your film? Check out the list of prizes you could win, below:

As as…

This year, Screenrights will be accepting expressions of interest from applicants who are less experienced in funding submissions, or who may like draw on the extra assistance Screenrights will be providing to help shape their applications. 

“Despite a belief that our industry is always open…

Operational Policy Advisor
NZ Film Commission

Senior Investment Executive
NZ Film Commission

Executive Producer, Te Karere
TVNZ

Story Producer, Te Karere
TVNZ

Line-Up Producer, Te Karere
TVNZ

Camera Operator
TVNZ

Digital Producer
Attitude Pictures 

QTake Video Assist Playback Operator
The Rebel Fleet

Preservation Archivist - Kairokiroki taonga
Ngā Taonga

Editor for fun Auckland-based reality…