Archive Sep 2022

Yes folks, the deadline for applying to round 2 of the NZWG Seed grants is Friday 16 September at 12 noon. These grants allow writers to be innovative, brilliant, and to create something they own. The writer is the rights holder, and not working with…

Congratulations to Miranda Harcourt, recipient of the 2022 Kea Supreme World Class New Zealand Award! 

These awards recognise those who have demonstrated the unique power of Kiwi connection and used it to benefit Aotearoa. 

In an article on Kea's website, Miranda talks about her career…

A huge round of applause to Wingnut's Clare Olssen who co-produced Sir Peter Jackson's Beatles documentary, Get Back, which won all five categories it was nominated for in the 2022 Creative Arts Emmys.

The eight-part series won in the Documentary/Nonfiction Series, and beat out Netflix's…

Great news for Vicky Pope, a producer on the feature film Went Up The Hill which is among the nine projects to share in $12 million of production funding from Screen Australia.

Went Up The Hill is a New Zealand/Australian co-production from writer/director Samuel Van…

Tune in to these WIFTI webinars for a better understanding of what Netflix is looking for. They're early, so we'll make sure you have access to any recordings.

First up on Tuesday 13 September, Chris Mack, Director of Grow Creative for Netflix International Originals, delves…

This is what happens when you forget to keep up with the welcoming! We also give a warm welcome to these members, who have joined us since July:

Matthew Horrocks, Karen Anslow, Ellie Campbell, Mia Gaudin, Linda Hughes, Jaunnie Ilolahia, Ariana Namana, Nkhaya Paulsen-More, Sue…

A warm WIFT welcome to these new members who joined in April, May and June: 

Sally Woodfield, Safia Van der Zwan, Lucy Edwards, Lucy Spence, Sophie Hamilton, Janine Gray Lum, Amanda Robertshawe, Carrisse Utai, Nina Nawalowalo, Kasaya Manulevu, Adrian Stevanon, Nicole Whippy, Shelly Quinn, Lisa…

Writer Malinna Liang is a first generation Chinese-New Zealand writer based in Auckland. She is a writer on TVNZ/Greenstone’s My Life is Murder and was a storyliner on Vegas. Her prose has been published in Landfall and Auckland University Press’s A Clear Dawn.

She was…

Congratulations to the team at Wrestler for releasing the first season of an eight-part web series that comically explores the world of self help and the idea of beings being better beings.

Self Help follows main character Nikau (Conan Hayes)  as he struggles to find…

Writer/director Celia Jasper's multi-award winning short film Milk has been released online and is free to watch! After 18 months on the festival circuit, Celia and her team is delighted to share it with you.

Milk’s charm stems from an intergenerational money transfer of kindness,…

Intrepid French scientists Katia and Maurice Krafft devoted their lives to uncovering the mystery of volcanoes, chasing fire around the world and in the process capturing some of the most spectacular imagery of the earth ever recorded. Told through the lenses of this magnetic couple,…

The Vista Foundation 48Hours is presenting eight regional finals throughout the country during September and early October.

Catch some entertaining short films and support our local filmmakers by going along to watch their work. Tickets are available to anyone - but be quick! Seating in…

Calling all camera people! 

The NZCS has negotiated two mid-career cinematographer placements on an international TV series based in Auckland, under the Cushla Lewis Gender Diversity Programme, part-sponsored by the NZ Film Commission Screen Capability Fund and the local production company.

The Attachments provide the…

How does an idea become a story, and how does a story become a series? This one-day workshop digs into those all-important first steps that take you from the very beginnings of an idea to having a developed project you can use to attract collaborators,…

If you're intending to make a funding application to the Scripted, Factual, Content Development or Industry Development streams of the NZ Media Fund, read on!

November is the third round of the 2022/2023 financial year and is focused on projects intended for general audiences. Factual,…

Hear from talented filmmakers (including a number of WIFT-ers) about how to develop your own short film or web series.

Script to Screen has launched a series of video tutorials where New Zealand filmmakers share their knowledge and advice on how to find a good…

Doc Edge Festival 2023 is now open for submissions. Submit your film now or before 15 September 2022 to receive the Earlybird discount. If you are not quite ready, the later deadlines are:

15 December 2022 - Regular

31 December 2022 - Late

15 January…

And while we’re on the subject, the Doc Edge Clinics are now open for registration too. These are all virtual, and available to anyone, anywhere in the world!

This year’s workshops will cover publicity essentials, interviewing techniques, rights and licences that could help monetise your…

The penultimate round of the Public Interest Journalism Fund (PIJF) invites applications to all three pillars of the fund - Roles, Projects and Industry Development.

Here is NZ On Air's update on this last round:

The criteria specific to this round are available here. It's also…

RNZ says it has had plenty of interest regarding the current and upcoming General Audience funding rounds for Te Māngai Pāho and NZOA.

Here's RNZ's update on those rounds:

Te Māngai Pāho - General Audiences 2 [Open]
RNZ Commissioning will only be looking at supporting returning…

Here's a thought-provoking read. IF.com.au reports on the opening session at the Australian Directors' Guild conference where director Rachel Ward said directors working in the streaming landscape and alongside showrunners must take a “humility pill".

The director of films such as Beautiful Kate and Palm…

Editor Roles on Avatar 3
880 Productions is looking for Editorial Crew to work on Avatar 3 in Wellington. They need 2 x assistant editors, an apprentice editor and an editorial intern to join the established team at Stone Street. Roles would start in November /…

We talked to Michelle Savill about directing, human behaviour, and about being on set while recovering from major surgery.

Michelle Savill is the creator, co-writer and the director of Millie Lies Low, her first feature film. Michelle's previous films are shorts and include Ellen Is…

A big congratulations to Prisca Bouchet and Todd Karehana who are among the 10 filmmakers selected to take part in the Netflix-supported Directors’ Intensive A Wave in the Ocean programme, with Artistic Director Jane Campion and Co-Director Philippa Campbell.
The remaining eight participants are: Ana Scotney,…

Following eight festival selections in Europe and North America, Rebecca Tansley's short film The Finding will be seen by New Zealand audiences at the Show Me Shorts festival which opens in Auckland on Friday 7 October.

The Finding screens at Rialto Cinemas in Auckland's Newmarket…

Ka pai to Katie Millington (pictured) and Lib Kelly! This week the pair announced their production company Eight's intention to include a line in every production budget that will go towards the mentorship and training of underrepresented groups in our industry at full applicable rates.…

Congratulations to Elizabeth Crummett whose short film The Understudy will have its world premiere at Screamfest LA in October. Specialising in horror, thrillers and sci-fi movies from all around the world, Screamfest is the longest-running and most famous horror film festival in North America.

Elizabeth…

Tami Neilson unveiled her new album Kingmaker alongside a video for the record's absolutely gigantic title track. Directed by Alyx Duncan and produced by Emma Mortimer, the song's striking visuals depict the golden-gowned artist roaming through the rubble of Tāmaki Makaurau's once-resplendent St. James Theatre,…

Check out these six Wellingtonian innovators who are disrupting the status quo with their approaches to screen work and learn how their different backgrounds influence the stories they want to tell, as well as their screen practices. 

WIFT NZ members Kathleen Winter and Casey Zilbert…

Support a fellow WIFT member and enjoy a night at the theatre taking in this powerful and acclaimed work. Directed by WIFT member Nina Nawalowalo, the stage show A Boy Called Piano will embark on its national tour next month. 

Performed by Pacific New Zealand…

This long-awaited feature film is coming to NZ cinemas on 29 September, and we have double passes to give away! It's directed by Michelle Savill, produced by Desray Armstrong and Angela Littlejohn and stars Ana Scotney as Millie.

Anxiety-ridden Millie is on her way from…

If you attended the IMDbPro Roadshow on 28 April, or would like some notes on the session, you'll find the follow-up materials at this link with a breakdown of the items discussed in more detail.

Remember that as a WITI member, you are eligible to receive…

The Vista Foundation 48Hours is over halfway through its City Finals around the country. Go along to a city final near you and enjoy these short films on the big screen! We know many of you will have been involved but it's hard for us…

My, how New Zealand’s biggest little film festival has grown! This is by far the largest programme ever for Show Me Shorts, with 92 short films and music videos selected. 

Click here for the festival trailer

Click here to see the thirteen themed sections of the…

Remove the fear and create a safe, creative work environment with this practical introduction to directing on-screen intimacy.

DEGANZ invites directors, producers, casting directors and 1st ADs to receive training on considerations and respectful processes when working on a range of ‘intimate scenes’.

In this…

Calling all aspiring filmmakers, storytellers and creatives! Do you want to learn how to use the power of cinema to tell your stories?

The 2022 South Auckland Short Film Workshop is a two-day workshop about how to turn an idea into a short film. Whether…

Whether you’re in film, TV, advertising, animation or games, this annual event has something to offer. Registration is now open for FOCUS, the meeting place for international production. 

Find filming solutions and production intelligence for all types of project and all levels of budget, from…

ABC, ZDF, ITV, BBC and SVT are the latest channels to join the Formats & Factual commissioners strand at this year's Content London conference.

Content London will run three full days of Formats & Factual sessions alongside the Drama strand. Hear from some of the world’s…

The borders have opened and many of you are now able to travel overseas again. Hooray! But some things to do with travel have changed. If you haven't left the country since pre-Covid times, read the article below from The Spinoff to make sure the…

Here's some essential reading for anyone interested in the arts. Auckland academic/writer/critic Roger Horrocks interviewed a number of New Zealand artists, writers, musicians, painters and filmmakers for his book, Culture in a Small Country: The Arts in New Zealand. The work includes a history of…

Do you have a film that addresses or shines light upon issues affecting women and/or girls through a social-change lens? Enter it in Women's Voices Now, a women’s rights documentary film festival recognising films by women that advocate for global gender equality.

WVN accepts documentary…