Archive Jun 2023

There have been a lot of WIFT NZ members funded by the NZ Film Commission recently, for various projects and from various funding streams. We've listed you and your projects below.

Belindalee Hope is one of the producers of the Polish-NZ co-production Joika which received…

...Hahaha! Well done to our members recently approved by NZ On Air to receive funding for their comedy shows! Kevin and Co  receive up to up to $1,709,052 for Vince, an 8 x 22 show to screen on ThreeNow and Three, and Great Southern Television…

It's great to see WIFT NZ members in the mix for NZ On Air's latest funding round for children's content.

Gisborne-based Amo Studios (which includes Felicity Letcher and Sam Witters) receives up to $1,900,000 for Black Sand Beach, for TVNZ+.

Gibson Group receives up to…

A round of applause for our members who received recognition for their work at this year's Doc Edge Festival.

Director Kathy McRae and Editor Lala Rolls won Best Director and Best Editor for the film Pacific Mother, which also picked up Best New Zealand Feature…

Every year Women in Film and Television International (WIFTI) gathers participants from six continents and (now) 40 member associations to experience the powerful dynamic that can only be WIFTI!

WIFT NZ members are WIFTI members - so you're invited! And this year's summit is in…

Exciting news for Linda Niccol whose film Poppy has been picked up by Showtime for streaming in the US on the Showtime and Paramount+Showtime platforms in addition to scheduled screenings on premium television network Showtime TV. Linda wrote and directed the film while Alex Cole-Baker…

Students, conscientious objectors and peace activists: Robert Reid and his activist mates set up OHMS — not On Her Majesty's Service but Organisation to Halt Military Service. They began a series of creative disruptive activities up and down Aotearoa to overthrow Compulsory Military Training. 

Written…

If you are in or around Tauranga on 22 June, get yourself to the Village Community Cinema to enjoy a screening of the feature film Whina followed by a Q&A with its co-director and writer Paula Whetu Jones (Te Aitanga a Mahaki, Whakatōhea, Ngāti Porou).

Check out director Anna Duckworth's valuable advice about how to break into directing music videos that she's shared here on TikTok.

In 2021 Anna was one of the three female directors paired with a musician to create a music video supported by the inaugural Equaliser…

High fives to our members who will participate in this initiative! In partnership with Te Puna Matarau, Script To Screen has chosen five teams consisting of three series, a feature film, and a narrative-driven video game.

Each team will engage in three workshops from July…

We read that production has wrapped for The Mountain, a feature film produced by Desray Armstrong (Te Aitanga-ā-Hauiti, Ngāti Porou) for Sandy Lane Productions and Morgan Waru (Ngāti Porou) for Piki Films with Carthew Neal, Taika Waititi (Te-Whānau-ā-Apanui) and Paul Wiegard serving as Executive Producers.

Here's a first look at Firefly's latest project, starring Nell Fisher and Elijah Wood as a reunited daughter and father. Produced by Firefly Films' Emma Slade, Roxi Bull, and Victoria Dabbs, Bookworm tells the story of a 12-year-old whose life is turned upside down when…

If you're in the game development industry, the NZGDC organisers want to hear from you! The NZGDC aims to provide informational and inspiring talks that teach others about game development, VFX, and animation. There are no predetermined topics—share your experience and expertise around what yo…

There were a record seven women among the 21 entries in the competition at Cannes this year, reports The Washington Post, and Palme d'Or winner Justine Triet, who won for French crime drama Anatomy of a Fall, is only the third winner of that award,…

Get along to Auckland's Academy Cinema on 30 June and celebrate filmmakers from all over Aotearoa.
MC Tom Sainsbury will bring the laughs and you'll get to watch some mind-melting films and animations, enter spot prizes and network with other filmmakers. Ticket price includes a free…

Calling all those interested in the art of TV Showrunning! Now in its 24th year, MediaXchange’s flagship programme provides international participants with an opportunity to absorb transferrable insights from the US creative process and make new connections in the drama industry.

The Showrunner TV Drama…

Here's another milestone! For the first time, this festival will have more women than men vying for prizes, reports nytimes.com. A considerable 68% of all competition films this year were directed by women. Why? nytimes.com quotes Stacy L. Smith, who founded the Inclusion Initiative, who…

Nominations open for this fabulous event on Friday 30 June, 2023, so now is the time to start thinking about who and what you're going to put forward.

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

This is due to open 29 June, with a deadline of 4pm Thursday 20 July and decisions notified 22 September.

NZOA said the deliberate timing of this round takes into account an expected decision from government about eligibility of domestic productions to apply for the…

It's time to start thinking about your entry to the fourth annual makers & shakers Awards! These global Awards aim to spotlight the innovative and impactful contributions made by production professionals, freelancers, film commissions, government film liaison offices, studios, production services, facilities and support businesses.

The International Format Awards are the leading awards for the global format business, recognising creativity and excellence across a range of categories. They are a coproduction between leading players in the formats business; C21Media, FRAPA and EMC, in association with Mipcom Cannes.

The awards will…

Video Producer
University of Auckland

Screen Production Lecturer/Kaiako
SAE Media

Production/Media Coordinator
Grace Vineyard Church

Production Coordinator
TVNZ

EA to CFO & GC
TVNZ

Digital Producer - Te Karere
TVNZ

Motion Design Artist
University of Auckland

Communications Advisor
SKY TV

Financial Accountant
Māori Television Whakaata Māori

3D Artist/Senior 3D Artist
Wētā Workshop

Marketing Executive
Digital Media…

Yes, the wonderful work of WIFT NZ members is featuring all over the place at the moment! Show them your support!

First up is 2Cents2Much The team at HexWork are behind this chat show on The Spinoff. Jin Fellett produced, Sophie Dowson and Amber Easby…

Produced and directed by WIFT NZ member Kate Peacocke for Greenstone Television, KPA Battle Squad is launching on TVNZ2 and TVNZ+ on Monday 26 June.

This show is all about street style dance — think Breaking, Krump, Popping, Locking, Waacking, House and Hip-Hop Freestyle. (Google those…

Produced by Mark Westerby and Celia Jaspers, with Jess Charlton as DOP, this short focuses on a son's attempts to mend his relationship with his estranged father.

While trying to fix the watch his now-estranged father once gave him, a man relives his past and…

We're pleased to hear that A Boy Called Piano - The Story of Fa'amoana John Luafutu, directed by Nina Nawalowalo and produced by Katherine Wyeth, has been selected for the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival (July), and FIPA: Festival International Présence Autochtone (International First Peoples' Festival),…

Exciting news for our producer members Libby Hakaraia and Desray Armstrong. Their feature film Taniwha has been announced as part of the Frontières Market and Forum at the 2023 Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal in July. Taniwha is a horror/thriller — check out the…

Here's all the information you'll need for the TMP Tamariki and Rangatahi round which is open for Stage 1 proposals:

RNZ, led by TAHI will be looking for a small number of pitches to support | tautoko into the round.
We're not looking for tamariki content this…

This Script To Screen TALK will cover the essentials of a rigorous development process, and how to create a standout application for further advice or funds. Having a strong idea and a great filmmaking team is just the beginning.  

Nicole Dade, visiting from Sydney, will…

Apply now for a Director's Masterclass and or Feature Film Project Consultation with Australian Director Jocelyn Moorhouse (The Dressmaker).

Directors can apply for both the Masterclass and Project Consultation or just the Masterclass if they do not have a feature film project consultation

Feature film…

NZ On Air has been asked to administer the new rebate scheme, announced in the May 2023 Budget.

NZ On Air Chair Dr Ruth Harley says the game development sector is of clear economic value to Aotearoa New Zealand, and the agency is privileged to…

This course is for anyone who wants to produce a feature film, so if that's you - read on!

"The Binge-Purge TV’s streaming model is broken. It’s also not going away. For Hollywood, figuring that out will be a horror show."

Get a glass of wine or a cup of coffee, sit back and read this article from vulture.com on what's happening in the…

This is a reminder that the Screen Industry Workers Act (SIWA) came into force on 30 December, 2022 and is now law. 

The Screen Industry Workers Act (SIWA) provides a new model, developed by industry and supported by Government, to allow screen industry contractors to…