NZFC have announced two industry led development programs, with WIFT members behind them: Māoriland Indigenous Co-Lab and A Wave In The Ocean - 2 Deep Dive!
The Māoriland Indigenous Co-Lab is for emerging to mid-level Indigenous filmmakers who aspire to achieve excellence in feature filmmaking. The programme is made up of four pou starting with Pou Tuatahi which is a full-time paid residency program for experienced Māori screenwriters. Pou Tuarua, where producers and directors join the writers to build key creative teams. In Pou Tuatoru, teams will package their project for international markets and during Pou Tuawhā they will receive market training and support as they head to international markets and festivals for showcases of the Māoriland Indigenous Co-Lab.
Māoriland Film Festival Director, and WIFT Member Madeleine de Young says, the Māoriland Indigenous Co-Lab is our first feature film lab, and by engaging the relationships we've across the Indigenous world we'll support five Māori feature film projects to become finance and production-ready.
From Dame Jane Campion and, WIFT member Philippa Campbell, the creators of the pop up directors’ intensive A Wave in the Ocean (AWITO) 2 Deep Dive is an opportunity that gives creatives the critical guidance and support to write and direct an original short film.
Six filmmakers will be selected for a full time 15-week distillation of the original AWITO workshop programme, followed by a 12-month period in which they are financed and mentored through the development and production of a short film. The first iteration of A Wave In the Ocean was sponsored by Netflix, and NZFC is proud to support AWITO 2 Deep Dive.
“Building on the inspiration from the inaugural A Wave in the Ocean cohort, Deep Dive aims to make a profound and practical contribution to the lives and careers of highly motivated and talented New Zealand filmmakers." Dame Jane Campion.
Congratulations to the creators of these potent programs! We look forward to seeing these unfold and the outcomes for our community.