Archive May 2024

We bring you this important press release from the New Zealand Film Commission, and we offer our support as the staff go through this process of change. 

NZFC has now finalised decisions on its new structure, to commence 1 July. The final structure has 28…

Belindalee Hope, WIFT member and New Zealand producer, walked an arduous path to bring Joika, the new film based on the true story of Joy Womack, the first American to be accepted into the Russian Bolshoi Ballet, to screens, to be released in Aotearoa theaters…

The short film Bottle Money, written and directed by Rebekah Tyler won the Audience Choice Award for best short film at the 24th Beverly Hills Film Festival! Congratulations to the entire team on this win! The film was produced by Madison Smith, executive produced by…

Congratulations to director Mandi Lynn for winning the Emerging Filmmaker of the Year from the Women's Voices Now Film Festival in LA for her short documentary Finding Venus! The film, produced by Carrie Thiel, and has been accepted into DOCEDGE and 5 other festivals so…

NZ director and WIFT member Roseanne Liang is in preparation for a new film starring some actors you may have never heard of, Angelina Jolie and Halle Berry. See the full interview from RNZ here.

“It was a confluence of really some really amazing events.…

The New Zealand Film Commission and Script to Screen initiative announced the three selected teams for Kōpere Hou Fresh Shorts Fund 2024.

Congratulations to WIFT members, writer Lynda Chanwai-Earle, director Jo Luping and producer Antony Gusscott, on their animation, drama, titled, I Duok om I…

We have 5x double passes to giveaway to view Joika, coming to cinemas May 16, starring Diane Kruger and Talia Ryder, written and directed by James Napier Robertson (Whina, The Dark Horse), and produced by Belindalee Hope.

Joika is based on the true story of…

Pan-Asian Screen Collective announces the teams for this year’s Short Cuts Development Lab. Congratulations to the selected WIFT members Madison Smith of Lure, and Sara Chen of The Food Baby! Participants will undergo a 2.5 day intensive in-person lab on story, writing, directing, producing, marketing…

TE ARA the path, directed by Alexis Smith and produced by Alex Reed, won Best Adventure Short at Boulder International Film Festival in Colorado USA, last month!

“There was an auditorium of 500 people whooping and cheering for our little Kiwi doco and I was…

We have 5x double passes for giveaway for COPA ’71.

Told by the pioneering women who participated in it and built from archives unseen for fifty years, this is the extraordinary story of the 1971 Women’s Soccer World Cup, a tournament witnessed by record crowds…

WIFT member Robyn Jordaan will be directing and producing a documentary about the Decult 2024 Conference in October, a pioneering conference that addresses the pervasive harm inflicted by high-control groups – aka cults - in Aotearoa, New Zealand. This project gives abuse victims a voice…

Kōpere Ake is a fabulous opportunity for screenwriters developing series content. Their goal is to help develop screenwriters and their stories, using the simple international formula: time + money + support.

NZWG is in partnership with NZ on Air to enable Aotearoa screenwriters to create…

This is the Ninth Cinema Italiano Italian Film Festival in Aotearoa, and the biggest one yet! This year they will be featuring 24 of Italy’s finest comedies, classics, dramas and documentaries in 27 independent cinemas between April 2024 and January 2025, with over 1,000 screenings…

NZCS has two workshops on offer for those interested in lighting!

Politics of lighting with John Toon NZCS ACS
WHEN: Wednesday 22 May 2024
WHERE: Department of Post, 19 Newton Road, Grey Lynn, Auckland

Book Ticket

Darkness and shadows with Stephen Murphy ISC BSC
WHEN: Tuesday 4th…

The VF 48 Hours Podcast is officially back to give competitors insights from past competitors! The first episode of Tackling the Weekend series is out, giving you exclusive intel on how to handle the Friday night of the shoot weekend. Featuring Rosie Howells from 'Tasteful…

International Format Awards are the leading awards for the global format business, recognising creativity and excellence across 11 categories and they are currently open for submission. 

The awards are open to any show that first went to air between 1st June 2023 – 26th July…

Women Over 50 Film Festival is an inclusive festival which celebrates older women in all their diversity! WOFFF showcases films that are fun, fearless, and real and made by older women on either side of the camera. They want to see women over 50 driving…

Final Draft’s Big Break Screenwriting Contest is open for submissions. It's an annual, international feature film and television screenwriting contest designed to help launch the careers of aspiring writers. Writers who have entered Big Break have had their screenplays optioned, sold, and have secured high-profile…

DEGANZ has two offers below:

Young Creators: The Director, 1AD, & DOP Dynamic – Auckland
Join DEGANZ for a Panel Discussion and Q&A with the team from Great Southern’s upcoming comedy series, n00b. The session's moderator Jack Nicol will chat with Director Victoria Boult, 1AD Mark…

Share the Knowledges has announced a new course on offer: Script Editing for Producers 

This is a multi-day workshop that equips film producers with the essential skills to develop original and authentic screen stories.  In this workshop, you will learn how to strengthen your script…

With just under 12 weeks to go until the NZIFF begins to kick off, here are the first films of Whānau Mārama: NZIFF 2024! There are 10 sections inside this year’s film festival, along with a flagship title to provide moviegoers with a clear insight…

The 19^th edition of this Academy Awards® qualifying international documentary festival finds its home in Ōtautahi Christchurch where the city will come alive with screenings, an Awards Ceremony, Immersive Exhibition, Schools Programme, Live Events, Industry Forum, Pitching Competition, Market and Networking Opportunities, at various venues…

The stage adaptation of the hit film, ‘Red. White and Brass,' starring WIFT member, Diamond Langi will open at Auckland Theatre Company on 20 June. Inspired by an amazing ’straight-up’ true story and with bucketloads of Tongan māfana (warmth), Red, White and Brass is a…

WIFT patron Philippa Boyens, Fran Walsh, Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou are underway in writing a new script, ‘The Lord Of The Rings: The Hunt For Gollum.' Boyens shared with Deadline, “Gollum’s life span takes place in such an interesting period of Middle-earth. When the…

Congratulations to the WIFT members selected for Southern Pilots, a newly created development opportunity from Script to Screen, and Film Otago Southland.

Dogtown
Writer: Kathryn van Beek Writer/Director: Pennie Hunt Producer: Rebecca Rowe

Junction
Writer/Director: Emma Schranz Producer: Kimberly Frost

Southern Skies
Writers: Martin Kean…

Here is a video from Wētā FX featuring Sophie Cherry, a WIFT NZ member for approximately 17 years, and nowadays, serving as on our board of directors! Shewon the Robin Lang WIFT Women in Film and TV Award nearly 17 years ago, and now she’s…

The Gaza Dialogues is a five-night mini-cultural festival fostering engagement with Palestine held at The Basement Theatre in June. The festival is co-produced by WIFT member, Acacia O’Connor. Each of the five nights will feature a different creative medium including drama, music, dance, and poetry.…

NYWIFT are offering WIFT NZ members their member rate of $25 USD to join their Masterclass Series: Post-Production with the renowned team at Company3!

In this series of three masterclasses, discover the history of the post-production process, the latest advancements in color correction technology, best…

Trust Board’s Chair of NZIFF,  and WIFT member, Catherine Fitzgerald, has stepped down from the position after a 20 year run.  Fitzgerald is succeeded by Kaine Thompson. And the board appointed WIFT member Sharon Menzies to the position of Deputy Chair. 

Thompson states, “We were…

Wētā FX is continuously producing outstanding work, and recently they've released their latest showreel. 

"Technology now gives us the opportunity to create almost anything in a digital environment...the truly great sequences in the history of VFX and Cinema are created on the shoulders of great…

There's still time!

Here is an opportunity for early/emerging filmmakers working in the nature/environmental documentary space.

Jackson Wild Collective are offering the My World Film Grant of $30k USD for emerging filmmakers to make a short 10 to 20-minute film on a nature or environmental…

Whakaata Māori is seeking proposals for kaupapa that support the outcomes of Te Tauākī Whakamaunga Atu, our Statement of Intent 2023 - 2026. Their primary focus is on funding production-ready kaupapa that are <$400k. Content development applications that are <$30k will be considered. 

Their target…

Attention, producers! This is the final boarding call for MIFF’s 37°South Market. Final Round applications are now open until Monday 3 June. Apply now for your passport to the global marketplace in Melbourne, including:

• Photo-lanyard pass to market floor and personal diary of meetings with…

The NZCS announces two new intern opportunities this week, and an Introduction to Cinematography for Drama Masterclass in Hamilton on 7 June.

• The NZCS Gender Diversity Program invites female (or those who identify as female) applicants to apply for a Camera Trainee position on a…

The Doc Edge Festival 2024 is now live featuring a stunning and provocative line-up of 43 features, 23 shorts and 28 immersive projects. This year features a record-breaking twelve world premiere feature films, and ten immersive world premiere projects!

Here are some trailers for you…

DEGANZ is calling upon Director/Producer/Editor teams to attend a post-production lab, mentored by Annie Collins. This workshop is one-of-a-kind and is open to teams working on drama projects that include short or feature drama films and series.

This two-day workshop on 8-9 June will be…

Last week TIFF announced that it is launching a new official content market at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. This is envisioned as the North American hub for buying and selling screen-based projects, intellectual property, and immersive and innovative content across all platforms, the…

Take the Stage! Film Festival is playing from May 31st to June 29^th.  And, in case you forgot, Academy Cinema’s is a WIFT NZ discount provider!

This film festival will be showcasing some of the best classic films to ever be set in high-pressure world…

In an article titled, 'At the start you get molested and by 45 you’re too old to work – the secret misery of women working in TV' speaks directly to women and the hurdles they are facing inside the industry in the UK.  A report…