Archive February 2025 2025

2025 South Shorts Script Mentorship programme is to support new and emerging screenwriters from the South Auckland community* to enhance their screenwriting capabilities. 

The webinar has been rescheduled for 5 pm – 6 pm, Monday 10th February 2025.

If you’d like to learn more by…

The NZ International Fraud Film Festival is coming to Wellington for two days of documentaries and discussion panels at the Roxy Cinema on March 17 and 18. 

Bringing together professionals from the public and private sectors - and welcoming interested members of the public along…

The Minecraft team is hosting two online masterclasses this month as part of their New Zealand Screen Production Rebate application for the 5% Uplift.

Editorial and Sound Design with James Thomas, Editor, and Jay Jennings, Supervising Sound Editor.
Thursday 20 February, 9am–11:30am

Please use the link…

Script to Screen is presenting a two day workshop delivered by renowned Australian script editor/EP/creative producer Claire Dobbin in QUEENSTOWN AND DUNEDIN. 

Getting to work with Claire Dobbin is a rare opportunity for those committed to investing in themselves, their creativity, and their future as…

Show Me Shorts are celebrating two decades of championing short films and the creative voices behind them, and their call for entries is officially open!

For 20 years, they’ve been the leading platform for bold storytelling, cinematic innovation, and inspiring connections in the global short…

The BAFTA-Qualifying Aesthetica Film Festival 2025, will run from 5-9 November 2025 in York, UK, and they are open for submissions for the 15th edition of the festival!

The festival is one of the largest screen events in the UK and offers a platform for…

Austin Film Festival’s 32nd Annual Film and Screenplay Competitions are open for Submissions. 

Known as the “Writers Festival” since its inception 31 years ago, Austin Film Festival recognizes the importance of narrative at the core of filmmaking. By celebrating the work of storytellers - those…

The ScreenSafe's Professional Respect Training Project was developed to support WORKSAFE's health & safety guidelines around harassment. Book your ticket NOW for the next upcoming Professional Respect Workshop! 

 
The course will address predominately sexual harassment and also includes bullying, harassment, definitions, disclosures, and respectful behaviours…

SPADA (Screen Producers NZ) has two new resources available to support producers and those who work with them across the broader screen industry:

Spada Cultural Capability Handbook

The Handbook seeks to provide information, guidance, resources and support for producers, productions, companies and other industry organisations…

The Whickers was established in 2015 to fund and recognise original and innovative documentaries. Over the past several years they set out to find the true cost of creating documentaries in today’s world. They have created the Cost of Docs surveys since 2016. Their partners…

Database Reliability Engineer
Wētā FX 

Senior Infrastructure Engineer
Wētā FX 

Real-Time Rendering Research Engineer
Wētā FX 

Chief Executive
Q Theatre

Full Time Stage Manager
The Court Theatre Christchurch

Marketing Coordinator
Howick Historical Village

Head of Experience and Content Design
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Social Media Video Editor
Mirror Media Marketing

We are pleased to celebrate two very strong WIFT member teams selected of the five teams receiving funding from the December 2024 He Kauahi Catalyst round. This initiative supports New Zealand filmmakers in advancing their careers by creating high-end narrative short films designed to spark…

We celebrate WIFT member Cass Avery for her role as producer for the documentary, Prime Minister, which won The Audience Award: World Cinema Documentary at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival awards ceremony in Park City, Utah, where independent storytelling is honoured ahead of the Festival’s…

Below a joint statement from NZ on Air and the NZ Film Commission on media reform consultation:

NZ On Air and the NZ Film Commission (NZFC) acknowledge the importance of ensuring public funding delivers the best possible outcomes for audiences and the wider sector. The…

Congratulations to the team behind d8talk, produced by WIFT Member Georgia-May Russ; and executive produced by WIFT Member David Jacobs. 

No matter where we come from, how we identify ourselves and what we’re into, the desire to find connection is universal. Over the next six…

Below is a list of updated documents and resources from the NZFC:

• Why India is a Growth Market for the Kiwi Film Industry - Read this article to learn about the possibilities on the horizon for co-productions with India. 
  
  
• NZFC Code of Conduct – Their…

Here is Episode 2 of the NZFC Podcast, Lights, Camera, Kōrero, discussing Funding Made Easier, with host Kate Rodger speaking with acclaimed producer and Head of Funding at the New Zealand Film Commission, Ainsley Gardiner, alongside Esther Cahill-Chiaroni, former Executive Director of Script to Screen…

Beast Mode is a project in the works from WIFT member producer, Joyce Wong, and the latest brainchild from writer, director Chye-Ling Huang. A complex, edge-of-your-seat short film inspired by her personal lens as a Pan-Asian sexual assault survivor

They filmed Beast Mode in December…

We share the exciting release of the Māoriland Film Festival Program, taking place March 26 - 30 in the vibrant community of Ōtaki! With 130 films and digital works from 86 Indigenous nations, this year’s festival theme, Ko te mauri, he mea huna ki te…

Belinda Foster, Managing Director of Collaborate, has discovered a beautiful office space for lease in Mount Eden and is reaching out to see if any like-minded members of our community are interested in sharing it.

See the space here Contact Belinda, if you’d like to…

WIFT Member Keren Green has upcoming screenwriting workshops starting next month that may be supportive to your screenwriting career. 

Screenwriting Skills Mastery: Designed to help writers elevate their work to the professional level.10 March 2025 – 5 May 2025
DAY & TIME: Mondays 7-10pm
LEVEL: Beginner to…

In an article covered by The Big Idea, Jennifer Ward-Lealand leads the conversation rallying Aotearoa to confront the diminished arts coverage in the media and why this is important to the culture of a city and society. 

She states, “When I started my career, there…

Day One has partnered with Hnry to offer a free webinar for filmmakers!This is your opportunity to get a good overview of all things tax just in time for the end of the financial year. Take this opportunity to ask the experts questions. 

Please pre-register…

Now is your opportunity to pre-register for Southern Screen Summit 2025 – happening March 29 in Invercargill. 

This is a gathering of filmmakers, storytellers, and industry professionals united by a shared passion for shaping the future of film in the South. This event is for…

To explore the extent of male dominance at the Academy Awards®, Stephen Follows analysed data on 9,530 nominations received by individuals for gender-neutral categories (excluding ‘Best Picture’). The findings reveal that men dominate nearly every category except for Costume awards. Across all gender-neutral categories studied,…

With the continued support of the Creative New Zealand - Pacific Arts Strategy, Boosted X Moana is back again for 2025!

Boosted X Moana will be running four campaigns across the year with 10 projects being selected for each cohort. Each selected project is allocated…

Here is an opportunity to join the programming team at Show Me Shorts Film Festival 2025. They are recruiting for Auckland-based volunteers to help curate collections of the best short films in the world. 

The work requires a minimum commitment of 2-hours per week for…