April 2013

New Documentary Fund - call for proposals

The New Zealand Film Commission and NZ On Air are calling for proposals to the new $2.5m documentary fund.

The collaborative fund aims to support one-off feature length documentaries (typically 80 minutes or longer) to screen in cinemas, on television and online.  There are no restrictions on treatment or style.

Each proposal must plan for theatrical distribution in at least three New Zealand cities, and have a free-to-air broadcaster attached.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for talented New Zealand documentary makers to develop and make top quality documentaries likely to catch the eye of international film festival programmers” says Graeme Mason.

“We want to fund projects with clear New Zealand relevance that will interest and challenge a prime-time television audience” says NZ On Air Chief Executive Jane Wrightson.

You can read about the fund here or for details of eligibility and how to apply, please see here.

Te Whai Ao - call for proposals

We are also calling for proposals to Te Whai Ao - an exciting new fund for emerging and experimental documentary makers.

The $250,000 fund complements the Documentary Fund with NZ On Air, and is expected to fund around five projects.

“We want to support emerging New Zealand documentary filmmakers or those with particularly innovative ideas to get their next project off the ground,” says Graeme.  “This fund aims to support those who don’t already have a TV or theatrical documentary credit to their name or whose experimental project doesn’t yet fit with other funding avenues.”

To find out more about the fund please see here or to find out about eligibility or making an application please see here.

Feature films drive screen growth

Statistics New Zealand has just released its annual data on the screen business - Screen Industry Survey 2011/12, which covers the year to March 2012.  Once again the numbers reflect major growth in feature films  - up 47 per cent to $1.04bn.  You can read highlights of the survey on our website here or read the full information on the Statistics New Zealand website here.

Shorts Update

We recently published two of the Premiere Shorts Executive Producer groups' chosen projects for the year and look forward to making another announcement soon.

And we congratulate a number of shorts (including Snow in Paradise (pictured)) on international screenings and awards.

Please read the full Shorts Update for April here.

Professional Development Update

We seek training and professional development opportunities that progress careers and help to grow our overall industry.  We are pleased to be able to support individual filmmakers as well as work alongside industry organisations to provide valuable training opportunities.  You can read about the latest initiatives here.

Cannes 2013 - final reminder

Online registrations for the film market close on 27 April, but it is not too late to register under the NZFC umbrella at the early bird rate of 297.80 Euros.  Please email jasmin@nzfilm.co.nz for a registration code.

We have organised a series of producer roundtables, networking sessions and other events during Cannes, focusing on building person-to-person and industry-to-industry connections and market knowledge, with the goal of stimulating production opportunities, investment and market exposure for the New Zealand screen industry.  We are currently accepting RSVPs for producer roundtables with Denmark, Canada, Australia and Israel, with further initiatives to be announced shortly.

To be kept informed about these events you must let us know you will be in Cannes and your dates.  There are number restrictions on some of the events so avoid disappointment by emailing chris@nzfilm.co.nz for further details and to register.

MIFF 37° South early-bird applications

37° South is an invaluable market for NZ filmmakers, giving them an opportunity to attend a major international event just over the ditch.

Last year saw more than a hundred producers and some 50 film financiers attending roundtables, panel discussions and networking events.

If you're interested in going to Melbourne this year - please read more about it here.

Filmmakers report back from entrepreneurial course

We are proud to be supporting Carthew Neal and David White in partnership with SPADA to attend the year long Entrepreneurial Producing for the Creative Industries course, which is run by the National Film and Television School, in London.

In our last newsletter David shared some thoughts and now it's Carthew's turn to give us an update.  You can read his report here.

Funding Decisions for March and April 2013

You can read the full list of funding decisions for March and April here.