Wednesday 9 March 2022

Kia ora,

COVID-19 continues to disrupt the sector this year, particularly production activity. And yet it does feel like we’re moving into a phase where production activity may restart, and I’m cautiously optimistic for the year. The team and I are very aware that the uncertainty is challenging for everyone, and continues to result in high levels of stress and anxiety. Please look after yourselves and those around you, and don’t hesitate to reach out for any assistance or advice you may need,  

With our priority at the Film Commission being to continue supporting the screen sector through the challenges COVID-19 poses, we are grateful for the ongoing assistance from the Government. The support package for the arts sector announced in early February provided additional funding which allows us to continue supporting projects affected by COVID-19. To ensure a strong pipeline of projects are ready to move forward once restrictions ease, we have focused on development and have funded a record number of projects through Te Puna Kairangi Development Fund and the Early Development Fund (EDF). 

We are currently revising the historical settings of both EDF and Documentary Development Funding (DDF) to broaden eligibility for direct access to these funds. We are consulting with Guilds on these changes and updated guidelines will be published soon. 

We are looking forward to streamlining the application process across all funds for everyone. Our  funding portal, Tomo mai, is in the final stages of re-development and we should have a go-live date for you in the coming weeks.  

These are short term changes, which alongside significant strategic thinking, will move the Film Commission towards becoming a modern and fit for purpose crown entity. In the long-term, we are working closely with the Government on the Review of Screen Sector funding, announced by Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage (MCH) and Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) in December. The Ministries have recently published the Terms of Reference and Cabinet paper on their websites. Please have a read. A key part of this work will involve public consultation in the second half of the year and I would encourage all screen industry practitioners to have your say. 

COVID restrictions have meant the opportunity to travel the country as much as I would have liked and meet you has been limited. I did manage to get to Queenstown, Dunedin, Christchurch and Marlborough before Christmas and as always, was impressed by the passion for filmmaking.  I aim to visit the North Island regions by June via the Regional Film Offices and for this to be a regular occurrence. 

Looking further afield, we are restarting international travel funding for filmmakers—with some stringent conditions given the continuing impacts of COVID-19 globally—for the first time since March 2020, when the NZFC suspended all its international travel funding programmes. Further information about this is included below. 

For now, please continue to look after yourselves and each other. These are challenging times, but we are a resilient sector and I have every confidence we will get through this and continue to make outstanding screen content that resonates on a global scale. 

- David Strong, NZFC CEO.

11 Nominations for Night Raiders at Canadian Screen Awards

Congratulations to writer/director Danis Goulet, producers Tara Woodbury, Paul Barkin, Ainsley Gardiner and Georgina Conder, co-producer Chelsea Winstanley and executive producers Taika Waititi, Lisa Meeches and Kyle Irving and the entire team behind Canada-New Zealand official co-production, indigenous sci-fi feature Night Raiders on its nomination for 11 Canadian Screen Awards. 

Night Raiders, which premiered in New Zealand at last year’s NZIFF and will release nationally on 24 March, received a Best Motion Picture nomination with Cree-Métis writer/director Danis Goulet  nominated in both the Original Screenplay and Achievement in Direction categories.  Goulet is also nominated for the John Dunning Best First Feature Award. 

Lead actress Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers received a nomination, as did Gail Maurice whose performance, almost entirely in the Cree language, has been recognised in the Best Supporting Actress category. 

Other nominees are Traci Loader for Achievement in Make-Up, Kendra Terpenning for Achievement in Costume Design, Rene Haynes for Achievement in Casting, Lou Solakofski, Graham Rogers, Stephen Marian, Alexis Feodoroff (NZ) and Tim Chaproniere (NZ) for Achievement in Sound Mixing, and Martin Tori, John Mariella, Frank Reuter (NZ) and Darwin Go (NZ) for Achievement in Visual Effects. More... 

Oscar Nominations a Big Win for New Zealand

The 94th Academy Awards being held at the end of this month will be compelling viewing for many New Zealanders this year with Dame Jane Campion's feature film The Power of the Dog receiving 12 Oscar nominations.   

Filmed entirely in New Zealand, The Power of the Dog has been nominated for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director (Jane Campion), Best Production Design (fellow Kiwis Grant Major and Amber Richards), Best Actor (Benedict Cumberbatch), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Kodi Smit-McPhee and Jesse Plemons) and Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Kirsten Dunst).  The film has also received nominations for Editing, Original Score, Achievement in Sound, and Cinematography.  More...

International News

Havana Rose Liu as Darby in No Exit. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Made in New Zealand

The beginning of 2022 has seen some excellent international productions make it to both big and small screens here and around the world, and all have been achieved with the help of the New Zealand Screen Production Grant (NZSPG). 

Netflix movie The Royal Treatment was filmed in Otago and put the spotlight firmly on some of Dunedin’s iconic buildings, including historic Larnach Castle and Olveston Historic Home.  Under the Vines, starring Rebecca Gibney and Charles Edwards, reminded Kiwis of the beauty that is Central Otago wine country and season two of family action series Mystic left the starting gates, destined for great adventures around the globe. 

Young adult mystery series One of Us Is Lying shot in Auckland and released in 70+ countries has been holding a top place on Netflix ratings while Briar March’s gripping documentary Mothers of the Revolution, celebrating the women protesters of Greenham Common, has received critical acclaim.

Australian director Damien Power said the NZSPG alongside the pool of highly skilled New Zealand crew helped 20^th Century Studios decide to shoot suspense thriller No Exit in New Zealand. “I hadn’t shot in New Zealand before, I hadn’t worked with any of the crew before, but it worked out so well.  I’d be back to film in New Zealand with the same crew in a heartbeat.” 

The investment in all the above productions has resulted in several thousand jobs for New Zealand cast and crew, along with suppliers and contractors. 

Festival and Market News

Following its international premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival, Michelle Savill's Millie Lies Low will have its North American premiere at SXSW.  The film, written by Savill and Eli Kent and produced by Desray Armstrong and Angela Littlejohn will screen in SXSW's Narrative Spotlight section.

Poppy, written and directed by Linda Niccol and produced by Robin Laing and Alex Cole-Baker will screen at the SR Socially Relevant Film Festival at Cinema Village in New York and at the ReelAbilities Film Festival: New York, online for US based audiences.

Juniper, written and directed by Matthew J Saville and produced by Desray Armstrong and Angela Littlejohn is screening at the  Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival's 2022 programme also includes a special screening of The Power of the Dog followed by a Q&A session with Dame Jane Campion.

Whetū Mārama – Bright Star directed and produced by Aileen O'Sullivan and Toby Mills screened at the FIFO International Documentary Film Festival of Oceania, Tahiti, the Amelia Island Film Festival, Florida and is officially selected for the Nature Without Borders International Film Festival Summer 2022 programme. The film will also screen at Roxie Theatre San Francisco as part of the International Ocean Film Festival in April.

Night Raiders has recently screened at the Available Light Film Festival, Canada, the Luxembourg City Film Festival, the Kingston Canadian Film Festival  and the Powell River Film Festival, Canada.  As well as being nominated for 11 Canadian Screen Awards (see above), Night Raiders is the front-runner for the Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards with seven nominations.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople and Two Cars, One Night will screen at Plains Art Museum in Dakota as part of the Museum’s Indigenous Film Series, taking place in March and April.

An Angel at My Table screened at Kino Nische in Winterthur, Switzerland.

Matariki screened at the Stiftung Kunst und Natur – Art and Nature Foundation in Nantesbuch, Germany.

Short Films

Catalyst He Kauahi short film Datsun will compete in SXSW's Narrative Shorts competition.  The film, directed by Mark Albiston, written by Albiston and J. Patrick McElroy and produced by Sharlene George, Gal Greenspan and Andy Mauger had its international premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival where it was acquired for international sales by Paris based Premium Films, with festival representation by Lights On Italy.

Raqi Syed and Areito Echevarria’s Interactive Development Fund-supported Minimum Mass has been selected for SXSW and will screen in  the XR Experience Spotlight, and Kiko – ‘Ka Puta’ by Francis Baker and Rewi McLay will compete in the Music Video Competition.

Kōpere Hou Fresh Short film Blood and Gold, directed by Yamin Tun, written by Jodie Hillock and produced by Morgan Leigh Stewart is screening at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

Vaspy, written and directed by Hweiling Ow and produced by Rachel Jean, Pain written and directed by Anna Duckworth and produced by Ilai Amar and Ways to See, written and directed by Jessica Sanderson and produced by Desray Armstrong screened at the Melbourne Women in Film Festival.

Ian Mune on the set of Billy T: Te Movie

Congratulations go to...

Ian Mune on receiving the 2021 New Zealand Television Legend Award at the New Zealand Television Awards held on 1 March.

Presented to a television professional, programme or organisation who has made a significant contribution to the television industry in New Zealand over the span of their career, the prestigious TV Legend award is a special honour given at the discretion of the New Zealand Television Awards Committee.

Ian enjoyed great success collaborating with Roger Donaldson to create eight one-off television dramas, including Feltex Award-winning titles Derek (1974) and anthology series Winners & Losers (1977), as well as the landmark film Sleeping Dogs (1977).
 
Ian went on to co-write cult classic Goodbye Pork Pie and embarked on an impressive career directing films, making his directorial debut with the multi-award-winning caper Came a Hot Friday (1984), followed by New Zealand Film Award-winning films The End of the Golden Weather (1991) and The Whole of the Moon (1996). Other directorial highlights include Once We Were Warriors sequel What Becomes of the Broken Hearted? (1999) – a film that won nine NZ Film Awards, including Best Director – and Ian’s first documentary, Billy T: Te Movie, exploring the life and comedy of Billy T James.

All the recipients of New Zealand Television Awards with a special mention to productions receiving NZFC funding.  Rūrangi received awards for Best Director Drama to Max Currie, and Best Supporting Actor for Arlo Green, and Loimata: The Sweetest Tears received the award for Best Documentary. Congratulations to those which received the New Zealand Screen Production Grant: The Gulf S2 won Best Production Design for Miro Harre and Best Supporting Actress for Alison Bruce, Mystic won Best Cinematography for Dave Cameron, and official co-productions The New Legends of Monkey won Best Costume Design for Liz McGregor and Best Makeup Design for Susie Glass, The Sounds won Best Contribution to a Soundtrack for Ben Sinclair, Ray Beentjes, Chris Sinclair and Steve Finnegan, and Kiri and Lou won Best Children's Programme. 

All the screen-industry professionals involved in Beyond the Veil, a six-part anthology series commissioned by TVNZ and supported by Te Māngai Pāho, NZOA and the NZFC.  It features six stories from Māori, Pasifika, Chinese and Filipino creatives drawing on their rich histories about the supernatural. The NZFC supported the development of this project, supporting the script writing and talent development and have further supported three of the Māori stories with ADF funding to develop an anthology feature film.

Watch the whole series here.

Filmmaker Opportunities

NZFC News

Tuakana Teina Mentorships

Nau Mai Haere Mai – Now is the time to build on your creative mastery! The Rautaki team would like to encourage Māori practitioners, film makers, script writers, directors and producers to apply for Tuakana Teina Mentorships.

You can get funded to work alongside experienced practitioners across the screen sector. The applicants must be Māori who are already working in the industry. Letters of commitment from the tuakana and teina mentor/mentee is required with clear objectives, outcomes and a plan for the individual involved and how this will contribute to the Māori screen sector.

There are individual grants of up to $10,000 per application and up to $50,000 per application for companies and organisations.

Go to the NZFC funding portal and apply under Tuakana Teina Mentorships – these are decided each month.

"The mentorship was a life-changing time for me. As an emerging writer, you often feel like there is a huge amount of information you can't find in a book, forum or anywhere. After my first draft I felt like I was at a standstill and this mentorship changed that. Having a renowned writer such as Glenn [Standring] supporting me, changed my whole outlook on writing features. I've walked away with a career contact, a second draft, and a toolkit on how to approach features moving forward." Allan George (Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairoa)

For more information email us at rautaki@nzfilm.co.nz

New Portal Information for Applicants

Tomo mai (the new NZFC portal) was initially scheduled to go live at the end of February. However, because some key functionality was not delivered, we decided to delay the launch, with a go-live date still to be confirmed. We apologise if this delay has created any inconvenience for anyone.

What this means for you?  
At this point, our existing portal will continue to function as normal and there will be no impact or change to you.  

Funds that are open all year round were scheduled to temporarily close in February to give us time to transfer these funds into the new portal. These funds have now been extended in the current portal until 9 March.  

Next Steps  
We are working to confirm a new date for go live and we will notify you ahead of time. We will be sure to include key information along with any actions you may be required to complete.  

Ensuring that we deliver a robust and complete portal is important to us and we appreciate your understanding in delaying the release of our new portal.  

If you would like to keep up to date with the progress of our new portal, we will be posting key information on our website. 

Otherwise, please contact us at resources@nzfilm.co.nz if you have any other concerns or questions about this delay. 

International Travel Funding Resumes 

The NZFC suspended all its international travel grant programmes in March 2020 at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, with New Zealand’s border settings easing and high levels of vaccination nationwide, we have elected to resume international travel funding for filmmakers, with some stringent conditions. 

The following applies to all NZFC travel funding programmes i.e.: 

• Producer International Travel Fund 
• Short Film International Festival Fund (N.B. post-production support via this fund has remained in place throughout the pandemic)
• Talent Development Fund for International professional development 

Successful recipients of international travel funding will be required to warrant that they are travelling internationally at their own health and financial risk; that the NZFC is under no obligation to provide them any further funding or pay any costs or expenses in addition to the grant amount; and that they will obtain and maintain all necessary and appropriate insurances for the period of travel, noting that insurance products may not fully cover all COVID-19-related events such as boarder closures.

These changes are currently being implemented on the NZFC website and portal. In the interim, potential applicants are encouraged to contact the relevant funding programme’s co-ordinator directly with any queries: 

• international@nzfilm.co.nz (Producer International Travel Fund) 
• talentdev@nzfilm.co.nz (Short Film International Festival Fund and Talent Development Fund) 

Thanks for keeping up with what's going on at the NZFC. Got a suggestion? Email us at feedback@nzfilm.co.nz. 

Ngā mihi,

The NZFC Team