Auckland Screenlink: Importance of Cast in the Current Climate

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Auckland Screenlink: Importance of Cast in the Current Climate

Back by popular demand, DEGNZ, SPADA and Equity NZ are excited to present the Auckland version of Screenlink: Importance of Cast in the Current Climate on August 14.

Members will hear from NZ Film Commission CEO Annabelle Sheehan. She will share on the importance of cast in financing feature films and dealing with US talent agents.

Annabelle’s background includes serving from 2004-2013 as CEO and Senior Agent at RGM Artist Group, representing high profile Australian artists in the entertainment industry.

Please join us for this evening of industry networking and insight.

WHEN Tue 14 August, 6 – 8PM. Talk kicks off at 6:30PM
WHERE Longroom, Short Rm, 114 Ponsonby Rd, Grey Lynn 1011

Cash Bar // Nibbles provided

DEGNZ, SPADA & Equity members – Free
Non-members – $5 koha appreciated

Last updated on 30 July 2018

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Directing Masterclass with Debra Granik at NZIFF 2018

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Director Debra Granik

Film director Debra Granik (Leave No Trace, Winter’s Bone) will lead a Directing Masterclass for filmmakers in Auckland as part of NZIFF 2018.

This is the first time NZIFF have been able to provide a Masterclass designed for industry practitioners, thanks to a new Artistic Development Partnership with Creative New Zealand. The Masterclass will be a half day course on Friday 27 July and will be run by the Directors & Editors Guild of NZ (DEGNZ) on behalf of NZIFF.

Debra Granik, known for her social realism film style, will take filmmakers through an interactive discussion of her work with a focus on Leave No Trace and Winter’s Bone. She will also share examples from her filmmaking influences and past and current documentary work.

Masterclass attendees are encouraged to see Leave No Trace at NZIFF beforehand (Friday 27 July, 10.45am at the Civic).

Limited tickets for the Directing Masterclass will be on sale from Ticketmaster at 9.00am on Monday 23 July.

Directing Masterclass with Debra Granik, Friday 27 July 2.30pm to 6.30pm

Venue: AUT City Campus, 55 Wellesley Street East, Auckland Central 1010

Ticket prices: $25 Full price / $15 Industry guild concession*

About Debra Granik

Debra Granik is the director and co-writer of Winter’s Bone, which was nominated for four Oscars including Best Picture. It featured John Hawkes and Jennifer Lawrence in her breakthrough role. Granik and co-writer Anne Rosellini were also Oscar-nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay. Her first film, Down to the Bone, starring Vera Farmiga, won Granik the Best Director Prize at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. In 2015 Granik completed Stray Dog, a feature documentary which aired on Independent Lens and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. Leave No Trace is her fourth feature, and it premiered at Sundance 2018 and screened as part of the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight. It stars Ben Foster and Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie.

 

Granik will introduce her film and hold Q+As at The Civic in Auckland and the Embassy Theatre in Wellington. New Zealand actress and lead star of the film, Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie, is also confirmed to join Debra Granik at the Saturday (Auckland) and Sunday (Wellington) screenings.

Auckland screening featuring a Q+A with Debra Granik
Friday 27 July, 10.45am at the Civic Theatre

Auckland screening featuring a Q+A with Debra Granik and Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie
Saturday 28 July, 6.45pm at the Civic Theatre

Wellington Screenings featuring a Q+A with Debra Granik and Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie
Sunday 29 July, 6.00pm at Embassy Theatre (Sold out)
Monday 30 July, 12.45pm at Embassy Theatre

 

* Members will have received their NZIFF discount code through their guild.

Last updated on 23 July 2018

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Movin’ and Shakin’

The New Zealand International Film Festival is upon us again. And there’s an even bigger selection of New Zealand films on offer, both feature-length and short, than I’ve encountered before—18 offerings, four of which are made up of programmes of short films. This is a fantastic selection—a high number from DEGNZ member directors and editors.

As Bill Gosden, the festival director pointed out in his speech celebrating the 50th birthday of the festival, it couldn’t have existed without the passion of film lovers who have nurtured it to the point where it has become what NZIFF is today—a truly great International film festival, showcasing the best of New Zealand and international film.

As always I encourage you to get along and watch films to encourage independent filmmaking everywhere.

In other news, Clare Curran is certainly the minister who keeps on giving, unfortunately not so much in the funding realm. The latest in the Radio NZ saga is a measly $4.5 million dollars to RNZ from the $15 million in the May Budget allocation for public media. NZ On Air gets just $4 million, while a new Innovation Fund to be jointly managed by Radio NZ and NZ On Air gets the lion’s share at $6 million.

It must be disturbing for Curran to hear from chair Michael Stiassny of the Ministerial Advisory Group she appointed that not even they support a fully funded RNZ+ television station. What you get—or not—for the price of a cup of coffee.

In a related development, Head of NZ On Air Jane Wrightson responded to an article in Newsroom by Dr Bryce Edwards of Victoria Univeristy, who singled out our current dual funding model of contestable and fully-funded public broadcasting for criticism. In her reply on the same platform Wrightson said that “In the 21st century media landscape it’s highly unlikely that one media provider model will fit all, and so a combination of ring-fenced and contestable funding is a clever response by a small country where media cost structures are always under pressure.”

There are supporters and detractors of the dual funding model approach. Whatever your opinion on the matter, I think we all need to acknowledge the incredible work NZ On Air has done in seeking to adapt to the rapidly changing screen industry while being incredibly underfunded.

Thankfully, we now see broadcasters slowly being willing to take risks with the arrival on air of Taika’s and Jemaine’s Wellington Paranormal, and two new dramas commissioned and screening at a later date: The Bad Seed out of South Pacific Pictures, and Fresh Eggs from Warners NZ. And we are starting to see more locally driven international efforts bear fruit with Screentime’s copro Scandi – NZ noir Straight Forward now in post and destined for TVNZ.

And talk about change, there sure as hell seems to be a lot going on at the Film Commission—a new pou whakahaere in the wonderful and talented Karen Te O Kahurangi Waaka-Tibble, new job opportunities with the departures of Development Executive Karin Williams and Investment Executive Chris Moll, and obviously a change of approach that always comes with a new CEO, this time with the arrival of Annabelle Sheehan who has been with us seven months now. Watch this space for more to come.

Tui Ruwhiu
Executive Director

Last updated on 22 July 2018

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Wellington – Rehearsal & Performance with Director/Producer Simon Bennett

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Rehearsal & Performance logo

Rehearsal & Performance is a practical half-day workshop focused on developing directors and actors’ tools to build better director/actor relationships for on-screen results.

Guided by director/producer Simon Bennett, participants will explore a scene in groups (one director, two actors) in a safe and non-pressured environment. Lunch is provided.

Simon Bennett

Simon Bennett / photo courtesy of Amanda Billing

Simon Bennett has worked extensively as a stage and screen director and producer since graduating from Toi Whakaari in 1988. In 1995, he moved into television work: first directing, then producing Shortland Street.

In the years since, Simon’s directing highlights have included five seasons of Outrageous Fortune (for which he won an Achievement in Directing award in the 2007 Air NZ Screen Awards), Sione’s 2: Unfinished Business, The Almighty Johnsons, and Spies and Lies.

When: Sat 18 August, 9am – 2pm
Where: Toi Pōneke Arts Centre, 61/69 Abel Smith St, Te Aro, Wellington

 

Register your interest

Registrations close Wednesday 1 August, 4PM.

Spots are limited to four directors and eight actors. If your name is selected, DEGNZ will contact you directly to confirm your participation. Only members of DEGNZ and Equity NZ are eligible to register.

Preparation

The selected directors and actors will be expected to do some script prep beforehand. DEGNZ will provide the scene in advance.

The Rehearsal & Performance series is hosted by Directors & Editors Guild of NZ with the support of the Equity Foundation and funding from the New Zealand Film Commission.

 

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Last updated on 11 July 2018

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Ni Hao Taiwan

The New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC) took an official delegation to China and Taiwan in June of this year, and I was fortunate to be invited along to Taipei for the Taiwan leg as the ED of DEGNZ.

There was a strong indigenous focus to the visit with the New Zealand Commercial Investment Office (our government’s official representation there) and the NZFC organising a Matariki Festival with a number of events for the Taiwanese Film Industry, and public screenings of some New Zealand films.

On show were Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Born to Dance, and My Wedding and Other Secrets, with director Tammy Davis and DEGNZ board member and director Roseanne Liang along to introduce and do Q & A’s for their films. Also attending were writer and director Michael Bennett, representing Ngā Aho Whakaari, and playwright and screenwriter Briar Grace-Smith.

Taiwan has 11 officially recognised indigenous tribes and there is a very strong link between the Taiwanese indigenous peoples and Māori, with everyone acknowledging whakapapa through our DNA connections. This connection has received official acknowledgement with the New Zealand Commerce and Industry Office in Taipei and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New Zealand signing a document entitled “Arrangement on Cooperation on Indigenous Issues”. This will establish cultural and “people-to-people” connections between Taiwan’s indigenous peoples and New Zealand Māori in order to promote mutual understanding and friendly relations.

This was my second visit to Taiwan, following my time there in October of last year to attend the Asian Producers Network conference. I was once again struck by the friendliness of the people, particularly the strong and positive response by the indigenous locals to anything and anyone Māori. There was even a Māori cultural group made up of ex-pats out of Hong Kong to give the various events some distinctive Aotearoa New Zealand flavour.

As part of the effort to develop bonds between Taiwan and New Zealand, the NZFC and the Taipei Film Commission announced a Professional Sreenwriters Exchange. Under the exchange one professional screenwriter from Taiwan will travel to New Zealand and one professional screenwriter from New Zealand will travel to Taiwan for at least a month, in order to strengthen cultural ties and promote greater cooperation between the film industries on both sides.

The exchange is intended to occur on an annual basis and is aimed at applicants who have experience writing a minimum of one feature film script that has been produced as a feature-length film. They also need to have either direct personal experience or a strong interest in Māori culture and/or the Indigenous Peoples of Taiwan.

I lived in Japan for a long time and have visited China a couple of times and many Southeast Asian countries repeatedly. Of them all, I feel that Taiwan is at the moment perhaps the most proactively open to doing coproductions with New Zealand. While the budgets there aren’t big with US$1 million being the average film budget and an almost purely commercial focus on box office, Taiwan I think offers great opportunity for filmmakers who want to work with Asian partners … with the right story.

On our delegation were some producers who are already engaged with Taiwan on projects, looking to leverage off a Taiwan-NZ connection, or working with Taiwan to access Mainland China.

Official activity aside, Taipei has great architecture, galleries and museums, outdoor activities and fabulous food. And wouldn’t you know it, after delegates found various ways to wing their way there via stopovers in Singapore, Hong Kong or Brisbane, Air New Zealand opened up direct flights to Taiwan after our visit.

I guess you can’t have it all.

Tui Ruwhiu
Executive Director

Last updated on 6 July 2018

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