Poppy Wins at the Socially Relevant Film Festival

Charming local drama Poppy has been awarded Best Narrative Feature at the Socially Relevant Film Festival in New York. DEGANZ member Jonno Woodford-Robinson edited the feature and worked with Amanda Mulderry (DEGANZ), who was first assistant editor.

Released in New Zealand in 2021, Poppy tells a story of a Kapiti teenager who is eager for independence and a chance at love. It’s the first Kiwi feature to cast an actor with Down syndrome in a leading role.

The Socially Relevant Film Festival focuses on socially relevant content that promotes human stories and raises awareness of social problems. Through the medium of cinema, SRFF aims to expand knowledge about diversity and create a world free of violence, crime and hate.

Congratulations to Jonno, Amanda and the rest of the Poppy team!

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Director’s Toolkit for Emerging Pasifika Directors

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Dive into the process, craft and career of a director.

PISA and DEGANZ welcome new and emerging Pacific Islands directors to apply for this two-day practical guide, taught by director Chris Dudman.

Chris will explore the directing process from his own personal experience on a variety of directing assignments, which includes commercials, long-form documentary, short film and TV drama. He will discuss with participants the way he prepares (analyses scripts, casts, rehearses actors, storyboards), the way he directs actors and camera, and the way he works with editors and composers during post-production.

Taking a warts and all approach, he will use highlights and low-points as examples, showing how he adapts this process to the various forms of work he’s directing. In doing so, he’ll touch on:

  • the differences between being a gun for hire and working on projects he’s instigated
  • collaboration and compromise
  • the director/producer relationship
  • making decisions under pressure
  • avoiding pitfalls
  • the role of chance and luck…

His intention is to create a dialogue in the workshop – about process and what is really involved in directing as a career. And, most importantly, why it has been worth it.

Workshop Details

When:
Saturday 14 May 2022, 9:30am – 5pm
Sunday 15 May 2022, 9:30am – 4pm

Where: Hawke Sea Scouts, 55 West End Road, Herne Bay, Auckland

Cost: Free – Includes tea/coffee and lunch

Our Cancellation Policy

COVID-19 Safety: For the safety of yourself and others:

  • Do not attend if you are sick with COVID-19, cold or flu symptoms or have been asked to self-isolate.
  • Face masks must be worn.
  • Please observe 1 metre physical distancing.
  • We may organise Rapid Antigen Testing on the first day.

About Chris Dudman

Chris’ career has involved writing and directing short films, commercials, feature and series documentary and series TV drama. He directed short film successes The Graffiti of Mr Tupaia and Choice Night, and later co-wrote and directed Harry, the gritty crime drama series starring Oscar Kightley and Sam Neill. He wrote and directed The Day that Changed My Life, the multi-award winning documentary about Christchurch’s devastating earthquake, and directed two stand-alone episodes of James Patterson’s true crime anthology series Murder is Forever for U.S. company Stephen David Entertainment. Chris was also a founding partner of and director at Auckland TV commercials production company Robber’s Dog Films.

Chris Dudman

To Apply

Applications Close: Tue 3 May, 10AM

This workshop is open to directors of Pacific Islands descent who are members of either PISA or DEGANZ.

Please complete the application form below and email your CV to tema@deganz.co.nz. Your CV should clearly list your credits and include relevant details, such as year of release, format, festival selection, commissioners and/or platforms where your work has been publicly screened.

Places are limited – PISA will select based on applications and email you to confirm.

Application Form

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Made possible with the financial support of the New Zealand Film Commission

NZFC

This workshop is part of a Directors and Editors Guild of Aotearoa New Zealand initiative aimed at supporting the development of emerging Pan-Asian, Pasifika and Māori directors

Presented in association with Pacific Islands Screen Artists

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ScreenSafe – Screen Industry Guidance – Easing of Restrictions 

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Friday 1st April 2022

The following changes were announced by the Prime Minister on 23rd March 2022. The Omicron outbreak has now peaked, or is about to peak, in most of the country. This, combined with high vaccination rates and reduced risk of reinfection for those who have recently recovered from COVID-19, means that the government is easing some COVID-19 restrictions over the next few weeks.

ScreenSafe anticipates a wider revision of the COVID-19 Protocols, with the next review of the traffic light settings scheduled for 4th April 2022.  However, for the time being, please note the below changes.

The key changes are:


No Requirement to Use QR Codes

From 11.59pm on Friday 25th March, the requirement to scan a QR Code before entering a business ended. From this time, businesses were freed of their obligation to display a QR Code poster (although businesses may still display a QR Code if they wish to do so). People are encouraged not to remove the COVID-19 tracer app from their phone just yet in case it’s needed in the future.

No Requirement to Use My Vaccine Pass

From 11.59pm on Monday 4th April, there will be no requirement to use My Vaccine Pass.

  • The Vaccination Passport sections of the Protocols will no longer be relevant. If any productions choose to use any sections of it, they must undertake a health and safety risk assessment, along with any other relevant legal assessment, to ensure they are not unlawfully discriminating against workers within the workplace.
  • A Production must undertake a Covid-19 health and safety risk assessment to ascertain if there are any roles within production that require vaccination.  A risk assessment might identify that some work can only be undertaken by a vaccinated employee for work health and safety purposes – for example, where the risk of contracting and transmitting COVID-19 at work is higher than it is in the community,  You should follow WorkSafe’s advice and guidance in respect of how to conduct a health and safety risk assessment, and may also wish to seek independent legal advice.

Worker Vaccine Mandates

From 11.59pm on Monday 4th April, vaccine mandates will be removed from the education sector, police and defence force. For the time being it will still be in place for health & disability workers, aged care workers, corrections workers and border/MIQ workers.

Note: After a robust health and safety risk assessment and worker consultation, businesses may be able to voluntarily introduce workforce vaccination requirements but it must be appropriate to the workforce. As above, for guidance on how to conduct a health and safety risk assessment, WorkSafe’s website is a good place to start.

Mask Wearing is Still Crucial

Although use of QR Codes and Vaccination Passports are being phased out, it is worth noting that proper use of face masks is one of our best tools for fighting this virus.

Overview of current Traffic Light Settings


Review of Traffic Light Settings

All of New Zealand is currently in the RED setting. The next review of the traffic light settings is on 4th April. It will review what ‘colour’ (or setting) each area of New Zealand sits in.

Changes to RED Traffic Light Settings

From 11.59pm on Friday 25th March the following changes came into effect:

  • No limit for outdoor gatherings (in terms of the amount of people that can attend).
  • 200-person limit for indoor gatherings and events (with such capacity limits excluding workers).
  • No requirement to wear face masks outdoors (although productions should make their own decision based on a health and safety risk assessment).
  • Other face mask rules remain unchanged — face masks are still required in most indoor settings.
  • No requirement to scan in or for a business to display a QR code poster or maintain some other form of attendance record-keeping.

Changes to ORANGE Traffic Light Settings

From 11.59pm on Friday 25th March the following changes came into effect (noting that all of New Zealand is currently at the Red setting, so these changes are simply indicative of what can be expected if and when there is a shift in settings):

  • No limit for outdoor or indoor gatherings (in terms of the amount of people that can attend).
  • No requirement to wear a face mask outdoors (although productions should make their own decision based on a risk assessment).
  • Other face mask rules remain unchanged.
  • No requirement to scan in or for a business to display a QR code poster or maintain some other form of attendance record-keeping.

Changes to GREEN Traffic Light Settings

No changes of note.

We anticipate many productions will choose not to use QR Codes and Vaccination Passports, but note that our key tools will still remain: good mask wearing, physical distancing, good hygiene and good ventilation. And as always – DO NOT come to work if you are unwell!

Thank you to NZ Film Commission and NZ on Air for funding the ScreenSafe COVID reviews.

Sincerely,
The ScreenSafe COVID-19 Group
Email: info@screensafe.co.nz

Last updated on 1 April 2022

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Join us for Editing the Facts in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland

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Factual content makes up a great deal of Aotearoa New Zealand’s Screen Industry — stories framed by real people, places, and events. What does it take for an editor to work on anything from a large scale factual series to a one off documentary?

Join us to hear from an experienced panel of factual editors. In this session, moderated by editor and composer Chris Anderton (NZ Wars, Georgie Girl, Salam Rugby), editors Huhana Ruri-Panapa, Phil Holt and Anthea Ede Smith will discuss their careers and the many aspects of their work.

It will be packed full of nuggets of wisdom,  sure to be useful for you, whether you’re an established editor or embarking on your own journey and looking to get a foot in the door.

WHEN: Wed 20 April, 7pm – 8:30pm. The panel will kick-off at 7:15pm
WHERE: Horse & Trap – Loft, 3 Enfield St, Mount Eden, Auckland

Cash bar

Face masks are required to be worn indoors by all attendees. We may shift the event to Zoom at the same date and time if COVID-19 cases are a concern and will notify all registrants.

Parking: Horse & Trap customer carpark and free on-street parking nearby.

DEGANZ members – Free
Non-members – $10
Please register below

Our Payment and Cancellation Policy

Panellists:

Huhana Ruri-Panapa has a long list of credits from feature documentary, television and short films, with short film Waiting screening at TIFF in 2017. Recently she has edited Waiata Anthems, The Walkers and Toa Hunter Gatherer.

Phil Holt has been editing for 20+ years and has edited a diverse range of shows from Motorway Patrol to MasterChef. Most recently, he has edited Moving Houses, hosted by Clarke Gayford, and the relaunch of Grand Designs with new host Tom Webster for TV1.

Anthea Ede Smith has worked in Television in various roles for over 20 years, primarily in post-production. She had the honour of working at Maori Television on staff for its first 6 years, before leaving to freelance as an editor. Recently she has edited First Responders and Lap of Luxury, which she worked on, in part or entirely, from home.

Registration Form

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Last updated on 1 April 2022

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Kirsty Hamilton Set to Direct Short Film Save Me

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Kirsty Hamilton, an alumna of the DEGANZ Women Filmmakers Incubator, is set to direct short film Save Me. 

Written by Suzanne Adamson, the short film follows a mother-daughter dynamic; when a teenage girl is blamed for her brother’s death by her grieving mother, she makes a sacrifice to win back her mother’s love.

Kirsty spoke about the project saying: “As a writer… I know that when a script fills my head with visceral, emotional images as Suzanne’s does, it’s a given I want to be on board and facilitate the screenplay to the best iteration on screen.”

Kirsty graduated from the inaugural intake of the Incubator in 2016. She has since gone on to direct various projects. 

Save Me is currently in pre-production. See the team’s Facebook page to follow their journey.

Last updated on 1 April 2022

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