DEGANZ Members Feature at NZIFF 2023

New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF) has announced this year’s NZ feature films, with DEGANZ members involved in half of the twelve selected.

In their announcement press release, NZIFF General Manager Sally Woodfield commented:

We’re proud to have secured such an incredible line-up of homegrown films and it’s an honour to share this world-class line-up with audiences around Aotearoa this winter.

Of the twelve features, nine are having their world premiere at the festival, including all member projects. This is one of the largest collections of world premieres NZIFF has had in years.

The Strangest of Angels

Set in the Seacliff Mental Hospital in 1945, director Rebecca Tansley (DEGANZ) offers a dramatic and moving interpretation of the contemporary opera of the same title. Inspired by the events and life of Kiwi writer Janet Frame, the film sheds light on mental health from the past and present.

The Paragon

A hit-and-run victim learns psychic abilities to reap revenge on the car that hit him. Directed by former DEGANZ board member Michael Duignan, this cosmic comedy horror embodies Kiwi ingenuity with its microbudget of $25,000. Fellow members and Incubator 2020 alumnae Jessica Grace Smith and Michelle Ang feature in the stellar cast.

King Loser

Co-directed and edited by DEGANZ member Cushla Dillon, this career-spanning documentary follows legendary 90s rock band King Loser on their 2016 farewell tour. The film offers an earnest and affectionate portrait of the band through rich archive footage and reflective present-day interviews.

Red Mole: A Romance

Annie Goldson (DEGANZ) expertly assembles archival footage, photographs, scrapbooks, posters, and stage designs of the radical theatrical troupe Red Mole in this exhilarating retrospective. Co-edited by fellow member Cushla Dillon, the documentary considered the troupe’s romantic goals, tenacious performers, and tumultuous career.

Ms Information

Filmed across two years during the pandemic, DEGANZ member Gwen Isaac‘s observational documentary dives into the trenches of microbiologist Siousxsie Wiles’ public service. While encouraging the public not to panic, Siouxsie became the target of misogynistic hate and conspiracy that threatened her professional and personal life. The film reveals a small nation under pressure, confronting a new type of leadership that excites, incites, and polarizes.

Grant Sheehan: Light, Ghosts, & Dreams

Robin Greenberg (DEGANZ) celebrates the life and art of avant-garde New Zealand photographer and publisher Grant Sheehan and his creative Artificial Intelligence (AI) explorations. Known for not confining himself to a single specialty, Grant’s career has taken him on adventures across the globe with little more than his curiosity and camera.

Congratulations to all members featured; we are excited to see your work in the festival!

Last updated on 21 June 2023

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NZIFF 2023: DEGANZ Members as NZ’s Best

The New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF) has announced this year’s New Zealand’s Best lineup, with DEGANZ members involved in four of the six short films selected. 

From the 81 films submitted this year, only 12 were chosen for the shortlist. Then, the final six were picked by Guest Selector Niki Caro, well-known for her film Whale Rider. She praised the projects, saying:

This selection of short films features fresh perspectives, acts of resistance, and small but powerful stories perfectly told. From a range of different voices, these films are tough and tender.

The shorts will screen during NZIFF before a jury of three selects the winners of the $7500 Best Short Film Award, the $4000 Creative New Zealand Emerging Talent Award, and the $4000 Auckland Live Spirit of The Civic Award. Additionally, audiences vote for their favourite short in which the winner takes home 25% of the total box office sales. Last year, Perianayaki, directed by DEGANZ member Bala Murali-Shingade and edited by fellow member Shailesh Prajapati, won the Creative New Zealand Emerging Talent Award, the Flicks Award for Best Short Film, and the Audience Award.

Daughter of God 

Written, directed, and co-produced by Maza White (DEGANZ), this film tells a story of an Iranian-Kiwi daughter. When forced into an arranged marriage, she must either dishonour her family or lose the love of her life.

Gate Crash 

Heightened emotions of a school ball after-party pared with deft shifts in tone, this short offers a new look into the teen genre, as put by Niki. DEGANZ member Cushla Dillon is credited as editor.

Hey Brainy Man

This avant-garde comedy, co-produced by DEGANZ member Jaimee Poipoi (Incubator 2023), acts as a performance appraisal for humankind. A group of evolutionary losers warn Homo sapiens not to f*ck up the world.

Anu 

When a 57-year old widow moves to Aotearoa from India, she’s forced to confront her grief by completing an ordinary ritual despite the extraordinary circumstances: quarantine. The drama short was written and directed by Pulkit Arora (DEGANZ) and edited by fellow member Jolin Lee (Incubator 2022).

Congratulations to the members involved; we can’t wait to see your mahi on the big screen!

Last updated on 5 July 2023

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McKenzie Chosen for Canterbury Screen Story Incubator 2023

DEGANZ member Fiona McKenzie (Incubator 2022) has been selected for this year’s Waitaha Canterbury Screen Story Incubator with her new feature film Caroline.

The Waitaha Canterbury Screen Story Incubator is a programme organised by Script to Screen and Te Puna Matarau. It aims to support filmmakers from the Canterbury region, helping them develop projects and advance their careers. 

Five teams were selected, consisting of three series, a feature film, and a narrative-driven video game. Fiona’s project is the only feature-length film selected. Participants will attend three workshops from July to September and receive advice from filmmaking practitioners regarding their project’s specific needs.

Jackie Dennis, Executive Director of Script to Screen, warmly welcomed projects for this year. She commented:

The selected projects are exciting. They include a love letter to rock music culture and the trans community, an animated family adventure, a recluse living in the Southern Alps, and two comedies – a feature set in 1975 and a series that unfolds on a road trip.

Based in Christchurch now, Fiona started as a writer and field director for TVNZ in Dunedin. Later, she moved to Auckland and trained as a Drama Director with South Pacific Pictures before going freelance. She’s directed a variety of genres and forms, including documentary, sketch comedy, drama, and multicam. Her latest short film Peninsula premiered at New York’s Tribeca Film Festival in 2021 and won the “Let’s Include” section at the Academy Award-qualifying Bengaluru International Short Film Festival, India.

We are wishing all the best for Fiona’s project!

Last updated on 28 June 2023

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DEGANZ Members Make Waves at Doc Edge Awards 2023

Congratulations to DEGANZ members Katherine McRae and Blandine Massiet du Biest for winning big at this year’s Doc Edge festival!

Katherine’s Pacific Mother won Best NZ Feature, Editing, and Cinematography, while she took home Best NZ Director. By winning the Best NZ Feature, the film now has the opportunity to qualify for consideration for the 2024 Academy Awards.

The jury commented on the film’s exploration of traditional birthing knowledge and the connection between caring for the planet and nurturing families:

This film took the judges on a beautiful cinematic journey that was hugely emotional and told an empowering conversation with indigenous women front and centre of its telling.

Meanwhile, Bladine’s directorial debut has proven successful with her Best NZ Emerging Filmmaker win. Her feature Frances Hodgkins, Anything but a Still Life also won Best New Zealand Sound. The film retraces the modernist painter’s footsteps, traversing the places she lived and worked and highlighting her dedication to her art.

Both films and two other winners of some of the festival’s key international categories received encore screenings in Auckland over the holiday weekend. The festival is now moving on to its Wellington run. Following the four award sweep, Pacific Mother’s screening and Q&A session with the filmmakers at the Roxy Cinema is sold out.

Well done, Katherine and Blandine, on the wins!

Last updated on 7 June 2023

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More ‘n00b’ to Come

Popular TikTok series n00b, co-created and directed by DEGANZ member Victoria Boult (Incubator 2023), is heading to ThreeNow and Three as a new comedy series. According to the NZ on Air media release, Great Southern Television has received up to $1,499,541 to bring the series to fruition.

The show originated on the short form video social media via the Every Voice initiative between NZ on Air, Screen Australia, and TikTok. Since its release in August 2022, it has garnered over 1.5 million TikTok views across its twelve parts.

The anthology series follows teens in Aotearoa in the early 2000s as they venture into the unknown territories of sex, relationships, and the internet. Each episode is chock full of the decade’s iconic aesthetics and harks back to online video chat rooms, making mixtapes, and embracing your inner emo.

@n00bseries

n00b: Fanfiction Smut Part 1 🍆💦 Made with the support of NZ On Air

♬ original sound – n00b

The TV series will differ slightly, following a group of adolescent outcasts in small-town New Zealand as they attempt to cope with life through the internet and its newly invented social media.

Congrats Victoria! We can’t wait to see how the show evolves and grows.

Last updated on 8 June 2023

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