2026 Is Upon Us

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While there has been a delay in the good weather arriving, it’s now back. At least for the moment where I’m sitting and writing this. In Auckland.

It’s just one of the positives of the New Year.

At the box office:

  • Tinā is currently at $6,486,864
  • Pike River sits at $1,439,550
  • Prime Minister is recording $1,094,292

We have two features screening at Sundance in Mum I’m Alien Pregnant and Big Girls Don’t Cry.

Crocodile is making a showing at Berlinale.

TOITŪ Visual Sovereignty, TENOR: My Name Is Pati, and Holy Days go to the Santa Barbara Film Fest, with Holy Days securing US theatrical distribution—not an easy feat for an NZ film.

This is New Zealand feature film success.

Success in TV is harder to gauge because it operates under a different model. That said, many shows are still being made with NZ On Air and Te Māngai Pāho support. We can be thankful that NZoA, TMP and the NZFC continue to receive government funding to finance screen industry activity.

International production in NZ is clearly happening with at least two new(ish) major projects underway. And the B.O. success of Avatar: Fire and Ash may give some hope to the future of that franchise.

At DEGANZ, we have two new board members in directors Jesse Griffen and Kim Webby, adding their significant experience and expertise to the guild’s brain trust. ASDACS has a refreshed board as well, bringing what we hope will be positive outcomes for directors and directors’ orgs on both sides of the Tasman.

The year ahead has challenges in front of us. As it does for all other orgs in the screen industry. But that’s nothing new. Every year now brings instability and change driven by local and global pressures that we just have to ride out as we have done to now.

We have some exciting workshops and events coming this year. More on these later.

And with the election called for 7 November, we all have an opportunity to help determine our futures by voting.

Wishing you the greatest success in your endeavours in 2026. DEGANZ will definitely be doing its best to support you in your efforts.

 

Tui Ruwhiu
Executive Director

 

Last updated on 29 January 2026

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‘TENOR,’ ‘TOITŪ’ and ‘Invisible Dragons’ Head to Santa Barbara

Three films from DEGANZ members are featuring at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) next month. SBIFF is running from 4-14 February, marking the 41st iteration of the festival, discovering and showcasing the best in independent and international cinema.

Rebecca Tansley‘s TENOR: My Name is Pati is celebrating its world premiere at SBIFF. The film traces the incredible journey of celebrated opera singers and brothers Pene and Amitai Pati. By weaving intimate family archival footage with behind-the-scenes observations and soaring performances, the film blends humour and heart to reveal the power of family, cultural pride, and determination when chasing dreams.

Rebecca comments on the selection in a NZFC press release, saying,

Our TENOR: My Name Is Pati āiga feels deeply uplifted to have the film welcomed into this festival. There’s something fitting about a World Premiere on the edge of the Pacific, in a place that played such a key role in Pene and Amitai’s early careers, before the film travels homeward to Sāmoa and Aotearoa shortly after,

Joining TENOR at SBIFF is another documentary feature, TOITŪ Visual Sovereignty, edited by Cushla Dillon, Brendon Chan, and Huhana Ruri-Panapa. It offers unprecedented insight into the curation of the Toi Tū Toi Ora: Contemporary Māori Art exhibition, revealing the struggle for Māori artistic sovereignty within the structures of Aotearoa New Zealand’s cultural institutions.

The drama short Invisible Dragons, written and directed by Victoria Boult and edited by Jack Woon, will also be screening. When a determined young woman confronts her estranged, conspiracy-obsessed father, she must face the chilling question: what if he’s not entirely wrong?

 

Last updated on 29 January 2026

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DEGANZ Members Selected for Script to Screen’s Story Camp Aotearoa and FilmUp 2026

2026 is kicking off strong with exciting development news! Congratulations to the eight DEGANZ members who have been selected for Script to Screen’s feature film initiatives, Story Camp Aotearoa and FilmUp. Both programmes will take place later this year and offer the filmmakers a stepping stone towards making their first features.

Members Jamie Lawrence, Te Waiarangi Ratana, and Lucy Wigmore will be packing their bags to attend this year’s Story Camp Aoteara. All three are attending the development programme in both writing and directing roles on their respective projects.

Story Camp, which has tikanga and Māoritanga embedded in its kaupapa, is unique in its ability to encourage filmmakers to shut out the noise of their day-to-day lives in order to dig deep into their script’s development. The five-day residential development lab enables participating filmmakers to hone their craft, voice, and vision, deepening their understanding of the needs of their script. In addition to one-to-one sessions with industry advisors, participants also engage in project-based group workshops, panel discussions, sessions with actors, and talks from guest advisors from other art forms. Each team will also work with advisors who are chosen specifically for the needs of the project and where it sits in the development journey.

Meanwhile, Lynda Chanwai-Earle, Liv McClymont, Hweiling Ow, Phillida Perry, and Stella Reid are taking part in the twelfth edition of FilmUp.

The feature film mentorship programme is for writers, directors, and producers who are ready to take the next step towards making a feature film. Across six months, each filmmaker will pair with an esteemed industry mentor, participate in group work and round tables, and receive wrap-around support in the development of their projects and careers.

See more about the projects for both programmes below.

Story Camp Aotearoa 2026

DAZ

Writer/Director: Jamie Lawrence
Producer: Thomas Coppell

Manu Masters

Writer/Director: Te Waiarangi Ratana
Producer: Keisha Castle-Hughes

The Delusions

Co-Writer/Director: Lucy Wigmore
Co-Writer: Michael Beran
Story Collaborators: Gin Wingmore and Tandi Wright

FilmUp 2026

Little Yellow Peril

Writer: Lynda Chanwai-Earle

Wunderbar

Writer/Director: Liv McClymont

Pohpoh Wants to Die

Writer: Hweiling Ow

THE LONGEST DRINK IN TOWN

Producer: Phillida Perry

Stage Challenge

Writer/Director: Stella Reid

 

Last updated on 29 January 2026

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Mafile’o and Grace are WIFT Award Finalists

The WIFT Awards are back for 2026, with DEGANZ members Vea Mafile’o and Robyn Grace selected as finalists!

WIFT NZ established the awards in 2004 to recognise, celebrate, and encourage the achievements of women in film, television, and digital media. This year, the ceremony will take place on 12 March in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.

Vea is a nominated Hinterland Woman to Watch. This award recognises women with an emerging body of work who show potential to have significant careers in the industry. Vea’s recent shorts, Lea Tupu’anga / Mother Tongue, which is under consideration for the Oscars, and I’m Not Your Dusky Maiden, have solidified her as a promising director. Previous winners include Niki Caro, Julia Parnell, Kerry Warkia, and fellow DEGANZ member Roseanne Liang.

In a different category, Robyn is nominated for the Images & Sound Award for Outstanding Achievement in Television and Digital. This award recognises women who have had a significant impact or achievement in any aspect of television or digital media in recent years. Robyn is a highly experienced director, having recently worked on some of Aotearoa’s biggest TV productions, including Sweet Tooth, Spartacus: House of Ashur, and Happiness. In 2022, she received an Emmy nomination for her direction on the Sweeth Tooth episode “What’s in the Freezer?”

Congrats to Vea, Robyn, and all the nominees.

 

Last updated on 29 January 2026

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Maire’s ‘Silver Lining’ Commissioned for Day One Shorts

Here comes another round of Day One Shorts! This year, DEGANZ member Harriett Maire is directing one of the eight funded projects.

Day One Shorts is a series of short films by emerging filmmakers from across the motu. A mix of factual and fiction, they explore cultural, social and political issues by taking story risks, pushing the envelope, and looking to the future. The initiative provides scripted projects with $20k and documentaries with $15k to produce their films. In addition to funding, Day One offers the filmmakers wrap-around talent development support, including workshops, professional script consultancy, and mentorships for the directors and producers.

Harriett is directing the documentary Silver Lining. Approaching 25 years with type 1 diabetes, she reflects: How do you honour milestones in a lifelong condition? How do you keep moving forward on a journey with no end?

Congratulations, Harriett!

Last updated on 29 January 2026

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