DEGANZ Members Among First Picks for NZ Web Fest

Short films Pākehā, written and directed by Mana Hira Davis, and The Whole Thing, directed by fellow member Calvin Sang, are among the first projects selected for this year’s NZ Web Fest. DEGANZ member Sofia Misa’s T for Taupou has also secured a spot in the festival’s student film section.

Since its inception in 2015, the virtual festival has curated and celebrated online short films, web series, and podcasts from around the world. This year’s event will run from 13–23 November.

Read more about the selected projects below:

Fiction Shorts

Pākehā

Writer/Director: Mana Hira Davis

In 1980s, New Zealand, a young Pakeha mother’s determination to learn Te Reo Māori exposes her struggles, resilience, and courage, in an inspiring true story of cultural reconciliation.

This selection follows the film’s recent success at the 2026 International Oceanian Documentary Film Festival (FIFO), winning Best Fiction Short Film.

The Whole Thing

Director: Calvin Sang

Two strangers meet at a crematorium while picking up their loved ones’ remains. They decide to spend the day together, killing time and watching the world go by.

Fiction Shorts (Student)

T for Taupou

Writer, Director, and Editor: Sofia Misa

A fast-paced, chaotic story that takes place in real-time, all in a backstage room as a Poly Club of tertiary students prepares to take the stage for a competition.

 

Last updated on 9 April 2026

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DEGANZ Watch List: Heroes and Heroines

From powerful true stories to deeply personal journeys of grief and resilience, this DEGANZ Watch List highlights heroes’ stories.

Editor Francis Glenday (DEGANZ) is behind the upcoming wartime docu-drama Sgt. Haane, which recently dropped its second trailer.

Meanwhile, the smash hit Tinā, edited by fellow member Luke Haigh, is available to stream on Three Now. If you somehow missed it in cinemas last year, now is your chance to see the film that broke local box office records.

Sgt. Haane

Feature Docu-Drama Trailer

Film Editor: Francis Glenday

The second trailer for this gripping WWII docu-drama comes one month before its nationwide premiere.

Haane Manahi of the 28th Māori Battalion is told that taking the enemy desert fortress of Takrouna, Tunisia, will be a cakewalk. It is not. When the chain of command collapses under enemy fire, Haane leads a small band of B Company soldiers – all cousins, all related – up the precipitous cliff face that his commanders had deemed too formidable for thousands of men to take. What follows changes the course of WWII in North Africa. Three generals and a field marshal sign a Victoria Cross recommendation. One anonymous British official strikes it out. Haane’s legacy lives on through his descendants to this day.

 

Tinā

Drama Feature

Editor: Luke Haigh

A grieving mother becomes a substitute teacher at an elite school after her daughter dies in the Christchurch quakes, where she finds neglected students and steps in to guide and inspire them.

Last updated on 9 April 2026

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