DEGANZ Watch List: Murder, Mystery, Makeovers & More

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There’s plenty to watch this month, with DEGANZ members bringing their talents to crime drama, comedy, factual and documentary.

First up is the thrilling return of crime drama A Remarkable Place to Die, with DEGANZ members Peter Burger, Victoria Boult and Emmet Skilton directing Season 2.

Also in the drama space is new dramedy series Good Bones, edited by Kerri Roggio.

DEGANZ members are also making their mark in factual and documentary, with web series Reo Auaha, co-directed by Julie Zhu, and feature documentary Sleep, directed by Dan Salmon and produced by Mark McNeill.

Check out what our members have been working on and add these titles to your watchlist!

 

A Remarkable Place to Die S2

Crime Drama Series

Directors: Peter Burger, Victoria Boult, Emmet Skilton 

While Anais risks everything with her unofficial investigation into Maja’s murder, the whānau are drawn into the discovery of a woman who vanished 15 years ago.

Available to stream on TVNZ+.

 

Good Bones

Dramedy Series

Editor: Kerri Roggio

Challenged to step up by his pregnant wife, Sal buys a rundown estate. Problematically, the previous owner died under mysterious circumstances. Now, Sal must solve a cold case and renovate – all before the baby arrives.

Available to stream on Three Now.

 

Reo Auaha

Factual Web Series

Directors: Julie Zhu & Whatanui Flavell

This series follows some of the most talented Māori artists around the motu who are using their art to colour their world. Eight artists, eight different art forms, all using their craft as a powerful expression of the hopes, messages, and visions of a generation.

Available to watch on YouTube.

 

Sleep

Documentary

Director: Dan Salmon

Producer: Mark McNeill

Al Brown explores why thousands of Kiwis struggle, like him, to sleep. He is on an adventure to uncover the science, myths and simple solutions that could transform the way we all live.

Available to stream on TVNZ+.

 

Last updated on 24 September 2026

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Happy, Sad or Bittersweet?

View from the Top banner

Film researcher Stephen Follows’ latest piece of work examines the endings of films to see if the ‘Hollywood Ending’ still rules the day. What he found is that there are three types of ending: Happy, Sad and Bittersweet.

It got me thinking about the current New Zealand Film Commission review of core funding for guilds and associations.

But before I go any further, let’s look at who receives core funding and what their current financial position is, as stated in their latest financial accounts:

GUILDSCORE FUND.FIN. POS.LEGAL STATUS
1DEGANZ$100,000$72,174, EoY 25Incorporated Society/Union
2Equity NZ$100,000$119,562, EoY 25Incorporated Society/Union
3NZWG$100,000$20,332, EoY 24Incorporated Society/Union
4SIGANZ$100,000$166,224, EoY 25Incorporated Society
ASSOCIATIONS
5NAW$120,000$124,868, EoY 24Incorporated Society
6PASC$100,000($6,183), EoY 25Incorporated Society
7PISA$100,000$35,771, EoY 24Incorporated Society
8Script to Screen$100,000$120,043, EoY 25Registered Charity
9SPADA$100,000$575,410, EoY 25Incorporated Society
10WIFT$100,000$140,170, EoY 24Incorporated Society

 

Notes:
The financial position simply means that once all liabilities/debts are cleared on the final date of the fiscal year reported on, that is how much would be left in the bank.

The above numbers are a simplistic representation of each guild and association’s finances. They have other revenues streams as well outside NZFC core funding, and have different costs associated with their operations and activities.

As incorporated societies or charities, they essentially operate as non-profits.

The big question for NZFC is: Is core funding for guilds and associations the best and or most efficient use of their funds for industry support, at just over $1 million a year? The corrolary is: if core funding is good use of funding, who should get it and how much?

The big question for the guilds and associations is: Will we receive all, some or none of the funding after the review is complete and a decision is made? And the corrollary for the guilds and associations is: if we don’t get it, how will we survive and what will we do or not do if we can’t make up the difference?

Every guild and association can make its case that the work they do is vital to a healthy, functioning New Zealand screen industry.

For NZFC—and for NZ On Air and TMP as well—they need to figure out what makes a healthy, functioning New Zealand screen industry, and if guilds and associations fit within that. And if they do, what if any support, financial or non-financial, direct or in-direct, might they provide?

The answer is going to be happy, sad, or bittersweet, not just for each one of us guilds and associations, but also for the individuals who make up the screen industry as well. We expect to find out at the end of this year.

 

Tui Ruwhiu
Executive Director

 

Last updated on 10 September 2026

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Liang Wins Hugo Award for ‘Murderbot’

Congratulations to DEGANZ member Roseanne Liang, who recently won a prestigious Hugo Award for her work on the Apple TV series Murderbot! Roseanne and the show’s writers were awarded Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form for the episode All Systems Red of the sci-fi drama series.

The Hugo Awards recognise outstanding work in science fiction and fantasy across literature and screen. This win places Roseanne alongside some of the leading creatives working in the genre internationally.

Based on Martha Wells’ bestselling, Hugo Award-winning book series, Murderbot is a sci-fi thriller/comedy about a self-hacking security construct who is horrified by human emotion, yet drawn to its vulnerable clients. Murderbot must hide its free will while completing a dangerous assignment, when all it really wants is to be left alone to watch futuristic soap operas and figure out its place in the universe.

This is another major international achievement for Liang, who has been making strides overseas with a variety of action-based work, including Netflix’s live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender.

 

Last updated on 10 September 2026

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DEGANZ Members Make Their Mark at NZ Web Fest 2026

DEGANZ members are making a strong showing at the 2026 NZ Web Fest, with 15 projects featuring DEGANZ members selected for this year’s lineup. The selection spans short documentaries, narrative shorts, web series, and music videos.

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 festival runs from 13–23 November, bringing together a diverse programme of digital storytelling from local and international creators.

Read more about the DEGANZ members’ projects below, and keep an eye out for when registrations open for the festival!

Documentary Shorts

Silver Lining

Director: Harriett Maire

Editor: Josh Yong

Approaching 25 years with a chronic illness, Harriett Maire explores how it feels to live with type 1 diabetes.

 

Narrative Shorts

Pākehā

Writer/Director: Mana Hira Davis

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

Raupā

Editor: Allan George

Raupā follows Kingi as he confronts his strained relationship with his comatose father, navigating grief, family dynamics and the healing power of family and connection.

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.

When Cheese is On Sale

Director & Editor: Ash Kelliher

Three twenty-something friends navigate the messy, chaotic beauty of young adulthood while living together. Their shared moments – ordinary yet quirky – unfold in a tapestry of growth, intimacy, and bittersweet realisations about life, friendship, and identity.

When the Music Stops

Director: Dan Eady

When a hardened crime lord resists traditional tactics, an unconventional interrogator is brought in to play.

Working From Home

Writer/Director: Diane Young

There’s always some s#!& to clean up…

You Seeing Someone?

Director: Molly Power

When a Peeping Tom discovers that someone watches her while she watches others, her life spirals out of control as she tries to discover who they are.

 

Narrative 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.

This is Where I Come From (Ito Ang Aking Pinanggagalingan)

Director: Meggy Laguda

After migrating from the Philippines to suburban Aotearoa, 17-year-old Sabina tries to relearn an old dance while grappling with grief for her Lola from across the world. The film traces how movement, memory and family stories become a bridge between the place you come from and the place you now call home.

 

Web Series Pilots

Jani Bros

Editor: Adam-Luka Turjak

Two codependent brothers are forced to support their family’s struggling crop-growing business, but their burning desire to forge their own paths throws their brotherhood into turmoil.

Strange Brew

Editor: Sam Small

Surpassed by a perfect Machine, an aspiring Barista Champion enters a virtual realm to seek the knowledge of her Hero.

Takahoa

Director: Meggy Laguda

The Takahoa pilot introduces best friends Hana, Alice, Sam, Marley, and Eli. After Hana wins second place at an Art Gallery competition, Marley makes a racist comment towards the first-place winner, Anahera, who overhears and confronts Hana.

 

Web Series

Feelings Club

Writer/Director: Taylor Nixon

New kid Toby starts up a secret support group in a brutal school…

Takahoa

Director: Meggy Laguda

Five childhood friends navigate love, family drama, and self-discovery as they transition into adulthood together.

 

Music Videos

Kiss it Better

Editors: Zane Neki and Crystal Chen

Official Video for “Kiss It Better” by Crystal Chen

 

Last updated on 10 September 2026

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DEGANZ Watchlist: Docos and Drama

This week’s watchlist features four DEGANZ members behind a range of new releases – from documentaries exploring OCD, family and identity, to a personal love letter, and a new Māori comedy-drama.

Award-winning documentary director and producer Megan Jones (DEGANZ) is behind Exposure, now streaming on TVNZ+. The documentary explores OCD in young people and was made with the support of NZ On Air.

Congratulations to fellow member Josh Yong for his directorial debut with 保重 Take Care, Aunty. Josh predominantly works as an editor, but has taken to the director’s seat for this personal documentary exploring family, identity and cultural heritage across geographical distance.

On the editing side of things, DEGANZ members Margot Francis and Allanah Bazzard are behind This Is Home, a new, local Māori comedy-drama series now streaming on MĀORI+ and airing on Whakaata Māori.

Check them out below!

Exposure

Documentary

Director: Megan Jones 

The documentary follows a group of young New Zealanders living with OCD as they undertake an intensive four-day treatment programme designed to help them face their fears and transform their lives.

保重 Take Care, Aunty

Documentary

Directors: Josh Yong

This film is an archive of a home and all the memories contained within it. Told through the perspective of Josh’s aunt, who left school at 10 years old to help raise her siblings. They were afforded an education and opportunities abroad while Aunty remained in the same small town she’s always called home. The film explores a quiet meditation on geographic and generational distance, health and ageing, and a life quietly held in place.

This Is Home

Drama Series

Editors: Margot Francis & Allanah Bazzard

Set in an urban Māori homestead in Tāmaki Makaurau, This Is Home follows grown-up sisters Kara and Nina, forced to live under the same roof again for the first time since their teens. As they struggle with financial strains, personal setbacks, and unresolved sibling conflicts, tensions rise, and secrets begin to surface. 

 

Last updated on 10 September 2026

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