Screening Near and Far

DEGANZ members April Phillips and Jeremy Masters have had films accepted to film festivals both near and far.

Blind Panic, a feature film co-produced by April, is celebrating its premiere here in Aotearoa at the Terror-Fi Film Festival in Pōneke Wellington on 31 October. The film tells the story of a blind woman who befriends an ex-con, unaware that he is on home detention with a target on his back. She finds herself caught up in his past and hiding in plain sight of a sadistic crime lord. The crime thriller is the directorial debut of the late Mark Willis and was completed before his untimely death in May 2023. It will also screen in Auckland and Christchurch before receiving international distribution.

Home Base, directed and edited by Jeremy and colour graded by fellow member Damian McDonnell, screened at the Buffalo International Film Festival in mid-October as part of the Growing Up programme. The short follows a young boy who is left paralysed by anxiety after a traumatic event. His parents struggle to help him move forward, only to find their efforts deepening the problem.

Last updated on 22 October 2025