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 […]
Electioneering is in full swing as we head towards November. It was just eight weeks ago that Reuben Davidson, Labour Spokesperson for Broadcasting, Media and Creative Economy, stood in front of the New Zealand screen industry at the Big Screen Symposium and said he was fully supportive of a streamer levy. As recently as the […]
The New Zealand International Film Festival kicked off last night with the screening of Big Girls Don’t Cry, directed by Paloma Schneiderman. A very accomplished and cinematic execution by a first-time feature filmmaker. The programme has expanded from last year’s, with more than 130 films showing in Auckland. Prior to COVID, the number of films […]
The Big Screen Symposium has run its course for another year. This time around, it had an emphasis on local content makers on the big and small screen, with micro-budget productions getting a good share of the limelight. I moderated a session with DEGANZ director member Callum Devlin and actor and director Chelsea Preston-Crayford, who […]
Last night I attended the Doc Edge Awards 2026, which recognised the best New Zealand and international documentaries submitted to the fest, along with some special awards for contributions to documentary. Chief among those was the Raye Freedman Legacy Award that went to DEGANZ board member and documentary maker Kim Webby. This award recognises outstanding […]