Ka Whawhai Tonu, directed by DEGANZ member Mike Jonathan, written by fellow member Tim Worrall, and edited by board members Te Rurehe Paki and Martin Brinkler, won Best Oceanian Film at the prestigious Septimius Awards. Lead actress Hinerangi Harawira-Nicholas also took home the award for Best Oceanian Actress.
Set during the New Zealand Wars, Ka Whawhai Tonu brings to life the story of Māori resistance, resilience, and survival in the face of colonial conflict. Across its festival run, critics and audiences have praised the film for its authenticity, emotional depth, and powerful performances.
The Septimius Awards, held annually in Amsterdam, celebrate visionary films and groundbreaking talent from across the globe. It focuses on discovering and encouraging new independent talent, supporting visionary films and bringing together all elements of filmmaking and storytelling, including fiction, non-fiction, animation, television series and scripts.
Congratulations to Mike, Tim, Te Rurehe, Martin, Hinerangi, and the rest of the team on the win!
DEGANZ member Leanne Pooley‘s docuseries Choir Games drops in Canada on Super Channel on 20 September.
The series is an uplifting story about the power of music to change lives. In four episodes, two choirs—one from New York City and one from Kaitaia—participate in the 2024 World Choir Games in Aotearoa. Starting in the rehearsal rooms and following the singers all the way to the Game’s awards, Choir Games takes audiences on a joyful and inspiring journey with these performers.
Congrats to Leanne and the team! It is great to see the series screening internationally.
If you still haven’t seen it, Choir Games is available on Neon and Sky Go in Aotearoa now.
Writer/Director Mia Maramara (DEGANZ) is crowdfunding on Boosted for her upcoming short film, Homestay.
The short follows a Filipino nurse who finds herself trapped between losing her job or losing her mind when her dementia patient pushes her to abuse an experimental procedure. It investigates the pressures of immigration, financial precarity, and the insidious exploitation of migrant labour.
Homestay is part of a much larger story, serving as the prequel to Mia’s feature film in development. Through her work, Mia illuminates the sobering realities many Filipino migrants face in Aotearoa and abroad.
Mia shares about the impact this project has, saying,
As a migrant worker myself, I know what it means to keep your mouth shut, do the job, and swallow your own expertise. This is a story for every migrant who has traded their body, labour, or future for a chance at survival. And it’s also a story about how deeply we rely on those sacrifices as a society. By telling it now, we hope to spark dialogue, empathy, and change.
The film is shooting next month in October, and is seeking to raise $11,000 to go towards covering production costs, props, camera gear, post-production, and paying cast and crew.
You can find out more about the project, where the funds raised will go, and donate on the Boosted Page.
http://degnz.sensedesign.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Homestay.jpg4561200admin/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/DEGANZ_logo_home.pngadmin2025-09-17 14:30:382025-09-17 18:06:26Opportunity to Boost Maramara’s Short ‘Homestay’
Last month, the Directors Guild of America (DGA) President Lesli Linka Glatter and Executive Director Russell Hollander visited Aotearoa to connect with the local screen industry. While only here for six days, their schedule was packed and took them to both Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington and Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.
While here, Lesli and Russ met with DGA members living in Aotearoa, such as James Cameron and Roseanne Liang, and with local DEGANZ director members.
DEGANZ was thrilled to host Lesli for a special DEGANZ Selects event, moderated by local director and DEGANZ member Rob Sarkies. Lesli and Rob discussed her stellar directing career and creative process. Lesli emphasised “the importance of knowing the story you are telling” when approaching different projects. Her career evades being put in a box with credits including everything from gothic mysteries like Twin Peaks, political thrillers like Homeland and Zero Day, to dramas like Mad Men and Gilmour Girls.
Rob and Lesli speaking at DEGANZ Selects
She also shared insights into the Hollywood and international screen industries, underlining the importance of community in tough times. Lesli began her directing career under the tutelage of Steven Spielberg and is now giving back to the screen community, both through the DGA and by personally mentoring other directors.
Fittingly, Lesli and Russ’ visit coincided with the NZ government’s current review of the Copyright Act 1994. Lesli, Russ and DEGANZ Executive Director Tui Ruwhiu met with the Minister for Arts, Culture, and Heritage, Paul Goldsmith, to inform him of the current situation of the US screen industry and the importance of domestic production.
Pictured from left to right: DEGANZ ED Tui Ruwhiu, DGA President Lesli Linka Glatter, MCH Paul Goldsmith, and DGA ED Russell Hollander.
The current Copyright Act only allows screen directors moral rights to their work, while copyright goes solely to the producer. With the Act under review, Tui and multiple local directors, including Zoë McIntosh, Aidee Walker, and Caroline Bell Booth, have spoken up and advocated for change with both the NZ Herald and The Post.
While speaking with The Herald, Tui commented on the matter,
We have been working for over 20 years now to get directors recognised as one of the authors for economic rights under the Copyright Act. It’s an anomaly that directors are recognised as authors, but only in regard to moral rights. That doesn’t make a lot of sense. There’s a conflict, because the director as the author should also have the economic right associated with it as well.
Lesli also spoke with Perlina Lau of RNZ’s Culture 101 to discuss the importance of ensuring the sustainability of screen directors’ careers. She also discussed the recent changes in Hollywood, the impact of AI, and, of course, her illustrious career.
DEGANZ is very pleased to have facilitated the DGA’s visit to Aotearoa and looks forward to opportunities to work together more in the future.
New sci-fi comedy series Warren’s Vortex, edited by DEGANZ board member Martin Brinkler and fellow member Alex Boyd, is out now on TVNZ+.
The show was created by the team behind Wellington Paranormal and shares a similar humour and tone to the police mockumentary. In this series, Warren’s typical suburban life is turned upside down when his teenage daughter, Lucy, is sucked into an interdimensional portal in his shed, and he leaps in after her, traversing alternate Lower Hutt realities.
So far, only two episodes have been released, with four more set to follow. In episode one, Warren and Lucy land in an alternate reality where intelligent refrigerators have taken over the world. The next episode sees them transported to a world where every Kiwi backyard is a reality TV competition with raised stakes.
You can find Warren’s Vortex on TVNZ+ with new episodes dropping on Sundays at 7pm.
