In 2021, hundreds of people were injured and ten were killed in a crowd crush during the headlining performance at Travis Scott’s Astroworld music festival in Houston, Texas. The film unpacks the logistical failures and the tragic consequences through exclusive interviews with survivors, paramedics and festival staff. Additionally, compiled footage from concertgoers’ phones brings viewers into the heart of the crowd, demonstrating just how extreme the crowd was on the day.
The film is the first of Netflix’s documentary anthology series exploring massive event disasters that made global headlines, created corporate scandals, and cost lives. Other topics covered later in the series include the infamous Poop Cruise and storming Area 51.
Congrats to Jesse and the rest of the team on Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy’s success!
http://degnz.sensedesign.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Trainwreck.jpg4561200admin/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/DEGANZ_logo_home.pngadmin2025-06-26 13:58:582025-06-26 13:58:58‘Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy’ is in Netflix’s Top Three
Congratulations to Ricard J Curtis (DEGANZ) for winning the Live Action Short Award with Rapido at the 2025 imaginNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival! This is an Oscar-qualifying category, meaning the film is now eligible for consideration for the Academy Awards in the Best Live Action Short Film category.
Rapido follows a young Māori boy whose fascination with war comics comes closer to home than he could ever imagine when he discovers his estranged grandfather was a World War II veteran.
Rapido explores intergenerational trauma, inspired by Richard’s childhood and his uncle’s untold struggle with ‘Shell-Shock’. This story honours the sacrifices of Māori soldiers and highlights the enduring impact of PTSD on their whānau at home.
The short was made through Ngā Aho Whakaari’s short film development programme, Aho Shorts, in 2024.
It’s great to see local indigenous films recognised on the global stage!
Award-winning documentary filmmaker and DEGANZ board member Robyn Paterson is one of 12 producers selected for the Activator Screen Business Programme.
Activator is an international business development initiative designed to build export capability within Aotearoa’s screen production sector. Across the second half of 2025, Robyn and fellow participants will engage in an intensive programme of industry workshops, international market visits to Sydney, London, and Los Angeles, and expert business training.
The programme describes the cohort as “some of the most entrepreneurial and ambitious screen talent in Aotearoa – working across film, television, documentary and factual – and are now poised to take their projects and businesses to the global stage.”
Robyn is taking part in the initiative with her production company, Sweet Productions, an innovative disability-led company established to bring purposeful, authentic and diverse content to a wide audience spectrum. Her credits include Down for Love, Grand Designs NZ, Finding Mercy, and Licence to Drive.
Massive congratulations to Robyn and all the best for the programme!
http://degnz.sensedesign.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Activator-2025.jpg4561200admin/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/DEGANZ_logo_home.pngadmin2025-06-26 13:58:372025-06-26 13:58:37Paterson Selected for 2025 Activator Screen Business Programme
Here’s the latest work from DEGANZ members! There are features, unscripted projects, and a short film in the mix this time.
Feature film Kōkā, edited by DEGANZ members Te Rurehe Paki, is out in local cinemas following its Matariki weekend premiere.
Also in the feature space, the trailer for Pike River offers the first glimpse into the highly anticipated film directed by Robert Sarkies (DEGANZ) and edited by Peter Roberts (DEGANZ).
Fellow member James Fink-Jensen‘s short film The Balloon is also available to watch on his production company’s Vimeo.
Māori elder Hamo and local delinquent Jo form an unlikely bond on a road trip. As they confront past traumas and each face their demons, their shared path becomes a journey of healing, community and reconciliation.
In this two-part documentary, Sonia Gray – a long-time advocate for normalising conversation around mental health who has bravely shared her own struggles with anxiety – goes on a mind-altering journey to find out if psychedelics could be the answer to New Zealand’s on-going mental health and addiction crisis.
The first peak into this high anticipated local feature film is out!
Pike River, directed by DEGANZ member Robert Sarkies and edited by fellow member Peter Roberts, starring Melanie Lynskey and Robyn Malcom, follows two women who lose their loved ones in the 2010 Pike River Mine explosion and become leading voices in the families’ fight for truth and accountability.
Beloved funeral directors, husband-and-wife team Francis and Kaiora Tipene, embark on a new travel odyssey, witnessing life and death traditions from Tonga, Japan, India and more.
DEGANZ member Maddison Grigg is crowdfunding on Boosted for Takahoa, a new coming-of-age YouTube mini-series.
The Takahoa team has three days left to hit their goal of $35,000 and already has the the backing of 197 donors. Funds raised will go towards production, cast and crew fees, locations, marketing, and post-production.
The five-part series follows the lives of five childhood friends navigating love, family drama, and self-discovery as they transition into adulthood in Auckland, New Zealand. It explores themes of identity, culture, and belonging, showcasing the complexities and triumphs of young people finding their way in the world.
You can find out more and support the production on their Boosted page.
