DEGANZ member Jake Tabata‘s web series The Creature is out now, following its early selection to this year’s NZ Web Fest! The four-part series follows Aidan, stuck in the online dating rut of swiping with no results. He is ecstatic when he matches with his ‘dream man’ but must first face the perturbed Creature lurking in the shadows of his home.
In an interview with Re: News, Jake discusses how his identity informs his work. He says,
The Creature is loosely based on my own personal experiences with online dating as a young, queer man. I felt quite alone, really struggling with all the challenges I see with online dating and romance anxiety.
The series, produced by fellow member Isabelle (Izzi) Hoskyn, was entirely crowdfunded on Boosted and was made by a team of young, queer, and POC creatives.
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The acclaimed series Ahikāroa is back for its 6th season, with editing by DEGANZ member Jack Woon and writing and storylining by Onehou Strickland (DEGANZ).
The series is a bilingual te reo Māori show that follows a group of kura kaupapa-raised rangatahi navigating the trials and tribulations of urban Māori living in Auckland. This season all hell breaks loose with shock exits, surprising returns, and new characters with new challenges. While delving into the usual drama of parties, drugs, and sex, this season also veers into Māori politics and spirituality.
Fans will not want to miss this newest season! The first six episodes are out now on MĀORI+ with more dropping each week.
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The third and final season of Netflix’s Sweet Tooth is out today, with episodes three and four directed by DEGANZ member Robyn Grace.
Based on the comic book by Jeff Lemire of the same name, Sweet Tooth is a post-apocalyptic adventure series where a deadly virus and animal-human hybrid babies emerged simultaneously, leaving the world in disarray. Gus, a young part-deer boy sets out to find his mother in this new world and meets a ragtag team along the way.
This season Gus and the gang are off to Alaska in search of the answers to the series’ biggest questions. With new foes and threats on the horizon, alliances are tested while the fate of humanity hangs in the balance. It is sure to be a thrilling end to the series!
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Sydney Film Festival (SFF) is on now, with features and shorts from DEGANZ members.
This year marks the 71st iteration of the festival with over 200 films from 69 countries in the programme. From 5-16 June, there will be screenings, film talks, red carpets, and parties across the city to celebrate the cinema and creatives selected.
SFF is launching the First Nations Award this year, establishing the world’s largest cash prize in global Indigenous filmmaking. 10 films have been selected including The Convert, Ka Whawhai Tonu, First Horse, The Mountain, and Lea Tupu’anga/Mother Tongue from Aotearoa with DEGANZ members involved.
Munro, a soldier turned lay preacher, comes to New Zealand to minister to the first British colonists, but he is converted by the powerful chief Maianui to serve a different purpose.
It’s 1826, and Aotearoa is on the cusp of colonisation. A young Māori girl’s encounter with a dying man and his horse exposes her to the best and worst of her rapidly changing world.
Set in Aotearoa New Zealand in 1864, Ka Whawhai Tonu tells the story of a pivotal battle in the first New Zealand land wars in the Waikato region. A battle fought with impossible odds between Māori and the Colonial forces. This heroic conflict is told through the eyes of two young teenagers forced to take control of their own destiny amidst the chaos of the battle and their escape.
A young speech therapist disconnected from her Tongan heritage lies about her Tongan language skills to get a job. Out of her depth, she must find a way to communicate or else she risks her patient’s life. Sundance 2024.
Rachel House makes her directorial debut with this riotous and colourful drama about three children discovering friendship’s healing power through the spirit of adventure.
A mail-order bride from Siberia, the lonely wife of a wealthy property investor, and an anaesthetist looking for frisky fun, are the engaging central characters in this sharply observed slice-of-life set around Wellington.
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Each month during its submission period, NZ Web Fest announces a few early selections. This year six DEGANZ members’ projects have already been selected to play during the festival’s run this November.
NZ Web Fest is an annual festival celebrating international online content, including podcasts, short films, and web series. This year marks the festival’s 24th run.
Stuck in the online dating rut of endlessly swiping with no results, Aidan is ecstatic when he matches with his ‘dream man’. However, to leave for his date, Aidan must face the perturbed Creature lurking in the shadows of his home.
A comedy web series that follows a silent retreat run by some well-meaning but hopeless wellness gurus. It follows the bumbling owners trying to save their haven, the mystic teachers who aren’t as deep as they seem, and the assorted mix of weird, wonderful, and worrisome retreatants who come to stay, find peace, or otherwise.
Holly Beckham (Ngāpuhi) is on a mission to be the first Māori woman to scale Everest. She has no alpine experience, but she has survived the depths of addiction and is climbing a mountain to recovery. Back in 1988, New Zealand’s Lydia Bradey, ONZM, was the first woman to climb Everest without supplemental oxygen. But instead of accolades, she became the subject of public bullying and misinformation, as people challenged her claims.
Together these two ‘wāhine toa’ (warrior women) venture into New Zealand’s mountains, developing a deep partnership of trust, honesty and grit as they attempt to summit Holly’s first peak, the iconic Tititea, Mt Aspiring.
The Turning Point follows a new generation of kaitiaki who value the well-being of their whenua. From north to south, they’re helping their communities protect and connect with Aotearoa’s natural environment despite the very real anxieties of the climate crisis. They have only one thing on their minds: to make a difference!
http://degnz.sensedesign.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/NZWebFest.jpg4561200admin/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/DEGANZ_logo_home.pngadmin2024-06-05 16:15:382024-06-05 17:33:55Early Selections for NZ Web Fest
