‘Testify’s Megachurch Mega Drama

TVNZ’s new drama series Testify, directed by DEGANZ members David Stubbs and Paula Whetu Jones, is out now. Paula was also one of the series’ writers alongside Gavin Strawhan.

The big-budget series is chock full of drama, diving deep into the destructive power dynamics of an Evangelical megachurch based in Auckland. David, a charismatic youth pastor, clashes with Scott, his father and church leader when pushing for more inclusivity within the religious community. He forms an unlikely alliance with a queer podcaster and together, they uncover a conspiracy of historic sexual abuse in the church.

The show also features fellow member Jessica Grace Smith as Emmeline, Scott’s obedient daughter and supposedly happily married with two kids.

All episodes of Testify are available on TVNZ+ now!

/by

New NZFC Funding Announcement

The New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC) has offered equity investments to two feature films with DEGANZ members Rebecca Tansley and Rouzie Hassanova involved.

My Name is Pati is a feature documentary with Rebecca as the writer/director and producer. The film will receive up to $865,638. The project is about “The remarkable story of Samoan brothers who sang their way onto the world’s greatest opera stages.”

Fellow member Rouzie is one of three producers for Mārama, a feature drama also granted funding of up to $2,420,000 from NZFC. The film’s logline is “1859. When a young, Māori woman is summoned under mysterious circumstances from New Zealand to North Yorkshire, she uncovers the horrifying truth of her colonial heritage and must destroy the titled Englishman who has devastated her family.”

Read more here.

/by

Get a Load(ing Docs) of This

Loading Docs is back for its 10th season, with DEGANZ members at the helm of half of the selected documentaries.

Through the development initiative, participants receive extensive guidance and mentorship, helping them to produce short documentaries with international appeal. The programme helps participants enhance their skills in story development, fundraising, documentary production and editing, audience engagement, and marketing and distribution.

Loading Docs provides each project with $10,000 and a post-production package at the Department of Post. In addition to this support, each team must raise $5,000 on Boosted to unlock further funding and support from the initiative.

This year’s theme is Attention – Te Kimihanga, Te Hahaunga. Check out the DEGANZ member’s projects below or see the full list of films here.

Hope in the Stars

Zoologist-turned-filmmaker, Alexis Smith, is on a quest for extraterrestrial contact in Aotearoa. She seeks answers on her personal quest for existential truth and hope for a world teetering on the edge. But what shadows will she encounter to get there?

Director: Alexis Smith

Producer: Harry Wynn

Boosted

Hihi Ulu

Approaching his tenth birthday, Luka faces a Niuean rite of passage: his first haircut in a hifi ulu ceremony, marking a tender crossroad of culture and autonomy.

Director: Chantelle Burgoyne (Incubator 2018)

Boosted

The Man Outside

Abandoned by the law, a woman’s flatmates struggle to protect her from a relentless stalker, forcing them all to become the protagonists in a real-life thriller.

Director: Liv McClymont

Boosted

/by

Whetu Jones’ New Dark Comedy Series ‘Spinal Destination’

DEGANZ member Paula Whetu Jones‘ series Spinal Destination is out now, with editing by fellow member Julian Currin.

The dark comedy centres on Tessa Rivers whose busy life is upended by a mysterious illness, leaving her paralysed from the waist down. While seeking treatment at a spinal rehabilitation unit, she meets the eccentric residents and becomes determined to walk again by any means necessary.

Written and directed by Paula, the show is heavily inspired by her own paralysis experience. In an article she wrote for The Spinoff, she shares how the show stemmed from a diary she kept in the early days of her paralysis.

She says,

Spinal Destination aims to humanise people in chairs. It’s not that we are not human – often we are just not anything, totally invisible. My aim is to be visible, both on screen and off.

You can find Spinal Destination on Sky Go and Neon now!

/by

Bisley’s ‘Cetology’ Thrills in Brazil

DEGANZ member and 2017 Incubator alum, Catherine Bisley‘s short film Cetology is off to the Brazilian film festival Fantaspoa. The thriller will play in the Sessão de Curtas 07 (Short Session 07) program along with 13 other short films from across the globe.

The film takes its name from the study of whales, which recently discovered that orca pods work together to hunt blue whales. Cetology uses this hunt to explore contemporary human brutality at a corporate wellness retreat.

Fantaspoa is one of Latin America’s largest genre film festivals, featuring fantasy, science fiction, horror, and thriller. This year marks a record number of films, with 114 features and 123 shorts from 54 countries being shown. The festival hosts workshops, masterclasses, music sessions, and networking events and parties alongside the screenings.

Congratulations Catherine on the selection!

/by