DEGANZ Members Bring Fact and Fiction to FIFO

The International Oceanian Documentary Film Festival (FIFO) returns for its 21st run with multiple DEGANZ members’ work featured! Each year, the festival aims to celebrate and amplify the voices and cultures of Oceania on screens locally and worldwide. FIFO is also a pillar in film development in the Pacific, annually bringing filmmakers and key players in the international audiovisual industry together in Tahiti.

Competing Category

Only 10 films were selected for the festival’s main category. FIFO describes these films as ‘making up the very essence of the festival, showcasing both ‘the great diversity of Oceania [and] the technical quality of film productions in the region.’

Family Faith Footy – A Pasifika Rugby Story

Directed by Jeremiah Tauamiti (DEGANZ), this feature documentary offers unique insight into the stories of some of the most celebrated rugby players, inviting viewers into their daily lives. It’s a story about ‘small islands, big dreams, and the sacrifices made by many to produce some of the world’s greatest players.’

Non-Competing Category

A selection of complementary films, shedding new light and approaches on issues of the Pacific.

Ms Information

DEGANZ member Gwen Isaac takes on COVID’s impact on Aotearoa through the lens of non-conformist, pink-haired scientist Dr. Siouxsie Wiles. The film tracks Siouxsie’s trajectory from pre-pandemic times to her catapult into the limelight while advising Aotearoa on the growing health crisis. Viewers follow her ‘transition from a feminist icon to a target for violence and threats’ and how she presses forward with ferocity and heart.

14th Oceanian Fiction Night

Despite FIFO’s focus on documentary, the festival opened its screens to short fiction films in 2007. They showcase diversity, creativity, originality, traditions, and modernity within the region.

I am Paradise

Edited by Abi King-Jones (DEGANZ) and life member Annie Collins, this short follows Paradise, a young single mother ‘living on the bones of her ass’. With a boyfriend in prison and a mother who neglects her, she finds solace in the two people in the world who love her unconditionally: her children.

Milk

Written, directed, and edited by Board Member Celia Jaspers, this feel-good short celebrates a small act of kindness. When a young girl sees an elderly man unable to pay for his milk, she sacrifices her hard-earned treats at the local dairy to help him out.

The Polycees

Also from Celia, this short is a whimsical adventure of the secret world beneath Parliament. When the new Prime Minister’s daughter is left to explore her dad’s office, she discovers she isn’t alone when she meets the cheeky creature, Spooo.

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DEGANZ Members Sweep Up 2023 NZTVAs

The New Zealand TV Awards (NZTVA) took place on 5 December, celebrating the industry’s achievements from the past year. DEGANZ was thrilled to see so many members’ mahi on productions being recognised in the finalist list, many of which went on to receive awards.

NZ On Air Best Drama

The Gone

Director: Peter Burger (Ep 3 and 6)

Best Comedy

Educators: Season 3, Episode 1

Director: Jesse Griffin

Co-Creator: Jackie van Beek

NZ On Air Best Documentary

No Māori Allowed 

Editor: Cushla Dillion

Co-Producer: Megan Jones

Best Original Reality Series

The Walkers: Season 2 Episode 3

Editor: Huhana Ruri-Panapa

Best Format Reality Series

The Restaurant That Makes Mistakes

Editors: Tibor Riddering and Steven Chow

NZ On Air Best Children’s Programme

Mystic (Season 3)

Director: Peter Burger (Ep 5-8)

 

The Gone, co-directed by Peter Burger (DEGANZ), took home the most awards of the evening, securing a total of five wins. Along with NZ On Air Best Drama, it won the Images & Sound Best Cinematography: Drama / Comedy Drama, the Images & Sound Best Original Score, the Best Costume Design, and the Best Makeup Design awards.

Additionally, both Inky Pinky Ponky and and Educators, directed by DEGANZ members Ramon Te Wake and Jesse Griffin respectively, received acting accolades. Sesilia Pusiaki of Inky Pinky Ponky won Best Supporting Actress, while Rick Donald of Educators earned himself the Best Supporting Actor Award.

Congratulations to all the nominees and winners of the evening!

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Wynn-ing the SPADA New Filmmaker of the Year Award

Congratulations, Harry Wynn (DEGANZ), for winning the Screen Production and Development Association’s (SPADA) 2023 New Filmmaker of the Year Award! SPADA grants this award to honour excellence, talent, and creativity in filmmaking.

Along with the accolade, Harry received $2,500 of development funding and a complimentary registration to next year’s SPADA Conference.

Harry has made a name for himself in the documentary space over the past few years. In 2022, he released Shred, a short about a teenage bodybuilder who takes drastic measures in pursuit of winning his first bodybuilding competition. In the same year, he produced What’s the Disibili-tea, a docu-series profiling young queer people living with disabilities in Aotearoa, directed by DEGANZ board member Justin Scott. His other titles include Young & Hooked on Chemsex, released on TVNZ+, and Three Ticks for Chlöe for the Spinoff.

Harry is currently developing his first feature-length doco with funding from Screen Australia. He also has been selected for the next round of Script to Screen’s development and mentorship programme, FilmUp.

Harry is in good company as fellow member Mia Maramara won the same award for 2021, which she was awarded at the 2022 conference last year.

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You Can Help ‘The Climate Canary’ Sing

Vanessa Wells (DEGANZ) and The Climate Canary team are in the final stretch of post-production and are crowdfunding to help cross the finish line.

The 90-minute documentary highlights three remarkable women from differing generations and their scientific work in Antarctica. Oceanographer Dr Natalie Robinson leads a team of ten scientists on an epic world-first research trip to McMurdo Sound. Jacqui Stuart, a biologist and self-confessed algae geek, is on her first trip to Antarctica. Meanwhile, Emeritus Professor Patricia Langhorne mentors them both from Aotearoa after more than 25 deployments to the Poles. The film asks if meaningful social change is possible and how these women tenaciously hold onto hope. For scientists on the frontline of climate change, their surprisingly refreshing attitudes are raw and heartening.

Vanessa, as director and producer, pitched the film at the Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) in the Central Showcase earlier this year, garnering interest from distributors, agents, and broadcasters.

Now, the team is adding the finishing touches, with its $10,000 stretch goal going directly to animation costs. To make the film’s complex science more accessible, the team is utilising animation to convey it in delightful and comprehensive ways.

Director and producer Vanessa says,

With NZ making some difficult u-turns in the environmental space right now, this documentary feels even more important to finish as soon as possible!

They hope to release the film in 2024.

Find out more about The Climate Canary on the Boosted page HERE!

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Murdie’s Out of This World Boosted Campaign

DEGANZ member Joe Murdie is seeking support on Boosted for his short film, Planet 13.

Set in 2093, the film takes place on a rabidly dying planet, ravaged by human activity, and devoid of natural fuel resources. With the planet on the brink of collapse, a young couple set out on a dangerous journey to secure the scarce resources needed to escape to a new world, where they can, hopefully, start afresh.

Written and to-be-directed by Joe, the film reflects on humanity’s complacency towards the state of the earth, speculating on the idea of a backup planet. The title is even a witty reference to the idea of a ‘Plan B’.

The film aims to appeal to sci-fi lovers, honing in on the dystopian space aesthetic, while also striking a chord with those who are passionate about the climate crisis.

Joe shares,

I’ve always been passionate about the environment and have worked on a number of factual pieces looking at different aspects of human impact on the earth. This film stems from the a idea of if we were too start fresh on a new planet, with our current knowledge and access to technology, etc, would we act differently?

The team is aiming to raise $25,000 to begin principal photography in February 2024. The funds will cover talent, additional crew, location permits, and specialist props, hair, and makeup costs.

Check out the Boosted campaign HERE!

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