DEGANZ Watch List: Day One Shorts, New Series, and Trailers
Check out this very full DEGANZ Watchlist with Day One Shorts, new series, and trailers for soon-to-be-released projects!
DEGANZ members Giselle Ilaoa, Angel Kameta, Lee Li, and Shamin Yazdani celebrate the online premiere of their Day One Shorts after two packed screenings during Show Me Shorts.
If you’re looking for something new to watch at home, The Ridge, a Kiwi/Scottish co-production crime drama directed by Robyn Grace (DEGANZ), is releasing weekly on Sky Go and Neon. If you’re more of a sports fan, you’ll be interested in Triple Threat, a factual web series covering the highs and lows of three Black Ferns.
Meanwhile, trailers dropped for projects from DEGANZ Board President Ben Powdrell and fellow member Taratoa Stappard. Ben’s comedy animated series, Bloke of the Apolocalypse, is coming to YouTube on 31 October. We have to wait a little longer for Taratoa’s highly anticipated directorial debut, Mārama, set to hit local cinemas in early 2026.
Day One Shorts
O Alofa Nei, O Alofa Nā (Love Me, Love You)
Drama
Writer/Director: Giselle Ilaoa
Manaia, a young woman caught between expectation and self-acceptance, finds herself confronting her repressed sexuality when a chance reunion with her first love stirs old feelings.
Ata Pūao
Drama
Producer: Angel Kameta
Amid the nightlife of a new city, a young Māori trans woman reckons with safety, isolation, and the fragile bonds of old friendships outgrown — as the promise of belonging rises just beyond the horizon.
Fearlessli
Documentary
Writer/Director: Lee Li
Producer & Editor: Tyler Redmond
After her gender identity was denied in her homeland, Lee Li, a transgender asylum seeker, embarks on a journey toward belonging, freedom, and self-empowerment.
Frozen – My Eggs and Me
Documentary
Writer/Director/Co-Producer: Shamin Yazdani
Single and with a mid-thirties birthday approaching, Shamin confronts the question she’s long been avoiding: should she freeze her eggs? Born in Iran, raised in Ōtautahi Christchurch, and having spent her twenties overseas, Shamin uses her own story to unpack what at first seems like a simple decision. However, as she embarks on this deeply personal journey, the question of motherhood reveals itself to be intertwined with something much bigger: her identity as the daughter of Iranian immigrants.
Series
The Ridge
Drama Series
Directors: Robyn Grace and Douglas Mackinnon
Leaving a life in tatters in Scotland, Mia travels to New Zealand for her sister’s wedding. On arrival, she’s shocked to learn her sister has died. Determined to uncover the truth, Mia becomes entangled in a small town’s web of secrets and lies.
Triple Threat
Factual Series
Editors: Josie Haines, Jake Tattershall, and Isaac Stati
3 BLACK FERNS rookies fight for their FIRST Women’s Rugby World Cup spot! Follow Jorja Miller, Maia Joseph, and Katelyn Vahaakolo as they chase their dreams of making New Zealand’s elite squad heading to the UK. This behind-the-scenes journey reveals the intense pressure, gruelling training, and personal sacrifices these talented athletes face during the rigorous selection process. Will they make the cut for rugby’s biggest stage?
Trailers
Bloke of the Apocalypse
Animated Series
Producer: Ben Powdrell
In the rural back blocks of New Zealand, a father and son battle a zombie apocalypse and some annoying neighbours, all while taking care of their pet lamb, Lambie.
Mārama
Feature Drama
Director: Taratoa Stappard
1859. When a young Māori woman is summoned from New Zealand to North Yorkshire, she uncovers the horrific truth of her colonial heritage, and she must destroy the titled Englishman who has devastated her family. In cinemas across Aotearoa from 12 February 2026.
