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Netflix’s Boy Swallows Universe swept the AACTA Awards on Friday, February 7, securing six wins and bringing its total tally for the week to 12. The coming-of-age drama claimed Best Miniseries and Best Screenplay in Television for John Collee, while…

This week brought the annual bunfight that is Waitangi Day, a source of pride and prejudice, acknowledged, celebrated or avoided depending on how you feel towards it and what it represents. It is what it has become over the years:…

This 1982 Contact episode takes viewers behind the scenes of one of New Zealand’s most ambitious commercials. The big-budget Crunchie bar ad, masterminded by Colenso Communications and commercials king Geoff Dixon, involved gruelling 12-hour days filming inside the Waitomo Caves.…

Yesterday, we lost David Lynch from this plane of existence, and the world feels a little less weird. Lynch was a singular voice whose work on screen came from some of the most inventive and engaging screenplays I have ever…

Wellington-based Wētā FX has earned two nominations at the BAFTAs for their groundbreaking visual effects work on Better Man and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Better Man, a biopic of Robbie Williams directed by Michael Gracey (The Greatest…

A classic of American literature is being adapted into a Netflix series, starring Florence Pugh, and with parts of New Zealand as its backdrop. The seven-part series East of Eden, based on John Steinbeck’s 1952 novel and set in the Salinas…

Dutch Merrick fought to save his house for hours on Tuesday night and well into Wednesday morning. As one of the wildfires currently ravaging the L.A. area, the Eaton fire, charged toward his neighborhood in Altadena, California, the veteran prop…

Barry Barclay — director of landmark TV series Tangata Whenua and feature film Ngati — was one of the first to bring a Māori perspective to the screen. This feature-length portrait features extensive interviews with Barclay and those who knew…

Screenwest, the Western Australian screen agency, has secured a record-breaking A$10.7m (NZ$11.4m) funding boost for 2024/25, courtesy of the state government’s Lotterywest program. The new allocation surpasses last year’s unprecedented A$9.2m grant and aligns with the state’s strategic focus on…

Whakaata Māori has completed the Wai Whakaata Realignment process, a significant milestone in ensuring long-term sustainability and relevance in a rapidly evolving media environment. “The realignment, guided by our Tātai Whetū principles, is a testament to our unwavering commitment to…

This story was originally published on The Spinoff. Six months after it was called a “blistering” “tour de force” by Australian critics, and nearly a year since The Spinoff declared it the best drama New Zealand has ever made, After…