ShowNews

Beyond Improv, Wellington
2024-03-23
The word “improv” has come to define a style, a tone, a genre. Let’s move beyond that word and investigate the tools available to an actor looking to create something new, whether the words are written down for them or not. This active, fast-paced workshop is about acknowledging your creative agency and learning to “write” using tools specific to the actor: action, games, and the endless surprise of your scene partners.
Led by actor, director, and teacher, Jonathan Price

Casting Intensive with Anousha Zarkesh 1, application deadline
2024-03-21
Equity Foundation NZ is thrilled to be bringing the renowned Australian casting director Anousha Zarkesh to Aotearoa for one weekend of work with Equity NZ members.
If you are selected (there are very limited spots) you will spend one day in an intimate setting with Anousha, learning from the notes she gives you and your peers. You will need to prepare one scene. There will be opportunity at the beginning and the end of day for Q&A.
The event runs Saturday 6 April in Auckland.

Specialty: campaign closes
2024-03-21
James Ladanyi’s Specialty – is a Wellington-set doco series about the city’s dozens of roasteries, hundreds of cafes serving specialty coffee, and thousands of people partaking in the ritual of daily consumption.
This four-part documentary series will explore Wellington coffee genesis, its history, and its present-day culture.

Casting Intensive with Anousha Zarkesh 2, application deadline
2024-03-21
Equity Foundation NZ is thrilled to be bringing the renowned Australian casting director Anousha Zarkesh to Aotearoa for one weekend of work with Equity NZ members.
If you are selected (there are very limited spots) you will spend one day in an intimate setting with Anousha, learning from the notes she gives you and your peers. You will need to prepare one scene. There will be opportunity at the beginning and the end of day for Q&A.
The event runs Sunday 7 April in Auckland.

Maoriland Film Festival
2024-03-20 - 2024-03-24
Each March the Indigenous world comes together in Ōtaki, Aotearoa (New Zealand) to celebrate Indigenous screen storytelling at Māoriland Film Festival, the largest Indigenous film festival in the Southern Hemisphere.
Located on New Zealand’s Kāpiti Coast, Ōtaki is a vibrant seaside town where Māori culture and language thrives. Māoriland is celebrated for its manaakitanga and community spirit. It is a place where creatives come to heal.

Screen Forever 2024
2024-03-19 - 2024-03-21
Uniting the pillars of entertainment, media and technology, SCREEN FOREVER is one of the largest congregations of screen industry professionals in the Southern Hemisphere and attended by The Who’s Who in Australian screen business – the leading Australian and international industry practitioners involved in all aspects of producing, creating, writing, directing, distributing and financing screen content across film, television, games, interactive and online.

Queer Producers Incubator, application deadline
2024-03-19
The Queer Producers Incubator is a two-day intensive workshop taking place on Fri 9th and Sat 10th May in Tāmaki Makaurau. The workshop will support and upskill 5 emerging queer identifying producers who have at least one project in development.
Sessions from guest speakers will be tailored to the group and include the following topics:
– Supporting a team through story development
– Upskilling in pitching, funding and financing
– Creating safe spaces in development, production, and marketing.
After the workshop, the 5 participants will receive mentoring in the form of 2 x 1 hour Zoom sessions with a producer mentor, to be completed by the end of June 2024.
The aim is to upskill queer producers, offering tailored support and a network of peers as they progress further in their careers.

Queer Producers Incubator: application deadline
2024-03-19
The Queer Producers Incubator is a two-day intensive workshop taking place on Fri 10th and Sat 11th May in Tāmaki Makaurau. The workshop will support and upskill 5 emerging queer identifying producers who have at least one project in development.
Sessions from guest speakers will be tailored to the group and include the following topics:
– Supporting a team through story development
– Upskilling in pitching, funding and financing
– Creating safe spaces in development, production, and marketing.
After the workshop, the 5 participants will receive mentoring in the form of 2 x 1 hour Zoom sessions with a producer mentor, to be completed by the end of June 2024.
The aim is to upskill queer producers, offering tailored support and a network of peers as they progress further in their careers.

Applications close 19 March.

Vista 48Hours, registration period
2024-03-18 - 2024-05-15
To compete in the 48Hours you need to register a team in your local region. Teams can be any size. We’ve had solo operators and teams of over twenty. You can be an industry veteran or have never made a film before, the competition is open to everyone.
Earlybird registrations run March 18 – April 17 – $199 per team.
Full registrations run April 18 – May 15 – $260 per team.
The shoot weekend is May 17 – 19.

Beyond Improv, Christchurch, application deadline
2024-03-18
The word “improv” has come to define a style, a tone, a genre. Let’s move beyond that word and investigate the tools available to an actor looking to create something new, whether the words are written down for them or not. This active, fast-paced workshop is about acknowledging your creative agency and learning to “write” using tools specific to the actor: action, games, and the endless surprise of your scene partners.
Led by actor, director, and teacher, Jonathan Price
Workshop runs 24 March in Christchurch
Applications Close 18 March

Beyond Improv, Wellington, application deadline
2024-03-18
The word “improv” has come to define a style, a tone, a genre. Let’s move beyond that word and investigate the tools available to an actor looking to create something new, whether the words are written down for them or not. This active, fast-paced workshop is about acknowledging your creative agency and learning to “write” using tools specific to the actor: action, games, and the endless surprise of your scene partners.
Led by actor, director, and teacher, Jonathan Price
The workshop runs 23 March in Wellington
Applications Close 18 March

Southern Pilots – applications close
2024-03-18
Script to Screen, in partnership with Film Otago Southland, launches an exciting new development opportunity called Southern Pilots, for Otago and Southland based screen creators.
Script to Screen and Film Otago Southland are looking for new and emerging filmmakers with compelling, bold series story ideas suitable for development and viable for future production. Southern Pilots offers both talent and project development for three teams. The teams will have one-on-one advisor sessions and hear from industry speakers over a three-day development workshop, which aims to create outstanding pitch documents to present to potential producer partners and funders.

PISA Writers Room
2024-03-16
PISA’s Writers Room in Wellington will be led by accomplished academic and filmmaker Marina McCartney (Milk & Honey, Vai, My Life is Murder).
This Writer’s Room will be focusing on Short Films – Story Creation and Loglines.
Free, but registration required.

Wellington Animation Festival
2024-03-15 - 2024-03-16
The Wellington International Animation Film Festival is brought to you by C.A.F.E, teaming up with the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and the French Embassy of New Zealand, and running at Wellington’s Roxy Cinema for two days of animated awesomeness!
The Wellington Animation Film Festival brings you the best new animated films from around the world. Whether you’re an adult or part of a family, our carefully chosen programs offer something for everyone.

Short Film Otago, application deadline
2024-03-14 08:00 - 17:00 (Pacific/Auckland)
Short Film Otago provides script-to-screen funding and development support for emerging Otago based filmmakers and screenwriters.
To make an application, go here.

The Director-Cinematographer Relationship
2024-03-12 18:30 - 20:30
Join us in Auckland for a conversation about the inner workings of the director-cinematographer relationship.
Venezuelan cinematographer and director based in Los Angeles Carlos Gonzalez is in New Zealand to film Zombies 4: Day and Night and will present about his experience and viewpoint on the director-cinematographer relationship.
Some of the topics covered will include how the cinematographer can best help a director in the episodic environment, how can the director successfully integrate into an ongoing production, how to work with the cinematographer for that purpose and we will also discuss the director/cinematographer relationship in television compared to on a feature film.
Runs at Department of Post, Auckland

Kinetic
2024-03-12 18:30 - 20:30
A new series of events for the MDGA, Kinetic looks to give experienced motion designers the chance to share their knowledge and process with the community. Our 3 speakers from across the spectrum of motion disciplines will share their insights, experiences, and the secrets behind their captivating work. We’ll explore the latest trends and innovations in motion design, and you’ll have the chance to delve into some awesome motion design projects.
The event runs at Studio One, Ponsonby Road, Auckland

Don McGlashan, A Life in Music, campaign closing
2024-03-10
Shirley Horrocks is raising funds to make the first documentary feature about an iconic Kiwi songwriter, Don McGlashan, A Life in Music. Over a brilliant 40 year career, Don has won many accolades for his song writing, including winning the prestigious APRA Silver Scrolls twice, and more recently being inducted into the NZ Music Hall of Fame.
Don has scored more than a dozen feature films and five TV series including Jane Campion’s An Angel At My Table, and most recently has been collaborating again with his long-time friend and creative partner Harry Sinclair (The Front Lawn) on the BAFTA-nominated hit NZ kids series Kiri & Lou.

Pitchfest - submission deadline
2024-03-02
Pitchfest is hosted by Wellington’s Floating Rock Studio.
In 2022, they received an investment by Hillfarrance and are using that money to invest in YOU, the creator, of your upcoming animated film or TV series.
We’re here to support you and your vision with $100,000 to build a pitch, then present to buyers!

The House Within, campaign closes
2024-03-01
Joshua Prendeville’s The House Within is a feature length documentary film on the internationally celebrated New Zealand writer Fiona Kidman. It examines the way in which life and fiction collide and how, with time, they become inescapably braided together.
The film paints an intimate portrait of Fiona’s fascinating and often tumultuous life. It probes the inner world of a truly maverick writer who has overcome innumerable obstacles to establish her voice, and place, in the world of literature on a global scale.

Pre-Production Processes
2024-02-29 18:30 - 20:30
A casual show-and-tell event with acclaimed director of photography, Stefan Duscio, where you can ask questions and learn about various pre-production approaches.
In New Zealand to shoot Wolfman, Australian cinematographer Stefan will share his pre-production processes across projects such as The Invisible Man, The Dry and Shantaram.
Stefan will share invaluable insights and comparisons of his varied approaches to different scenes, breaking down how he created certain sequences and walking us through them using clips, diagrams, and behind-the-scenes images.
Runs at Department of Post, Auckland

WIFT Awards
2024-02-29
The WIFT NZ Awards is an event designed to celebrate the achievements of women in the industry, provide a special networking opportunity, and act as a source of fundraising for the ongoing work of the organisation. It has become renowned for quality, affordability and great celebration and fun.

Doc Edge Pitch: final deadline
2024-02-28
In 2024, Doc Edge Pitch’s theme is “Truth, Impact and Reconciliation”.
We are looking for New Zealand and international projects in the following formats:
• Feature theatrical or TV one-off
• Series (web or TV)
• Immersive (VR, AR, and XR) with an accompanying short or long form documentary
Selected projects will join our whanau (family) and go through a series of workshops on pitching presentation and coaching from mentors as well as post-pitch follow-ups.

ShowNews Academy - Paris, Texas.
2024-02-27 19:00 - 22:00 | Academy Cinema, 44 Lorne St, Auckland, New Zealand
Each month ShowNews presents a film at Academy Cinemas picked by a special film industry guest. For February, film director Tony Forster has chosen one of master director Wim Wenders’ (PERFECT DAYS, WINGS OF DESIRE) best films: PARIS, TEXAS!
Tickets only $10!
Happy Hour drinks from 7pm.
Screening 8:15pm.
147 mins | Rated PG | Drama
Directed by Wim Wenders | Starring Aurore Clément, Harry Dean Stanton, Nastassja Kinski, Dean Stockwell, Hunter Carson
New German Cinema pioneer Wim Wenders (WINGS OF DESIRE) brings his keen eye for landscape to the American Southwest in PARIS, TEXAS, a profoundly moving character study written by Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Sam Shepard.
‘PARIS, TEXAS follows the mysterious, nearly mute drifter Travis (a magnificent Harry Dean Stanton, whose face is a landscape all its own) as he tries to reconnect with his young son, living with his brother (Dean Stockwell) in Los Angeles, and his missing wife (Nastassja Kinski). From this simple setup, Wenders and Shepard produce a powerful statement on codes of masculinity and the myth of the American family, as well as an exquisite visual exploration of a vast, crumbling world of canyons and neon.’

PleasureDora, campaign closing
2024-02-25
Fundraising for Marion Prebble’s sci-fi short, PleasureDora, about a glitchy sex-bot at the end of her shelf life
The Boosted campaign closes 25 Feb

Show Me Short Screenwriting Lab
2024-02-24 08:00 - 17:00
The Show Me Shorts Screenwriting Lab is a hothouse mentoring scheme for screenwriters and aspiring screenwriters to workshop new ideas for short films

DDN Hui
2024-02-24
Equity is excited to welcome all our deaf, disabled and neurodiverse (DDN) members and friends from the wider performing community to a facilitated hui in Auckland on the 24 Feb.
Register here

Table Read 1
2024-02-24
A professional Table Read is an invaluable development tool for screenwriters. Don’t under-estimate the value of hearing your script in a performance situation. You get to hear how the timing, structure and dialogue are working.
You get to have a detailed discussion with the actors and director after the Read, to hear their feedback and thoughts on how they felt the story worked, how their character progressed, and so much more.
To get your script into the draw simply email it to GuildHQ@nzwritersguild.org.nz now!
Actors who are keen to take part click HERE to register your name.

Syncposium
2024-02-23 - 2024-02-24
The Aotearoa Syncposium is back for 2024! A two day conference on the 23rd and 24th February with the world’s biggest industry leaders in music made for film, television, video games, ads and more. Featuring over 15 panels, keynote speakers, breakout rooms, meet-ups and more.
The first two in-person keynote speakers have been announced:
Pasek and Paul (Grammy, Tony & Academy Award Winning Songwriters: LalaLand & The Greatest Showman)
Darren Higman (EVP Music Warner Bros Studios upcoming projects include The Color Purple musical and Minecraft)
The conference will also be followed by a workshop at Roundhead Studios on the 25th February. The workshop is by application only and will feature specific intensive workshops catering to different areas of the sync industry. Participants will have the opportunity to write, record and submit music to briefs, participate in a songwriting workshop with Pasek and Paul, as well as a cover songs workshop with international publishers.

Picture 24 – application deadline
2024-02-23
PICTURE is a unique learning opportunity for filmmakers. In a series of hands-on workshops, you’ll learn the art and science of marketing and releasing a film.
You’ll work with experts in distribution, exhibition, sales, marketing, design, impact producing, publicity and festival strategy. With their advice, you’ll develop a clever, practical plan for the release of your next film. You will finish the course with a detailed Distribution and Marketing plan.
You’ll also learn how to persuasively pitch your film through practice pitches with detailed, constructive feedback that will guide you to the best possible version of your story. We’ll start with a pitching session designed to finesse your pitch. Most weeks, you will pitch your film to each expert guest.
Picture ’24 will be delivered via a series of 9 three-hour Sunday morning workshops (in person in Auckland and over zoom) on the following dates: 24 March, 14 April, 21 April, 5 May, 26 May, 9 June, 16 June, 7 July, 28 July.
Applications close Friday, 23 February 2024 at 5.00pm
Participants apply here
Observers apply here
