Mafile’o Named Woman to Watch at 2026 WIFT Awards

DEGANZ member Vea Mafile’o has been named the recipient of the Hinterland Woman to Watch Award at the 2026 WIFT Awards, held on 12 March in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.

Vea was working overseas at the time of the ceremony, so her son and mother accepted the award on her behalf.

In recognising her achievement, WIFT described Vea as:

[A]n award-winning Tongan filmmaker whose work bridges art, drama, documentary, and social impact. Her dramatic short film Lea Tupu’anga / Mother Tongue was selected from 17,000 submissions for the Sundance Film Festival, while her feature-length documentary For My Father’s Kingdom premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Established in 2004, the WIFT Awards celebrate and support the achievements of women working across film, television, and digital media.

Congratulations to Vea and to all of this year’s finalists and winners.

 

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Exciting Developments for Jonathan & Webby’s ‘Unlikely Kin’

DEGANZ members Mike Jonathan and Kim Webby have had some exciting news for their in-the-works cinematic feature documentary, Unlikely Kin.

The duo recently attended the Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) with the project, which was selected for the FACTory Rough Cut Showcase.

They also received NZFC’s Feature Film Finishing Grant to fund the last stages of post-production.

Co-directed by Mike and Kim, the feature doco focuses on themes of environmental and social justice. It is accompanied by their docu-series, Whales, Rats & Kauri, which is also in the final stages of post-production.

We look forward to seeing both Unlikely Kin and Whales, Rats & Kauri when they are out in the world!

 

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McClymont Makes the Cut for the Short Me Shorts Film Lab

Congratulations to DEGANZ member Liv McClymont for being selected for the 2026 Show Me Shorts Short Film Lab!

The Short Film Lab is a development programme designed to support emerging storytellers as they shape and strengthen their next short film. Over the coming months, Liv and the other selected filmmakers will workshop their projects with mentors and collaborators. At the end of the Lab, two projects will be selected to receive production funding to bring their short films to life.

Liv has been building her portfolio over the past few years with documentaries I Stand for Consent and The Man Outside, and dramedy web series The Sender. She has also been working in the commercial space, directing the 2degrees campaign NOtifications to promote digital well-being and Qantas’ Just the Two of Us ad to highlight flights over the Tasman as a way to connect Kiwis and Aussies.

We look forward to seeing what she develops in the Lab!

 

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DEGANZ Watch List: Chaotic Characters

This week’s DEGANZ Watch List features stories packed with chaotic characters.

First up is the new drama series Crackhead, directed by Emmet Skilton (DEGANZ). You can watch the first four episodes on ThreeNow.

Ahead of its wider theatrical release, the trailer for fellow member Callum Devlin’s feature The Weed Eaters has just dropped. In the lead-up to its nationwide premiere on 30 April, the film’s creative team are hosting a series of Q&A screenings across Aotearoa. You can find screenings near you on Flicks.

Chaos ensues below…

Crackhead

Drama Series

Director: Emmet Skilton

Drug-addicted party-animal Frankie has blown it all up – her inheritance, her relationships, and most recently, her sister’s house. It’s time to go to rehab.

 

The Weed Eaters

Drama Feature

Director: Callum Devlin

When Jules joins her new boyfriend on a New Year’s Eve getaway with his old high school mates, she’s looking to get some peace and quiet, smoke a bit of weed, and make some new friends. But when the holidaymakers stumble across their host’s long-forgotten stash of ancient weed, things quickly take a turn for the nightmarish.

 

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‘Choir Games’ Selected for SeriesFest

DEGANZ member Leanne Pooley‘s four-part docuseries Choir Games has been selected to screen at SeriesFest in May.

Often referred to as the ‘Sundance of TV’ with series like Yellowstone and Mr Robot launching there, SeriesFest is considered one of the top television festivals in the U.S.

This year, Choir Games is one of just eight unscripted programmes in competition. The festival describes the selected documentaries and limited series as projects that “bring real stories to life, celebrating the power of unscripted storytelling that informs, inspires, and captivates audiences.”

Leanne will be travelling to Denver, Colorado, for the festival.

If you still haven’t seen it, Choir Games is available on Neon and Sky Go in Aotearoa now.

 

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