‘Tinā’ Breaks Records and Joins Aotearoa NZ Film History

Tinā is the gift that keeps on giving! The feature, edited by Luke Haigh (DEGANZ), has cemented itself in Aotearoa’s film history, securing the fifth spot on the Top Ten Most Successful Kiwi Films list, just overtaking Whale Rider.

    1. Hunt For the Wilderpeople (2016) – $12,207,699
    2. Boy (2010) – $9,322,000
    3. The World’s Fastest Indian (2005) – $7,059,147
    4. Once Were Warriors (1994) – $6,801,471
    5. Tinā (2025) – $6,498,469  
    6. Whale Rider (2003) – $6,496,371
    7. Sione’s Wedding (2006) – $4,075,000
    8. What Becomes of the Broken Hearted (1999) – $3,201,000
    9. What We Do in the Shadows (2014) – $2,595,000
    10. Footrot Flats (1986) – $2,400,000

Tinā had one of the widest releases for a local film, reaching 132 locations. Its debut set a solid precedent, breaking the third-highest opening week of all time for a local film, just behind Hunt for the Wilderpeople and Sione’s 2: Unfinished Business.

NZ Film Commission CEO, Annie Murray, comments on the success:

Breaking into the top five most successful New Zealand films of all time, and surpassing a beloved classic like Whale Rider, is no small feat. Tinā’s success in Aotearoa, combined with cinematic release in Australia and the United States, proves a distinctly local story can resonate globally. Its themes of grief, community, hope, and love speak to the human condition. Crucially, Tinā also shows that commercial and critical success are not mutually exclusive. When we invest in stories that speak to who we are, audiences show up in force.

It’s been thrilling watching the film’s success. Congratulations to Luke and the team!

 

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‘Feelings Club’ Seeks a Boost

DEGANZ member Taylor Nixon is crowdfunding for his dramedy short-form web series, Feelings Club.

Set in the harshest school in Aotearoa, new kid Toby and art teacher Ms. Evans team up to start a secret support group hidden inside a dusty old storage room. Suddenly, it’s the only place where students can talk about what’s really going on in their lives.

Taylor and the team behind the project hope that Feelings Club will show younger audiences that feelings are for feeling, not hiding.

So far, the production is supported by The School Uniform Co. and mental health organisations Voices of Hope and the Ministry of Health NZ. Now they are looking to raise $30,000 to make season one to release on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. The funds raised will allow the show to be made at a professional standard and to pay the cast and crew.

Find out more and support the production on their Boosted page.

 

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Stappard’s ‘Mārama’ set to Premiere at Toronto International Film Festival

DEGANZ member Taratoa Stappard‘s debut feature film Mārama is celebrating its world premiere at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) as part of the Discovery programme.

Mārama is a Māori gothic and tells the story of a young woman’s fight to reclaim her identity and indigenous culture in Victorian-era Britain. TIFF describes it as “A bold, unsettling gothic tale of identity, memory, and colonial reckoning.”

The film was developed with the support of NZFC through TIFF’s industry initiatives, alongside imagineNATIVE, The Black List, the Zurich Film Festival, and the Nerlinale Co-Production Market.

In the NZFC press release, Taratoa said,

To share my first feature with international audiences in the Discovery programme at TIFF is a huge honour. Mārama is my Māori gothic love letter to our whenua, our tīpuna and the stories that live in the shadows.

TIFF is one of the world’s highest-regarded film festivals, and the Discovery Programme is a leading showcase for emerging cinematic directors, launching many careers. This year, 23 films from over 30 countries are screening in the programme.

Congratulations to Taratoa on the impressive selection!

 

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‘Let’s Settle This’ Wins Audiences’ Hearts at Fantasia

Congratulations to Jack Woon (DEGANZ) and the team behind Let’s Settle This for winning the Audience Award for Best International Short Film at Fantasia in Montreal.

Written, directed, and edited by Jack, the short blends modern romance, kung fu, and diasporic Chinese identity. When two kung fu masters meet via a dating app for dinner, they must settle the bill and an ancient blood feud.

The film premiered at the Bucheon International Film Festival in South Korea and recently screened in Tāmaki Makaurau as part of Whānau Mārama’s NZ’s Best short film programme. It will be travelling across the motu as part of the festival if you are keen to check out the action-packed dinner date.

 

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DEGANZ Members Selected for the RNZ PASC PISA Development Fund

RNZ, in partnership with the Pan-Asian Screen Collective (PASC) and the Pacific Islands Screen Artists (PISA), have selected two projects with DEGANZ members at the helm to receive development support through the RNZ PASC PISA Development Fund.

The development fund launched in early 2025 to address the systemic underrepresentation of Asian and Pacific creatives in the local screen industry. A panel of experienced practitioners and cultural advisors selected four projects from each representative group to receive $20,000 for development each. The fund will allow the producers to further develop the projects and prepare production funding proposals, with RNZ as the supporting platform.

Check out the selected projects’ titles and associated DEGANZ members below.

Congratulations, Michelle and Mia!

 

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