Early Selections for NZ Web Fest

Each month during its submission period, NZ Web Fest announces a few early selections. This year six DEGANZ members’ projects have already been selected to play during the festival’s run this November.

NZ Web Fest is an annual festival celebrating international online content, including podcasts, short films, and web series. This year marks the festival’s 24th run.

The Balloon

Short Film (Narrative)

On her birthday, an earnest, young girl finds unexpected solace when her mother seemingly fails to make any plans.

Writer/Director: James Fink-Jensen

The Creature

Web Series (Narrative)

Stuck in the online dating rut of endlessly swiping with no results, Aidan is ecstatic when he matches with his ‘dream man’. However, to leave for his date, Aidan must face the perturbed Creature lurking in the shadows of his home.

Writer/Director: Jake Tabata

Producer: Isabelle (Izzi) Hoskyn

Well Well Wellness

Web Series (Narrative)

A comedy web series that follows a silent retreat run by some well-meaning but hopeless wellness gurus. It follows the bumbling owners trying to save their haven, the mystic teachers who aren’t as deep as they seem, and the assorted mix of weird, wonderful, and worrisome retreatants who come to stay, find peace, or otherwise.

Director: Jack Nicol

TE ARA the Path

Web Series (Factual)

Holly Beckham (Ngāpuhi) is on a mission to be the first Māori woman to scale Everest. She has no alpine experience, but she has survived the depths of addiction and is climbing a mountain to recovery. Back in 1988, New Zealand’s Lydia Bradey, ONZM, was the first woman to climb Everest without supplemental oxygen. But instead of accolades, she became the subject of public bullying and misinformation, as people challenged her claims.

Together these two ‘wāhine toa’ (warrior women) venture into New Zealand’s mountains, developing a deep partnership of trust, honesty and grit as they attempt to summit Holly’s first peak, the iconic Tititea, Mt Aspiring.

Director: Alexis Smith

The Turning Point

Web Series (Factual)

The Turning Point follows a new generation of kaitiaki who value the well-being of their whenua. From north to south, they’re helping their communities protect and connect with Aotearoa’s natural environment despite the very real anxieties of the climate crisis.  They have only one thing on their minds: to make a difference!

Director: Steph Miller

 

Congrats to the selected projects!

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‘Lea Tupu’anga / Mother Tongue’ Continues its Festival Run in Palm Springs

Lea Tupu’anga / Mother Tongue, directed by DEGANZ member Vea Mafile’o, has been selected for the Palm Springs International Film Society’s ShortFest 2024 and is in competition for Best International Short.

The film will screen in the Communication Breakdowns programme, highlighting films where misunderstandings change the trajectory of conversations, relationships, and lives. In Lea Tupu’anga / Mother Tongue, a young speech therapist disconnected from her Tongan heritage lies about her Tongan language skills to get a job. Out of her depth, she must find a way to communicate or risk her patient’s life.

ShortFest is an Academy Award, BAFTA, and Goya qualifying festival and is one of North America’s largest short film showcases. Each year, the competitive festival takes place alongside its Short Film Market and Forum, allowing films and filmmakers the opportunity to take the next step.

This selection follows the film’s international premiere at Sundance’s International Short Film Competition in January 2024 and its current run at Sydney Film Festival.

Congratulations Vea and the team!

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‘Anu’ Available to Watch on MUBI

DEGANZ member Pulkit Arora‘s short film Anu is now available to watch on MUBI.

The film offers a unique perspective on grief, following a recent widow as she immigrates to Aotearoa and quarantines in managed isolation. Mubi describes Anu as “a tale of love from another era” and a “bittersweet portrait of companionship, mourning, and faith.”

Anu has had a successful festival run, winning the Audience and Creative Emerging Talent Awards at the New Zealand International Film Festival in 2023. It went on to screen and garner further awards at the Melbourne International Film Festival, Kaohsiung Film Festival, Bolton Film Festival, Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, and 16 others. The short also fetched actor Prabha Ravi the Best Actor Award at the 2023 Show Me Shorts, with nominations in three other categories.

MUBI is a streaming service, curator, publisher, and distributor, providing a global platform for cinema lovers to discover ambitious films by visionary filmmakers.

When asked about the news, Pulkit shared with DEGANZ,

I’m delighted to have the film find a larger audience, but even more delighted to stop having to constantly talk about it. If you liked it, please tell other people to watch it. If you don’t like talking to other people, just rate us on Letterboxd.

It is great to see DEGANZ members’ mahi platformed on a global scale. Congratulations to Pulkit, producer Rachel Fawcett, and the rest of the team!

You can find Anu on MUBI here.

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Hunt Makes the Cut for New Script to Screen and Film Otago Development Initiative

DEGANZ member and 2020 Incubator alum Pennie Hunt has been selected for Script to Screen and Film Otago Southland’s new development initiative, Southern Pilots.

Pennie and the team of Dog Town are one of three teams selected for the programme. Pennie and Kathryn van Beek co-wrote the series, with Pennie set to direct and Rebecca Rowe as producer.

Southern Pilots is a regional scripted series programme for Otago and Southland-based filmmakers, offering both talent and project development. It aims to help creatives generate IP for local and international audiences, increase activity in both regions, and foster a strong creative network of screen practitioners.

Congratulations, Pennie!

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‘Poppy’ wins the Cannes Écrans Seniors

Poppy, edited by Jonno Woodford-Robinson (DEGANZ), has won the 2024 Cannes Écrans Seniors competition.

The feature follows Poppy Simpson, a young woman with Down Syndrome who refuses to be defined by disability and takes control of her own life. Her ambition to become a motor mechanic is stalled when her brother inherits the family garage business, preventing her from taking the apprenticeship promised to her by her late father. She then teams up with a friend from school who needs his car fixed to progress her plans.

Cannes Écrans Seniors is an annual film competition by the city of Cannes in collaboration with Cannes Cinéma. Poppy screened in a showcase highlighting films from Aotearoa and Australia and received the award from a jury of cinephiles headed by French director Emmanuelle Dubergey.

This accolade is another on the film’s long list of awards and festival screenings. Congratulations to Jonno and the team!

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