Garth Maxwell’s Jack Be Nimble Available in 4K

A restored 4K version of DEGANZ member Garth Maxwell’s 1993 film Jack Be Nimble is now available for download, rental or purchase, from the NZ Film On Demand platform.

Hailed by the Museum of Modern Art this year as “A lost classic in the canon of gendered horror”, Jack Be Nimble follows Jack and Dora, abandoned by their parents as babies, who are desperate to find each other after years of adoption. Jack’s young life has been spent with a sadistic family. Dora, whose life has been somewhat better, has developed extra-sensory powers which tell her that Jack’s in danger and drives her to search for him.

The film stars American actor Alexis Arquette and New Zealand actor Sarah Smuts-Kennedy. It includes one of the final movie appearances of the legendary British/New Zealand actor and musician Bruno Lawrence.

In addition to the restored 4K version on the NZ Film On Demand website, people can watch an interview with Garth and film critic Dominic Corry as they discuss the genesis and evolution of the film. A twenty minute clip of Garth talking about art, influences and how the digitisation of Jack Be Nimble came to fruition is also available to watch.

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Events and Marketing Role

The Directors and Editors Guild of Aotearoa New Zealand seeks an Events & Marketing person in Auckland for 30 hours per week, which can include weekends from time to time. The ideal candidate will be a pro-active, self-starter who:

• has strong written/communication skills
• is a highly organised planner
• has competency in marketing, including with social media channels
• knows Word, Excel and online software, such as Dropbox and OneDrive
• possesses financial management skills
• has basic design skills

Screen sector knowledge is a positive.

Responsibilities include the planning, marketing and implementation of our professional development events programme, newsletter publishing, and general and membership administration duties.

This position suits someone seeking income and flexibility in a stimulating and exciting industry. To apply, please forward a letter and CV by 14 October to tui@deganz.co.nz.

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Short Film For Thom Hopes to Shed Light on Youth Issue

DEGANZ member Rafa Yam is passionate about helping raise awareness on Aotearoa’s youth suicide rate, one of the highest in the world, through his short film, For Thom. While he and his team acknowledge the topic can be confronting, the short is ultimately about hope with light at the end of the tunnel.

“I want to make this film so others don’t have to resort to what my friends did, and so no one has to feel the grief and guilt I felt for not being there for them sooner,” writes Rafa. “This film is about the value of checking up on the people you love most in this world and how no one is every truly alone.”

The young writer/director originally from the Philippines is currently crowdfunding for post production on Kickstarter. While budget is a challenge, Rafa has a great team surrounding him. This includes the likes of Catherine Fitzgerald (Executive Producer), Prashanth Gunasekaran (Producer), Kelly Chen (DOP) and fellow DEGANZ member Guillaume Arnoulet (Editor). The funds raised will allow them to collaborate and develop an ongoing relationship with post house POW Studios in Wellington.

For Thom is about a lonely teenage girl who tries reconnecting with her best friend in an attempt to repair her fragile mental state. This is the second short film Rafa is working on based on a feature script that he hopes to make one day. His first short film, Last Call, was a 5-minute winning entry for The Someday Challenge.

The team is filming from September 30 to October 2. Their Kickstarter campaign runs until October 16.

Kickstarter Campaign

For Thom Instagram

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Series Big Hair, Don’t Care Premieres Tonight

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From member Mīria George, one of this year’s participants in the Emerging Women Filmmakers Incubator, comes Big Hair, Don’t Care, a documentary web series. Its three episodes will be free to stream on Moana Nui, a specialist Indigenous-led digital theatre built by Shift72. The first episode premieres tonight.

Big Hair, Don’t Care contributes to documenting the creative work of women across the stage and screen landscape. It features multiple award-winning stage and screen artists: Riwia Brown (Ngāti Porou, Taranaki Whānui), DEGANZ member Dianna Fuemana (Mutalau, Niue; Pago Pago, American Samoa), Sarita Keo Kossamak So (Khmer, Aotearoa) and Moana Ete (Ngāti Wheke, Ngāti Whatua Ōrakei & Lalomalava, Savai’i, Sāmoa).

It is created and directed by Mīria George (Ngāti Kearoa, Ngāti Tuarā, Te Arawa; Te Tawera, Ngāti Awa; Tumutevarovaro; Enuamanu; Kūki ‘Āirani). Wellington-based editors Timon Zeiss and Erin Murphy cut the series, which was filmed in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington in February 2020.

What began as a performance installation presented first in Hilo, Hawai’i, and then later in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Aotearoa, in 2017, soon evolved away from the live – and in the digital. The series looks to share kōrero of equity and visibility for wāhine Māori, va’ine Pasifika and wāhine tauiwi while addressing systemic issues throughout the stage and screen industry.

Enjoy Big Hair, Don’t Care for free on Moana Nui until 22 January 2023.

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Guild Members Craft Murder on The Brokenwood Mysteries Season 8

The eighth season of hit series The Brokenwood Mysteries is available to stream on TVNZ+. The season finale aired on TVNZ One last Sunday on September 11. Well done to DEGANZ members Josh Frizzell, Jacqueline Nairn, Caroline Bell-Booth and Kerri Roggio who were involved in the making of this season.

Josh Frizzell directed episode one, Jacqueline Nairn directed episode three, and Caroline Bell-Booth directed episode five. The fourth episode was edited by Kerri Roggio. Each episode is a 2-hour telefeature.

The series – often dubbed New Zealand’s answer to Britain’s Midsomer Murders – follows police detectives Mike Shepherd (Neill Rea), Kristin Sims (Fern Sutherland) and Daniel Chalmers (Jarod Rawiri) as they solve often bizarre murders in the small, but deadly, town of Brokenwood.

The Brokenwood Mysteries is still one of the most popular murder mysteries streaming on Acorn TV in the United States and the United Kingdom and boasts fan bases in France, Denmark, Italy and Australia.

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