News

Editor Jesse Dixon: How I Got Started in the Industry

I didn’t always want to be an editor. I loved film and the moving image, but I was put off by the big crews and the “art by committee” feel of it all. Like many artsy teens, I thought I was a revolutionary artist with something profound…
Read more

The Best of Ngā Whanaunga: NZ’s Best

DEGANZ members scooped up multiple awards at this year's awards ceremony for Ngā Whanaunga: Aotearoa New Zealand's Best! The jury awarded Ira Hetaraka's Womb the competition's top prize, the Umbrella Best Short Film Award. Growing Still,…
Read more

Awarau Premieres His Fourth Short Film of 2025

DEGANZ member Aroha Awarau has had a busy year, releasing four short films in 2025. His latest, Faded, premiered at the Worldwide Smartphone Film Festival in Australia on 16 August. Faded is a two-minute documentary delivering a bold commentary…
Read more

‘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. …
Read more

‘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…
Read more
View from the Top banner

The Pursuit of Passion

Last night I participated in the first of three sessions of the NZFC-supported Animation Matchmaking Series, put together by ourselves, the Visual Effects Guild and the Writers Guild. One hundred and ten people turned out for the evening.…
Read more

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…
Read more

‘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,…
Read more

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…
Read more

DEGANZ Watch List: Addressing Aotearoa’s Hard Conversations

,
The projects in this week's DEGANZ Watch List address some of Aotearoa's hard conversations, including patriarchy and systemic racism. DEGANZ member Stella Reid directed the punk rock band Dick Move's latest music video, titled F*ck It. Edited…
Read more

A Kōrero with Colourist Damian McDonnell

,
DEGANZ’s Izzi Hoskyn sat down with award-winning Colourist Damian McDonnell to take a peek behind the curtain of the craft of colour grading. Damian has over twenty years’ experience as a colourist and editor in both Hollywood and Aotearoa.…
Read more

Seven New Zealand Directors Set to Attend the 2025 MIFF Accelerator Lab

DEGANZ is thrilled to announce the Aotearoa New Zealand directors attending the 2025 Melbourne International Film Festival’s (MIFF) Accelerator Lab. Ira Hetaraka, Lucy Suess, and Raymond Edwards have been selected by MIFF to attend the…
Read more

DEGANZ Members’ Works Screening at MIFF

Congratulations to the DEGANZ members whose films have been selected for the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF)! Marlon Williams: Two Worlds - Ngā Ao E Rua, edited by Josh Yong (DEGANZ), is screening as part of the Music on Film…
Read more

‘A Dog’s Show’ Returns to Local Screens

DEGANZ members Alex Galvin and Celia Jaspers are bringing beloved TV series A Dog's Show back to local screens in a new family feature film. Set in 1970s rural Aotearoa, A Dog’s Show tells the story of a disillusioned former sheepdog…
Read more

Feel-Good Feature ‘Tinā’ Set to Release Nationwide in the US

Feel-good feature Tinā, edited by Luke Haigh (DEGANZ), is celebrating its American theatrical release on 29 August with Rialto Distribution. Since its world premiere, the film has won the hearts of audiences across Aotearoa, Australia,…
Read more
View from the Top banner

The Highs and Lows of NZ’s Screen Industry

Last weekend was the latest iteration of the Big Screen Symposium, and it was full of highs and lows. Great speakers, great sessions, and some interesting sneak peeks at tantalising, upcoming  NZ films, but some sobering statistics from…
Read more

‘Mighty Indeed’ is Indeed Mighty, Winning Doc Edge Best NZ Feature and Best Director Awards

Congratulations to director Vanessa Wells (DEGANZ) and editor Emma Smart (DEGANZ) on the success of Mighty Indeed at the 2025 Doc Edge Awards! The film won both the Best New Zealand Feature and the Best Director awards, making it eligible for…
Read more

‘Let’s Settle This!’ Fights its Way to Fantasia

Let’s Settle This!, written, directed and edited by Jack Woon (DEGANZ), continues its successful festival run by celebrating its North American premiere at Fantasia International Film Festival. This follows the film’s international premiere…
Read more

Editor Jesse Dixon: How I Got Started in the Industry

I didn’t always want to be an editor. I loved film and the moving image, but I was put off by the big crews and the “art by committee” feel of it all. Like many artsy teens, I thought I was a revolutionary artist with something profound…
Read more

The Best of Ngā Whanaunga: NZ’s Best

DEGANZ members scooped up multiple awards at this year's awards ceremony for Ngā Whanaunga: Aotearoa New Zealand's Best! The jury awarded Ira Hetaraka's Womb the competition's top prize, the Umbrella Best Short Film Award. Growing Still,…
Read more

Awarau Premieres His Fourth Short Film of 2025

DEGANZ member Aroha Awarau has had a busy year, releasing four short films in 2025. His latest, Faded, premiered at the Worldwide Smartphone Film Festival in Australia on 16 August. Faded is a two-minute documentary delivering a bold commentary…
Read more

‘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. …
Read more

‘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…
Read more
View from the Top banner

The Pursuit of Passion

Last night I participated in the first of three sessions of the NZFC-supported Animation Matchmaking Series, put together by ourselves, the Visual Effects Guild and the Writers Guild. One hundred and ten people turned out for the evening.…
Read more

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…
Read more

‘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,…
Read more

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…
Read more

DEGANZ Watch List: Addressing Aotearoa’s Hard Conversations

,
The projects in this week's DEGANZ Watch List address some of Aotearoa's hard conversations, including patriarchy and systemic racism. DEGANZ member Stella Reid directed the punk rock band Dick Move's latest music video, titled F*ck It. Edited…
Read more

A Kōrero with Colourist Damian McDonnell

,
DEGANZ’s Izzi Hoskyn sat down with award-winning Colourist Damian McDonnell to take a peek behind the curtain of the craft of colour grading. Damian has over twenty years’ experience as a colourist and editor in both Hollywood and Aotearoa.…
Read more

Seven New Zealand Directors Set to Attend the 2025 MIFF Accelerator Lab

DEGANZ is thrilled to announce the Aotearoa New Zealand directors attending the 2025 Melbourne International Film Festival’s (MIFF) Accelerator Lab. Ira Hetaraka, Lucy Suess, and Raymond Edwards have been selected by MIFF to attend the…
Read more

DEGANZ Members’ Works Screening at MIFF

Congratulations to the DEGANZ members whose films have been selected for the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF)! Marlon Williams: Two Worlds - Ngā Ao E Rua, edited by Josh Yong (DEGANZ), is screening as part of the Music on Film…
Read more

‘A Dog’s Show’ Returns to Local Screens

DEGANZ members Alex Galvin and Celia Jaspers are bringing beloved TV series A Dog's Show back to local screens in a new family feature film. Set in 1970s rural Aotearoa, A Dog’s Show tells the story of a disillusioned former sheepdog…
Read more

Feel-Good Feature ‘Tinā’ Set to Release Nationwide in the US

Feel-good feature Tinā, edited by Luke Haigh (DEGANZ), is celebrating its American theatrical release on 29 August with Rialto Distribution. Since its world premiere, the film has won the hearts of audiences across Aotearoa, Australia,…
Read more
View from the Top banner

The Highs and Lows of NZ’s Screen Industry

Last weekend was the latest iteration of the Big Screen Symposium, and it was full of highs and lows. Great speakers, great sessions, and some interesting sneak peeks at tantalising, upcoming  NZ films, but some sobering statistics from…
Read more

‘Mighty Indeed’ is Indeed Mighty, Winning Doc Edge Best NZ Feature and Best Director Awards

Congratulations to director Vanessa Wells (DEGANZ) and editor Emma Smart (DEGANZ) on the success of Mighty Indeed at the 2025 Doc Edge Awards! The film won both the Best New Zealand Feature and the Best Director awards, making it eligible for…
Read more

‘Let’s Settle This!’ Fights its Way to Fantasia

Let’s Settle This!, written, directed and edited by Jack Woon (DEGANZ), continues its successful festival run by celebrating its North American premiere at Fantasia International Film Festival. This follows the film’s international premiere…
Read more