Six filmmaking teams have been selected for Kōpere Hou Fresh Shorts 2021/22, and each will receive project development and a grant of $15,000 to make their short film.
The final six were selected from 112 applications received. 18 teams were shortlisted and given feedback from independent assessors. Fresh Shorts programme manager Emma Mortimer supported the teams as they prepared for a more detailed application to Whiringa Tuarua – Stage Two in January. From those 18 submissions, six have been selected. Two teams who were shortlisted last year, but didn’t get selected, did further work on their projects and resubmitted with success this year.
Through a development process and mentoring these writers, producers and directors are supported to improve their projects to an excellent standard where the story is shoot ready. The teams will get the advice they need, and guidance from experienced mentors.
Jackie Dennis, Executive Director of Script to Screen Te Tari Tuhi Kupu A Whakaahua says, “it’s our joy to create a tailored programme that nurtures, challenges, and inspires these filmmakers. We look forward to supporting each member of the teams as they develop their stories and prepare for production.”
Dale Corlett, Head of NZFC Talent Development says ” We were impressed by both the talent of all the shortlisted teams and the uniqueness of their stories. We look forward to working alongside the funded teams to bring exceptional films to the screen.”
The 6 selected teams and their projects are:
Five teams have been selected to workshop their short film project over three days for the final stage of Paerangi Project. In March 2022 the teams will attend the Stage Threeworkshop, a three-day residential development workshop where they will receive tailored script feedback, directing mentoring, and producing advice from industry mentors. The workshop teaches the participants valuable skills to push their projects closer to production and is also an opportunity for them to meet like-minded people and industry practitioners.
In June 2021, 110 aspiring filmmakers from around the motu registered for Stage One of Paerangi Project to pursue their interest in developing a short film or web series. From this group, seven teams were selected to participate in Stage Two, and received six weeks of online mentorship with an experienced filmmaker to refine their project.
The projects and participants chosen for Stage Three are:
Congratulations to all the participants!
The Paerangi Project was initiated to support those who live outside the main centres, in remote regions or those who are isolated from opportunities to learn about filmmaking. Registrations came from all over NZ; Auckland / Tāmaki Makaurau, Bay of Plenty / Te Moana-a-Toi, Canterbury / Waitaha, Gisborne/ Te Tai Rāwhiti, Hawke’s Bay / Te Matau-a-Māui, Manawatū-Wanganui, Northland / Te Tai Tokerau, Otago / Ōtākou, Southland / Murihiku, Tasman / Te Tai-o-Aorere, Waikato, and Wellington / Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara, as well as from the Cook Islands, Fiji and Vanuatu.
This initiative came about thanks to the Screenrights Cultural Fund New Voices, to advance those who, for whatever reason, have found doors not readily open to them. New Zealand Film Commission matched the funding to support the development of aspiring filmmakers who have felt isolated from opportunities.
Script to Screen is delighted to announce the 12 participants selected for Strength in Numbers – Growth 2022. They will participate in a series of workshops run by Script to Screen and led by David Court of Compton School.
Strength in Numbers offers a unique opportunity for practitioners in the screen industry to work together on the building blocks of business models that will sustain their future and ultimately shape the industry itself. Participants are given the time and tools they need to make strategic choices for their creative enterprises and plan the way ahead.
Three experienced industry practitioners including course leader David Court read each of the 46 applications, taking into consideration the applicant’s track record and the stage the business is at when making their selection. Of the 10 screen businesses selected three are from Wellington, one is from Christchurch, another from Marlborough, and the remaining five are Tamaki Makaurau based.
Strength in Numbers is made possible thanks to financial support from the New Zealand Film Commission and an Auckland Council Regional Arts and Culture Grant. Screen Auckland provides a workshop venue and Screen Canterbury covers travel costs for the Cantabrian participant.
The 13 participants and their businesses selected for Strength in Numbers 2022 are:
Strength in Numbers is a Script to Screen initiative run in partnership with Compton School.
This year 110 aspiring filmmakers registered for Stage One of the Paerangi Project, after its launch in late June. The programme was created for those interested in developing a short film or web series who live outside the main centres, in remote regions, or those who are isolated from opportunities to learn about filmmaking. Registrations came from all over NZ; Auckland / Tāmaki Makaurau, Bay of Plenty / Te Moana-a-Toi, Canterbury / Waitaha, Gisborne/ Te Tai Rāwhiti, Hawke’s Bay / Te Matau-a-Māui, Manawatū-Wanganui, Northland / Te Tai Tokerau, Otago / Ōtākou, Southland / Murihiku, Tasman / Te Tai-o-Aorere, Waikato, and Wellington / Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara, as well as from the Cook Islands, Fiji and Vanuatu.
In Stage One each participant was given access to a series of video tutorials delivered by experienced filmmakers. The tutorials lead the viewer through the process of developing a concept including writing, directing, producing, pitching and gave homework exercises.
After completion, participants who registered for Stage One were eligible to apply for Stage Two to receive six weeks of online mentorship. Seven teams have been selected to be matched with an experienced filmmaker who will guide them as they refine their short film project.
The projects and participants are:
(pictured left to right)
These participants will be invited to apply for Stage Three, where up to four teams will attend a three-day residential development lab in Auckland to progress their project even further. At the Lab they will receive tailored script feedback, directing mentoring, and producing advice from industry mentors. The Lab helps the participants move their projects closer to production and it is also an opportunity for them to meet like-minded people and industry practitioners.
Congratulations to all the participants!
The Paerangi Project came about thanks to the Screenrights Cultural Fund New Voices, to advance those who, for whatever reason, have found doors not readily open to them. New Zealand Film Commission matched the funding to support the development of aspiring filmmakers who have felt isolated from opportunities.
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Kōpere Hou – Fresh Shorts is on the search for the next generation of up-and-coming NZ filmmakers.
Kōpere Hou – Fresh Shorts is an NZFC initiative run in partnership with Script to Screen. The programme’s aim is to nurture, challenge, and inspire short filmmaking talent through a development and industry mentoring process. The focus is on the development of both people and stories.
Six teams will be selected to receive up to $15,000 to facilitate the cost of making a short narrative film. The films can be live-action, animation or documentary, with a duration of between four and 25 minutes. The teams behind each of these projects will attend a two-day development workshop in March 2022 and be matched with an experienced industry practitioner to receive six weeks of mentoring to get their project ‘shoot ready’.
Kōpere Hou – Fresh Shorts 2021 applications open Monday 30 August and close at 1pm on 11 October. There are two stages to the application process.
At Whiringa Tuatahi – Stage One you will need to have a writer, director and producer, and to submit the following:
A shortlist of 18 teams will be invited to submit a Whiringa Tuatahi – Stage Two application in mid-November. From the shortlist, six projects will receive $15,000 grants. The teams behind each of these projects will attend a two-day development workshop from 19-20 March 2022 and be matched with an experienced industry practitioner to receive six weeks of mentoring to get their project ‘shoot ready’.
Criteria and requirements for the assessment of both Whiringa Tuatahi – Stage One and Whiringa Tuatahi – Stage Two can be viewed on our website.
Script to Screen and the NZFC will hold an online Q&A about this new application process for Kōpere Hou – Fresh Shorts on 16 September 2021, at 5.30 pm.
If you have any questions please contact Script to Screen: FreshShorts@script-to-screen.co.nz
Kōpere Hou – Fresh Shorts is a New Zealand Film Commission Short Film Fund and Script to Screen manages the reading, assessment, workshop and mentoring aspects of the Fresh Shorts Development Programme.
Script to Screen in partnership with US-based Catalyst Story Institute is proud to announce the New Zealand finalists selected to participate in the Storieroad International program.
Storieroad International program is focused on discovering content creators and advancing creative careers within the global episodic marketplace. Philip Gilpin Jr, Catalyst Executive Director explains “Creating pathways for storytellers to have their voices heard is the heart of Catalyst’s mission. For too long, too many artists have felt a lack of connection to our television industry, and this collaboration with Script to Screen is a solution that gives creators opportunities for advancement”.
Applicants had to be developing a series. It could be any genre, length or format and at any stage of development including development of subsequent seasons.
Catalyst’s team of industry professionals selected up to 10 finalists and semi-finalists from each participating country including New Zealand, and their projects will be in competition at the 2021 Catalyst Content Festival in Duluth, Minnesota. The finalists get a 12-month scholarship to Catalyst Story Institute where they get US-based industry support to progress their project. Philip said “the incredibly high calibre of shows submitted from New Zealand made it difficult to choose only ten, and it shows that the raw talent level in New Zealand is in the top echelon of the independent creative world.”
Jackie Dennis, Executive Director of Script to Screen said “we entered into this partnership to create international connections for the exceptional talent we have here in New Zealand – it’s wonderful to see so many of our stories stand out”. Ahead of the international market, the finalists will present their ten projects to New Zealand screen industry professionals at a special invite-only showcase.
List of Finalists :
(Pictured left to right above)
Agnes Peel-McGregor with Shadowodd
Ahi Karunaharan and Maile Daugherty with Serenade
Alyssa Stringfellow with Chloe and the…
Emma Slade with Night Vision
Jake Pitcher with Don’t Tell Mum
Kathryn Burnett with Sleeper
Mia Maramara with The Witch Doctor
Millen Baird with Darryl
Paula Whetu Jones with I DATE Rejects
Stephen Campbell with The Cove
More info about the finalists here.
List of Semi Finalists :
Alexander Behse with Sugar Alpha: BLUE SKY, BLACK DEATH
Donald Mayo with Please Don’t Break Anything
Fiona Armstrong with Constance
Gaylene Barnes with Tātai Whetū Trinity Sun
Jonathan Watt with Hard Knock
Kip Chapman with Public Affairs
Louise Lever with Revolt She Said
Millen Baird with Naki Blues
Paul Kalburgi with Second Time Around
Slavko Martinov with CLUB LIFE
Tony Moore with The Rash
Vhari Lennox and Elana Tkatch with Lottie’s Choice
This is a Catalyst Story Institute initiative run in partnership with Script to Screen and in collaboration with “The Innovation Station” at the U.S. Department of State and Careers in Entertainment founded by the Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation.
The Auckland showcase is possible thanks to the US Consulate.
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– Nayheon Lee (2020 participant)
Story Camp Aotearoa is a residential feature film workshop that cultivates exceptional filmmaking by fostering voice, honing craft, and clarifying vision and kaupapa. Talented storytellers workshop their film project with esteemed advisors from here and abroad.
Story Camp 2021 seeks feature film projects from a well-developed treatment through to an advanced development stage. Up to eight selected writers or teams will participate in a rigorous five-day experience designed specifically to meet the development needs of their project.
Story sessions between advisors and participants form the backbone of the week. As the programme is tailored to each project, the process can also include project-based group workshops; workshopping with actors; strengthening and clarifying the director’s vision, and making good decisions together under pressure.
“Overall I think the entire Story Camp was a huge success, for me personally and for us as a team. I think the varied sessions provide a great mix of the creative and professional development for the advancement of any script.”
Past advisors have included Mexican screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga (Amores Perros, 21 Grams, Babel), producer Philippa Campbell (Top of the Lake, Rubbings from a Live Man), director and writer Jane Campion (Top of The Lake, The Piano), producer and director Ainsley Gardiner (Cousins, Boy, The Breaker Upperers),filmmaker & Artistic Director of the Sundance Directors’ Lab Gyula Gazdag, poet and academic Anahera Gildea, Hollywood writer & longstanding Sundance mentor Michael Goldenberg (Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix), renowned painter Star Gossage, playwright, screenwriter and director Briar Grace-Smith (Cousins, The Strength Of Water), NZ-based Korean installation artist Yona Lee, EP and producer Andrew Mason (The Matrix Trilogy, Tomorrow When The War Began), writer/actor Bret McKenzie (Flight of the Conchords), dramaturg and story consultant Brita McVeigh, choreographer Moss Te Ururangi Patterson (Atamira, Black Grace, Footnote), New Zealand International Film Festival Director Marten Rabarts, Australian producer Kath Shelper (Samson & Delilah, Tender), actor/writer/director Loren Taylor (Eagle vs Shark), legendary US screenwriter Joan Tewkesbury (McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Thieves Like Us, Nashville), emerging technologies artist and filmmaker Lynette Wallworth (Awavena, Collisions) and veteran NZ film producer and EP Tim White (The Luminaires, I Am Mother, The Dark Horse).
Don’t miss this opportunity to propel your film closer to production with expert support.
APPLICATIONS OPEN NOW
APPLICATIONS CLOSE: 11:59 PM, 09 August 2021
STORY CAMP AOTEAROA DATES: 22 – 27 November 2021
We’re proud to launch Paerangi Project – a programme designed to reach fresh, distinctive and authentic voices across Aotearoa.
Paerangi offers accessible learning about how to develop your own short film or web series idea. It is for new and emerging talent living across Aotearoa, and enables you to make screen stories in your own backyard.
The programme is for those interested in developing a short film or web series who have not had the opportunity to learn about filmmaking. This lack of opportunity could be for a variety of reasons, for example, you may be living in a remote region, an isolated situation or face social, economic or accessibility barriers.
Stage One, delivered online, gives you access to a series of video tutorials delivered by experienced filmmakers. The tutorials lead you through the process of developing your own concept including writing, directing, producing and pitching, and gives homework exercises to complete in your own time alongside the video tutorials.
Contributors to the video are: Alex Lovell (My Friend Michael Jones, Mister Sunshine), Dianne Taylor (Apron Strings, Beyond the Known World, Hauraki), Emmett Skilton (Millennial Jenny, Auckward Love), Hamish Bennett (Bellbird, Ross & Beth, The Dump), Jaimee Poipoi (Electric Shoelace Productions), Karin Williams (SIS), Marina Alofagia McCartney (Vai, Milk & Honey), Morgan Leigh Stewart (K’ Rd Stories, Bird’s Eye! Deathgasm), Robyn Grace (Power Rangers: Dino Charge, Sweet Tooth, Oranges and Lemons), Shoshana McCallum (Head High, Creamerie, West Side,) and Sophie Henderson (The Justice of Bunny King, Baby Done, Fantail).
Registration for Stage One is open now!
At Stage Two, participants who registered for Stage One are eligible to apply for a six-week mentorship with an experienced filmmaker who will guide them as they refine their short film or web series project. The homework exercises you complete in Stage One form the basis of the Stage Two application.
And at Stage Three, up to four teams are invited to a three-day residential development lab in Auckland where they will develop their project even further, receiving tailored script feedback, directing mentoring, and producing advice from industry mentors.
Paerangi Project is made possible thanks to generous support from Screenrights Cultural Fund and New Zealand Film Commission.
Script to Screen, in partnership with Northland Youth Theatre, presents a free four-day film workshop in the July school holidays for 15 – 23 year olds.
The workshop helps young participants to develop skills in crafting a story idea, writing a script, and acting. The aim of the workshop is to foster writing talent and encourage aspiring filmmakers. No experience or prior knowledge of filmmaking is necessary.
On Day 1, participants will hear from writer/director Hamish Bennett (The Dump, Ross & Beth, Bellbird) about finding a story they want to tell and crafting a narrative that is compelling on screen. On Day 2, participants will develop their own film concept and write a scene for their film, guided by actor Laurel Devenie (Shortland Street).
On Day 3 Laurel will lead a workshop on acting for the screen, including working with the scenes written the day before. Each participant will get the chance to act in a scene. On the last day, we will tape the scenes, watch them as a group and discuss what was learned.
Tuesday 13 July – Fri 16 July
9am – 2:30pm each day
Northland Youth Theatre, 86 Bank St, Whangarei 0110
Morning Tea, Lunch and Afternoon Tea provided. However, if you have special dietary requirements (gluten free, dairy free, keto, paleo, etc) please bring food with you.
The workshop is free but please register via EventBrite as spaces are limited.
This workshop is presented in partnership with Northland Youth Theatre and is made possible thanks to generous support from New Zealand Film Commission and Foundation North.
“Nōku te whiwhi ki te mahi i runga i tēnei kaupapa whakamīharo. FilmUp was a game-changer for me and my career – the intensives allowed me to work with incredible mentors, peers and form relationships which lead to me directing on a prime-time drama and developing my feature film. I highly recommend this amazing opportunity!”
– Cian Elyse White,
FilmUp 2020 participant (mentor Louise Gough)
“FilmUp is brilliant! It’s the knowledge that someone has your back, and you aren’t doing this filmmaking thing alone. That support is invaluable especially at the beginning of a project when filmmaking often feels very solo.”
– Vanessa Wells,
FilmUp 2020 participant (Mentor Justin Pemberton)
Want to build momentum in your career and push yourself to your full potential?
The FilmUp Mentorship programme returns for its ninth year to support and empower up to eight tenacious and talented filmmakers to reach the next stage in their creative careers. If you are developing a feature film or documentary this programme could be just what you need to progress your work to the next stage.
A mentor for each filmmaker forms the cornerstone of the programme, along with six FilmUp Hub days when the participants come together for group work.
Applicants must have a feature project in development, and be able to demonstrate that their project and career are at the right stage for mentorship and wrap-around support.
Successful applicants will take part in 20 hours of mentorship with an experienced film practitioner over an eight-month period and six FilmUp hubs spread between August 2021 and February 2022. These hubs are tailored to meet the needs of the selected filmmakers and include workshops, peer discussions and round tables with industry leaders.
Participants are the driving force of a successful mentorship as they take hold of their own learning and development. This autonomy is fostered from the start of the programme when participants are actively involved in the selection of their mentor. Throughout the programme there is wrap-around support from Script to Screen.
Since its inception in 2013, FilmUp has gone from strength to strength, with a growing alumni of talented local filmmakers who have benefitted from the programme including Briar March (The Coffin Club, There Once Was An Island: Te Henua A Nnoho), Chelsea Winstanley (Jojo Rabbit, MERATA: How Mum Decolonised the Screen, What We Do in the Shadows), Florian Habicht (James & Isey, Spookers, Love Story), Gaysorn Thavat (The Justice of Bunny King), Jake Mahaffy (Free in Deed), Nic Gorman (Human Traces), Sophie Henderson (Baby Done, Fantail) and Stallone Vaiaoga-Ioasa (Take Home Pay, Three Wise Cousins). You can read about other participants and an impressive list of mentors who have helped these filmmakers take a step up in their careers here.
To apply you need to be working on a feature film or documentary. Here’s what’s required for the application:
APPLICATIONS CLOSE: Tues 18 May, 11:59pm
Make sure you read our Top Tips to make your FilmUp application shine while crafting your application.
FilmUp is made possible thanks to financial support from the New Zealand Film Commission