Alix Madigan Alix Madigan produced WINTER’S BONE, directed by Debra Granik and starring Jennifer Lawrence, which was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards in 2011, and won Sundance's Grand Jury Prize in 2010. Alix most recently produced LAGGIES, directed by Lynn Shelton and starring Keira Knightley, Sam Rockwell and Chloe Moretz. [Read More]
Peter Mullan Peter Mullan is an award-winning Scottish actor, writer and director. For his role in Ken Loach's MY NAME IS JOE, Peter won the prestigious Best Actor award at Cannes. In 2002 he won the Golden Lion at Venice Film Festival for his second feature film THE MAGDALENE SISTERS. Recently he starred in Jane Campion's TOP OF THE LAKE. [Read More]
Lee Aronsohn Lee Aronsohn has been making memorable television for over thirty years. In the 90's, Lee helped shape some of the decade's most popular sitcoms such as MURPHY BROWN, GRACE UNDER FIRE and CYBILL. In 2003 he co-created TWO AND A HALF MEN, and served as a writer and executive producer of THE BIG BANG THEORY from 2007-2011. [Read More]
Burkhard Dallwitz Australian score composer Burkhard Dallwitz is most known for his scores for THE TRUMAN SHOW (Golden Globe for Best Original Score, 1999), award-winning Australian TV series UNDERBELLY (2008 ~), AUS/UK mini-series FALSE WITNESS (2009) and more recently Peter Weir’s feature film THE WAY BACK (2011). [Read More]
Jennifer Kent Jennifer Kent is a writer/director who burst onto the international scene with her debut feature THE BABADOOK, which premiered at Sundance this year to unanimous 5-star reviews and critical acclaim. She previously worked extensively as an actor in Australian film, theatre and TV and her award-winning short film MONSTER screened at over 40 international festivals. [Read More]
Matthew Metcalfe Matthew is a leading NZ producer who has worked in film and TV for the past seventeen years. In that time he has produced over NZD 100 million worth of production, representing nine feature films, ten tele-features and numerous other TV shows, TVC’s, documentaries and music videos. Currently Matthew is in production with 25 APRIL. [Read More]
Taika Waititi Taika is an acclaimed artist, comedian, writer, actor and director. He stepped onto the international stage in 2005 when his short film TWO CARS, ONE NIGHT, was nominated for an Oscar. The concept was eventually expanded to a feature length film, BOY, which went on to break all box office records in New Zealand. WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS marks his third feature. [Read More]
Chelsea Winstanley Chelsea has a background in documentary and began producing television and short films with business partner Desray Armstrong. She has made some of the most successful NZ shorts of the last 4 years, including having films in competition at Cannes two years in a row. WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS is Chelsea’s first theatrical feature. [Read More]
Michael Eldred Michael Eldred is a distributor with entertainment outfit MadMan NZ, Amongst the many films he has released in NZ are successful local films OUT OF THE BLUE, smash hit BOY, the acclaimed THE ORATOR, and recent success THE DARK HORSE. [Read More]
Toa Fraser Toa Fraser is a NZ writer/director and playwright. He has made four feature films including NO.2, which won the Audience Award at Sundance in 2006, multi award-winning UK-NZ co-pro DEAN SPANLEY starring Peter O'Toole and Sam Neill, filmed ballet GISELLE and most recently, Māori language epic THE DEAD LANDS, released later this year after a world premiere at Toronto. [Read More]
Tanya Phegan After twelve years abroad in the UK and US, Tanya Phegan has recently returned to Australia to join Porchlight Films as their Head of Television. Having previously held roles at BBC Films and DNA Films, Tanya has extensive experience in development, production and acquisitions, working on films including THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND and 28 WEEKS LATER. [Read More]
Katherine Thomson Katherine is an multi award-winning Australian screenwriter, documentarian and playwright. She has contributed extensively to Australian theatre and TV with critically acclaimed work for over 20 years. Her documentary UNFOLDING FLORENCE (dir. Gillian Armstrong) screened at Sundance and won an AWGIE Award for Best Documentary in 2006. [Read More]
Tom Hern Tom Hern is a New Zealand producer best known for his recent feature films THE DARK HORSE (2014) starring Cliff Curtis, and EVERYTHING WE LOVED (2014), directed by Max Currie. In 2010 he co-founded Four Knights Films Ltd, and that same year produced the acclaimed short film LAMBS by NZ director Sam Kelly. [Read More]
James Napier Robertson James is a NZ writer/director best known for his feature film, THE DARK HORSE (2014). An evocative drama based on the true-life story of Genesis Potini, the critically acclaimed film has performed outstandingly at the local box office. His debut feature, the micro-budget, noir-thriller I'M NOT HARRY JENSON, was well received both at home and overseas. [Read More]
Maryanne Redpath Maryanne Redpath is the director of the Generation section of the Berlin International Film Festival. She has been the official Berlinale Delegate for Australia and New Zealand since 2004. In this capacity, she travels every year to both countries to refresh her overview of production and to pre-select films for the various Berlinale programmes. [Read More]
Al Cossar Al Cossar is currently Programmer at the Melbourne International Film Festival, one of the Southern Hemisphere's largest and longest running film festivals. He has worked across a number of screen culture organisations in Australia, and is currently a film critic on ABC television in Australia. Al has a background in editing and post production for film and broadcast. [Read More]
Gaylene Preston Gaylene is one of New Zealand’s most celebrated filmmakers, having continued to make enduring classics of New Zealand cinema including WAR STORIES and HOME BY CHRISTMAS. Her most recent project, HOPE AND WIRE is a three-part television drama focusing on the social and psychological upheaval during the Christchurch earthquakes. [Read More]
Chris Hampson Chris Hampson has worked in feature film and television production for more than 30 years. In that time he has worked as a script editor, writer, and largely, as a producer. In the past few years he has produced award-winning series KAITANGATA TWITCH, tele-movie STOLEN, feature film WHITE LIES and miniseries HOPE AND WIRE. [Read More]
Angela Boyd Angela Boyd is an archival footage researcher. She started her long-standing affiliation with Gaylene Preston back on LOVELY RITA, and has since worked with her sourcing archival footage for HOME BY CHRISTMAS, STRONGMAN: A TRAGEDY, ILLUMINATE, and the recent TV3 drama series HOPE AND WIRE. [Read More]
Charlotte Purdy Charlotte is a producer/director of factual television and feature documentary, with a career in NZ and abroad spanning 20 years. Her television work includes television documentary and docudrama, reality formats, and current affairs programming. 2014 saw the release of her feature documentary EREBUS: OPERATION OVERDUE. [Read More]
Peter Burger Peter's first drama FISH SKIN SUIT won Best Drama in the 2002 NZ Film & Television Awards and his short film TURANGAWAEWAE was selected for Critic's Week at the Cannes Film Festival. More recently Peter has been directing a string of award-winning tele-features for the Sunday night slot for TVNZ. EREBUS: OPERATION OVERDUE is his first docu-drama. [Read More]
Simon Coldrick Simon Coldrick is an award winning editor. He has plied his craft on projects around the globe for Networks including The BBC, Channel 4, PBS and National Geographic. Simon has edited a number of locally produced docu-dramas that include EREBUS: OPERATION OVERDUE, GOLDEN HOUR and STRONGMAN THE TRAGEDY. [Read More]
Rene Naufahu Rene Naufahu is an actor, best known to audiences in this country for his role as Sam Aleni on SHORTLAND STREET. In 2004-5 worked as a writer/director on TVNZ's THE MARKETS. His debut feature film THE LAST SAINT is currently screening in NZ cinemas, and has received overwhelmingly positive response from critics. [Read More]
Sophie Henderson Sophie is a NZ screenwriter, playwright and actor. Her first screenplay, FANTAIL, in which she also starred, was nominated for 8 NZ Film Awards and had it's world premiere at Rotterdam Film Festival in 2013. As an actor, Sophie is best known for playing, Cheryl's lawyer, Bailey Wilson in the final season of OUTRAGEOUS FORTUNE. [Read More]
Gerard Johnstone Gerard Johnstone is the writer/ director of the NZ haunted house comedy HOUSEBOUND which has received rave reviews here and abroad. He also wrote and directed THE JAQUIE BROWN DIARIES which won best comedy at the NZ Film & TV awards in 2009 & 2010. Prior to this he was a promo producer for TV. [Read More]
Georgia Duder-Wood Georgia Duder-Wood is a songstress and teacher of voice who specialises in the Art of Song and human sound. A graduate of the University of Auckland and Toi Whakaari, and as a trained yoga teacher, she performs and teaches holistically, believing the integration of mind body and spirit essential for authentic expression. As a singer [Read More]
Panellists and Moderators
Robyn Malcolm Robyn Malcolm is one of NZ's most respected and iconic actors in TV. Entering into the hearts of NZers as Ellen Crozier on SHORTLAND STREET, she went on to make a lasting impression as iconic lead Cheryl West in the long-running series OUTRAGEOUS FORTUNE. In 2013 she has starred in her new series AGENT ANNA, and also in Campion's TOP OF THE LAKE. [Read More]
Timothy White Timothy is one of Australia & NZ’s most experienced producers. Most recently, Timothy produced SON OF A GUN starring Ewan McGregor, and executive produced James Napier Robertson's debut THE DARK HORSE, Robert Sarkies' tele-feature CONSENT, and MR PIP, the adaptation of the Booker short-listed novel, directed by Andrew Adamson and starring Hugh Laurie. [Read More]
Tainui Stephens Tainui (Te Rarawa) is an independent film and TV producer, director, executive producer and presenter. Tainui's first short film THE HILL was selected for the Sundance and Berlin Film Festivals in 2002. He was a producer on Vincent Ward's features RIVER QUEEN and RAIN OF THE CHILDREN. Recently he has been a producer on Toa Fraser’s THE DEAD LANDS. [Read More]
Philippa Campbell Philippa produced Jane Campion’s Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning series TOP OF THE LAKE. She has also produced five New Zealand feature films, including RAIN, NO.2, BLACK SHEEP, and genre-busting RUBBINGS FROM A LIVE MAN. Most recently she EP'd Paolo Rotondo’s debut feature ORPHANS & KINGDOMS. [Read More]
Waihoroi Shortland Waihoroi has had a wide and varied career in television, radio, print and film media with roles in journalism, acting, script writing, and as a cultural advisor. Being invited to be cultural advisor on Jane Campion's 1993 film THE PIANO sparked an interest in script writing that culminated in the 2004 film CROOKED EARTH. [Read More]
John Barnett John Barnett is Chairman of South Pacific Pictures, NZ's leading film and TV producer, dedicated to telling New Zealand stories to New Zealand audiences and to the world. From SHORTLAND STREET to OUTRAGEOUS FORTUNE and WHALE RIDER South Pacific Pictures is proud to present audiences with New Zealand stories that resonate with all of us. [Read More]
Carthew Neal NZ producer Carthew Neal has fourteen years experience in producing content and building communities online. Most recently he has produced transmedia series, HOOK UPS with writer Jessica Hansell, Madeleine Sami's comedy series, SUPER CITY and environmental format WA$TED. [Read More]
Jennifer Ward-Lealand Jennifer Ward-Lealand is an NZ actor who has worked extensively in theatre, film, television, musical and radio for over 30 years. In the 2007 New Years Honours List, she was named an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to theatre and the community. She is currently President of New Zealand Actors Equity. [Read More]
Oliver Sealy Oliver Sealy has enjoyed a career in broadcast media and content development spanning 15 years as a producer and content creator. He currently works in the development team at Augusto and can often be heard as the technology commentator on Newstalk ZB on Sunday mornings. [Read More]
Maria Mahony Maria is the Head of Programming and Local Content at Lightbox. With more than 15 years experience in international and domestic broadcasting, Maria has held leadership and management roles at MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, and TVNZ. She's also gained digital media management experience in a number of commercial areas. [Read More]
Brent Kennedy Brent has developed marketing campaigns for some of the world's most successful brands. He has headed up global communication agencies where he and his teams won numerous awards including Cannes Lions. In partnership with Images & Sound, he has established Camaraderie, which focuses on fostering collaboration between content creators and brand marketers. [Read More]
Jessica Hansell Jessica Hansell is a writer, musician and artist. Under the name Coco Solid she has toured internationally, and collaborated with artists and labels from all over the world. With a long history in comics and zines, last year Hansell wrote the cult cartoon HOOK UPS. This month she begins working on her debut film with Taika Waititi's company Piki Films. [Read More]
Anthony Healey Anthony Healey is the Head of APRA AMCOS New Zealand. APRA, the Australasian Performing Right Association represent over 73,000 New Zealand and Australian music writers and publishers and through a system of reciprocal relationships with similar overseas societies, over 2million music writer’s worldwide. [Read More]
Julia Parnell Julia Parnell is an award-winning producer and documentary director, known for renowned comedy WAYNE ANDERSON: SINGER OF SONGS, a number of documentaries, and for producing four NZFC-funded theatrical shorts HITCH HIKE, FRIDAY TIGERS, DIVE and RISING DUST. She is also a founder of Loading Docs, an online platform showcasing 3-min documentaries. [Read More]
Brenda Leeuwenberg Brenda Leeuwenberg is the Digital Strategist for NZ on Air where she is responsible for the Digital Media Fund and digital strategy across the organisation. Brenda has been on the internet scene for many years, and her recent work has brought her into the space where story-telling and interactivity intersect. [Read More]
Irene Gardiner Irene worked at TVNZ for nearly 20 years. In 1995, she began running TVNZ’s production unit and over time, built it up from just two to around 30 titles a year. She went on to become Commissioning Editor at TV ONE, and then Head of Commissioning across TV ONE and TV 2. In 2009, she took up her current role as Content Director of NZ On Screen. [Read More]
Kerry Warkia Kerry Warkia is an actress, producer and writer with several successful projects under her belt in the web format. Her experience producing web series like AUCKLAND DAZE, FLAT3 and creating NIA'S EXTRA ORDINARY LIFE make her highly sought after for workshops and sessions up and down the country. She's WIFT NZ's Woman to Watch 2014. [Read More]
Dominic Corry Dominic Corry has been one of New Zealand's most vocal and enthusiastic film critics for over ten years.
His reviews, columns and features appear in the NZ Herald, Flicks.co.nz, and Herald on Sunday. He introduces New Zealand films every Friday night on TVNZ Heartland, and talks about movies on TV ONE Breakfast, George FM and Radio Hauraki. [Read More]
Jodie Molloy Jodie is a screenwriter with a penchant for comedy. Her most well known television work to date is the cult hit THE JAQUIE BROWN DIARIES, inspired by her early career as a publicist. Currently she works as a freelance script consultant for major production companies both here and in Australia. She also produces through her company Perendale. [Read More]
Joel Kefali Joel Kefali is an award-winning music video director and television commercial director. With his creative studio Special Problems he worked with critically esteemed artists the world over, including The Naked and Famous, Alicia Keys, and Tame Impala. He has since has directed music videos for Lorde and Katy Perry, picking up a MTV VMA for the Lorde Royals video. [Read More]
