Guillermo Arriaga is a world renowned Mexican author, screenwriter, director and producer. His work as a screenwriter is one of the most revolutionary and interesting in world cinema.

“I have learned that the first rule of screenwriting, or any art, is having no rules.” Guillermo Arriaga

His debut feature film AMORES PERROS (2000), starring Gael Garcia Bernal, was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Feature Film in 2001. It went on to win the BAFTA Award for Best Feature Film (not in the English Language), along with a host of other Best Screenplay and Best Direction awards at film festivals around the world.

He went on to write the screenplay for 21 GRAMS (2004) starring Naomi Watts, Sean Penn and Benicio Del Toro – his second collaboration with Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu. It was nominated for a BAFTA Best Screenplay award, as well two Academy Awards for Best Actress (Naomi Watts) and Best Supporting Actor (Benicio Del Toro).

In 2005 he won the Best Screenplay Award at the Cannes Film Festival for his third feature film THE THREE BURIALS OF MELQUIADES ESTRADA, directed by and starring Tommy Lee Jones.

His next film BABEL (2006), starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, won the Academy Award for Best Score and was nominated for six others including Best Screenplay and Best Picture.

His latest feature film and directorial debut, THE BURNING PLAIN (2007), starring Charlize Theron, Jennifer Lawrence and Kim Basinger, had its world premiere at Venice Film Festival. Here Guillermo was nominated for the Golden Lion (Best Screenplay), and Jennifer Lawrence won the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Emerging Actress.

In 2010 he wrote and directed THE WELL, a short film about Mexican Revolution. In 2013 he finished directing his new short film THE GOD’S BLOOD with Oscar nominee Demian Bichir.

He is also considered one of the most influential writers in contemporary literature. He has written three novels: The Guillotine Squad (1991), A Sweet Scent of Death (1994) and The Night Buffalo (1999) along with one book of short stories: 201 Return.

“Guillermo has quite literally changed the way motion pictures are made.” Walter Parkes, Producer (The Burning Plain, Minority Report, Gladiator)

Speaker Session: Writing with Guillermo Arriaga

Keynote Address: Guillermo Arriaga: Reel Vision in a Digital World

Park Chan-wook is a Korean film director, screenwriter, producer and former film critic who has emerged as one of the most significant talents in cinema in recent years. He is best known for his films JOINT SECURITY AREA, THIRST and what has become known as THE VENGEANCE TRILOGY consisting of SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE, OLD BOY and LADY VENGEANCE.

Park’s incredibly diverse body of work has garnered recognition in his homeland as well as from a number of leading international film festivals. Most recently his short film NIGHT FISHING , shot entirely with Apple’s iPhone, won the Golden Bear (Short Film) at the 2011 Berlin Film Festival.

In 2009 Park received worldwide attention for his vampire thriller THIRST, which earned him the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. This monumental film was the first Korean film ever to secure North American distribution rights and Hollywood studio investment at the production stage. LADY VENGEANCE was awarded the Cinema Avvenire and Il Leoncino d’oro awards in competition at the 2005 Venice Film Festival. This was preceded by OLDBOY, which won the prestigious Grand Prix at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.

Park’s interest in film began in college as a philosophy student at Sogang University where he founded a film club and developed a strong interest in film theory and criticism. His film JOINT SECURITY AREA became the biggest box office hit in the history of Korean cinema at the time of its release (since then, the record has been passed onto other films).

Park’s ninth and latest feature film is his first English language film STOKER starring Mia Wasikowska, Matthew Goode and Nicole Kidman, which released in March 2013 to critical acclaim world over. STOKER is distributed worldwide by Twentieth Century Fox and Fox Searchlight Pictures.

Workshop: Directing with Park Chan-wook

In Conversation: Robert Sarkies talks to guest Park Chan-wook

David Wenham has received critical acclaim for his diverse performances in film, theatre and television. He is one of Australia’s most respected actors.

Best known internationally as Faramir in Peter Jackson’s critically acclaimed second and third LORD OF THE RINGS instalments THE TWO TOWERS and RETURN OF THE KING in which he shared in the Screen Actors Guild Award®, Broadcast Film Critics Award and National Board of Review Award in the category of Best Ensemble. He has recently appeared in ORANGES AND SUNSHINE alongside Emily Watson and Hugo Weaving; POPE JOAN; Baz Luhrmann’s AUSTRALIA with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman and PUBLIC ENEMIES starring alongside Johnny Depp.

David’s accolades include Best Actor Awards at the 2003 Australian Film Institute (AFI) Awards, IF Awards, and The Film Critics Circle of Australia (FCCA) for GETTIN’ SQUARE, Best Actor nominations at the AFI Awards for Paul Cox’s MOLOKAI: THE STORY OF FATHER DAMIEN, THE BANK . and BETTER THAN SEX; and a Best Actor nomination at the 1999 FCCA Awards and AFI Awards for his haunting portrayal of a psychopath named Brett Sprague in THE BOYS alongside Toni Collette.

Some of David’s other feature film credits include 300, in which he worked with director Zack Synder, MOULIN ROUGE!, COSI, MARRIED LIFE. VAN HELSING, THE CHILDREN OF HUANG SHI and THE PROPOSITION. in 2014 David reprised his role as ‘Dilios’ in 300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE.

David is well known to Australian television audiences as the loveable Diver Dan in the award winning ABC TV series SEACHANGE, a role which earned him an AFI Award nomination in 1998. He won the same award the previous year for the critically acclaimed ABC TV miniseries SIMONE DE BEAUVOIR’S BABIES. His recent television credits include KILLING TIME, DRIPPING IN CHOCOLATE and 2013 international miniseries TOP OF THE LAKE which co-stars Elizabeth Moss and Holly Hunter.

TOP OF THE LAKE is written and created by Jane Campion and Gerard Lee, and filmed and set in New Zealand. Top of the Lake earned international acclaim since premiering at the Sundance Film Festival in January. The miniseries is currently nominated for 8 Emmy Awards including Outstanding TV Miniseries or Movie, Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special, and Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or A Dramatic Special.

He featured in the SBS series BETTER MAN opposite Bryan Brown and Claudia Karvan which screened 2013.

Most recently David directed the short film COMMISSION featuring Hugo Weaving and Josh McConville. COMMISSION will screen as part of the feature film collaboration of iconic Australian writer Tim Winton’s THE TURNING. Other contributors include Cate Blanchett, Rose Byrne, Miranda Otto, Richard Roxburgh, Simon Stone, Robyn Nevin and Mia Wasikowska.

Workshop: Acting with David Wenham

In Conversation: Robyn Malcom Talks to Guest David Wenham

Andrew Bovell is an Australian writer who writes for film, theatre and television.

In 1992 he wrote the original screenplay for STRICTLY BALLROOM and in 2001 he went on to adapt his stage play Speaking in Tongues in to the feature film, LANTANA (2001), which won a cascade of awards worldwide including the AWGIE Award for Best Feature Film – Adaptation, the AFI Award for Best Screenplay, the Harper’s Bazaar AFI Screenwriting Prize, the British Independent Film Award for Best Foreign Language Independent Film – English Language, the Film Critics Circle of Australia Award for Best Screenplay and the London Critics Circle Film Award Screenwriter of the Year Award.

His other film credits include; EDGE OF DARKNESS (with William Monahan); HEAD ON (with Ana Kokkinos and Mira Robertson); THE BOOK OF REVELATION (with Ana Kokkinos); BLESSED (with Christos Tsiolkas, Melissa Reeves & Patricia Cornelius) adapted from their stage play Who’s afraid of the Working Class.

Andrew’s most recent screenplay, A MOST WANTED MAN (Rachel McAdams, Willem Dafoe, Philip Seymour Hoffman), was adapted from the novel by John Le Carre, and was directed by Anton Corbijn in late 2012.

Andrew’s television credits include the telemovies THE FISHERMAN’S WAKE and LUST for ABC; PICCILO MONDO for SBS and DOGWOMAN for Channel 9.

Andrew’s theatre credits include Scenes from a Separation (with Hannie Rayson) which premiered at MTC in 1995; Speaking in Tongues which premiered at Griffin Theatre in 1996 and has had seasons at Hampstead Theatre in the UK (2000), Roundabout Theatre, New York (2001), West End Season (2009) and over 50 other productions worldwide; Who’s afraid of the Working Class (with Christos Tsiolkas, Melissa Reeves, Patricia Cornelius and Irine Vela) which was produced by Melbourne Worker’s Theatre (1998) and toured Australia (1999); Holy Day which had seasons at State Theatre Company of South Australia (2001) and STC (2003) won the Louis Esson Prize for Drama at the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards and the AWGIE Award for Best Stage Play (2002);  When the Rain Stops Falling which premiered at Brink Productions for 2008 Adelaide Festival of the Arts and subsequently toured to STC (2009), MTC/Melbourne International Festival of the Arts (2009), QTC and throughout Australia (2010).

The play won Queensland and Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards for Best Play, the Adelaide Critics Circle Individual Award, Sydney Theatre Award for Best New Australian Work and 3 Greenroom Awards including Best New Writing for the Australian Stage.

Other productions include The Almeida Theatre in London (2009) and The Lincoln Center in New York (2009) where it received 5 Lucille Lortel Awards. Andrew adapted The Secret River from Kate Grenville’s novel which premiered at the Sydney Theatre in 2013, transferring to the Perth International Arts Festival and the Centenary of Canberra.

Andrew’s play Speaking in Tongues played in Auckland at the Herald Theatre from in 2013

Speaker Session: Writing With Andrew Bovell: Why I Write

Born in 1951 in Holland, Rolf de Heer migrated to Australia with his family in 1959. He worked at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation for seven years, then in 1977 was granted entry into Australia’s Film Television and Radio School. He has gone on to make more than a dozen films of different genres, generally low budget, and has gained substantial international recognition.

BAD BOY BUBBY won the Grand Special Jury prize and the International Film Critics Prize at Venice in 1993, and four Australian Film Institute awards in Australia. THE QUIET ROOM (1996) and DANCE ME TO MY SONG (1998) were both selected for Official Competition at Cannes, cementing de Heer’s place in the international film arena. THE TRACKER premiered to critical acclaim at Venice in 2002. ALEXANDRA’S PROJECT was invited into Competition at Berlin, 2003, while TEN CANOES won the Special Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes in 2007.

Rolf’s recent project, CHARLIE’S COUNTRY with David Gulpilil, released in 2013.

Directing with Rolf de Heer: Size Does Matter – The Cinema of Engagement

Moderator: Cinematic Vision on a Shoestring

Cezary Skubiszewski (“scoobee shesky”)is one of Australia’s leading film composers whose work has claimed numerous awards.

Cezary’s first film score was for LILIAN’S STORY (1996), directed by fellow Pole Jerzy Domaradzki and staring Toni Collette. This was followed by BOOTMEN (2000) and LA SPAGNOLA (2001), for which he collected Best Original Music awards from the Australian Film Institute. His other early works include BLACK & WHITE (2002), THE BRUSH OFF (2004), THE BOOK OF REVELATION and BLESSED.

His work on the 1999 film TWO HANDS saw Cezary collect the Best Film Score Award from APRA at the annual Screen Music awards. This was followed in later years by the mini-series AFTER THE DELUGE (2003) starring Hugo Weaving and Rachel Griffiths, and DEATH DEFYING ACTS (2007) for which he also received Best Film Score Awards.  He then went on to compose scores for THE BOOK OF REVELATION (2006) and BLESSED (2009).

His latest work composing for NIGHT (2008) BRAN NUE DAE (2009), RED DOG (2011) and THE SAPPHIRES (2012) – which received critical acclaim at an international level, have seen him win awards from Inside Film and the Film Critics Circle of Australia.

Cezary’s has also composed music for a number of adverts,including SYDNEY 2000 OLYMPICS, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL FINALS, MELBOURNE 2006 COMMONWEALTH GAMES, CARLTON DRAUGHT BIG AD campaign and the VB BOTTLE SYMPHONY which became a worldwide hit.

For the past four years he has been the Musical Director of APRA/AGSC Screen Music Awards and has a number of upcoming projects including SERRANGOON ROAD (2013) and THE BROKEN SHORE (2014).

“I still think that I’m on a journey to discover more about myself, about what I can come up with. With every job, you feel like you are always challenging yourself” Cezary Skubiszewski

Score Composing with Cezary Skubiszewski: Composing for the Screen and the Functions of Film Music

Mexican filmmaker Dana Rotberg has lived and worked as a director, writer and producer in Mexico, France and Bosnia & Herzegovina. She is currently living in Auckland, New Zealand.

While still living in Mexico Rotberg directed her first film, the feature length documentary ELVIRA LUZ CRUZ: PEMA MAXIMA (1985).  It was awarded Best Documentary by the Mexican Film Academy and the Bochica de Oro Award for Best Latin-American Documentary, Colombia.

Following this she directed her first feature film INTIMIDAD (INTIMACY) in 1989, which screened at the prestigious Berlin Film Festival. She went on to write, direct and produce her second feature ANGEL DE FUEGO (ANGEL OF FIRE). She is best known for this film as it was selected as the opening film for Quinzaine des Réalisateurs (Director’s Fortnight) at the Cannes International Film Festival in 1992.  The film was well received and went on to screen at film festivals around the world.

Following this success, Rotberg spent the next few years in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina where she co-produced two films that also secured the opening spot at Quinzaine des Réalisateurs (Cannes International Film Festival).

The feature length documentary MGM SARAJEVO. MAN, GOD AND THE MONSTER (MGM Sarajevo –Covjek, Bog, Monstrum) opened Quinzaine des Réalisateurs in 1994, and the Bosnia, France and Netherlands co-production THE PERFECT CIRCLE took the same opening spot in 1997.

THE PERFECT CIRCLE won the François Chalais Award and the Cannes Junior Prix at Cannes that year.  After this attention the film went on to win many other awards: Special Jury Prize, Paris Film Festival, Best Director Award and Tokyo Grand Prix, Tokyo International Film Festival, FIPRESCI Prize – Special Mention, Valladolid International Film Festival, Wim Van-Leer prize, Jerusalem International Film Festival.

She moved back to Mexico in 1997 and in 2000 she directed and co-wrote the feature film OTILA RAUDA which won the NHK Filmmaker’s Award at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival.

Dana has recently written and directed WHITE LIED – TUAKIRI HUNA, adapted from the novella Medicine Woman by renowned New Zealand author Witi Ihimaera (Whale Rider). The film was released in New Zealand in June 2013.

Dana is a member of the European Film Academy and the Mexican Council for the Culture and the Arts.

Case Study: Cultural Integrity and White Lies – Tuakiri Huna: An Open Dialogue with Dana Rotberg & Kararaina Rangihau

Kasia Karwan has been working as a sales executive in Premium Films since March 2012.

Premium Films is a sales agent and theatrical distribution company based in France. The company was created in 1998, and initially specialised in short film distribution. They represent many internationally acclaimed Academy Award and Palme d’Or winning shorts films. Over the last two years the company has expanded their activity to include acting as a sales agent for feature films, aiming to release films from their catalogue in theatres; OXYGEN by Hans Van Nuffel, LEONES by Jazmin Lopez, SOLDATE JEANNETTE by Daniel HOESL – Tiger award winner at Rotterdam 2013, CRAWL by Hervé Lasgouttes – Best European Film Venice Days 2012, BOY EATING THE BIRD’S FOOD – Ektoras Lygizos. Most recently, Premium Films partnered with Garance Capital to co-produce REALITY by Matteo Garrone which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012.

Alongside her work in Premium Films – Kasia is also involved into the production of documentaries with the company Alea Films.

Originally from Poland, she now lives in Paris and has a Masters in Cinema, Television and New Media Production from La Sorbonne.

Speaker Session: Round Table with Sales Agent Kasia Karwan

Philippa Campbell is the producer of Jane Campion’s Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning series TOP OF THE LAKE. She has produced six feature films, including the acclaimed RAIN, which premiered in competition in Cannes, Sundance award winner NO.2, comedy-horror hit BLACK SHEEP and Florian Habicht’s genre-busting RUBBINGS FROM A LIVE MAN. She is currently Executive Producer of Jackie Van Beek’s debut feature THE INLAND ROAD and in prep for UK/NZ co-production CROAK. In 2015, she was dramaturg of Emily Perkins’ first play, a contemporary reimagining of Ibsen’s A DOLL’S HOUSE, directed by Colin McColl for Auckland Theatre Company. Philippa is a partner in the new production company Field Theory.

Annie Goldson has been producing and directing award-winning documentaries, docudramas and experimental film/video for 25 years in the United States and New Zealand. Her best-known titles include PUNITIVE DAMAGE, GEORGIE GIRL, ELGAR’S ENIGMA, AN ISLAND CALLING and BROTHER NUMBER ONE.

All titles have also garnered major awards at international film festivals and have screened widely throughout broadcast outlets, including PBS, ADR, HBO, Channel 4 and Canalplus and through educational institutions.

She produced and directed her current film HE TOKI HUNA (THE HIDDEN ADZE), which explores New Zealand’s role in Afghanistan, with Kay Ellmers from Tumanako Productions. HE TOKI was commissioned by Maori Television that aired a broadcast version the day before ANZAC Day 2013. Annie has just completed editing a feature version which is screening at the current New Zealand International Film Festival. She has just returned from a shoot in Tonga where she is in development on an historical docudrama, William Mariner, that she is producing with Rebekah Kelly and Nikki Mariner.

Annie is also a writer and has published articles in books and journals such as The Listener (NZ), Landfall,  Screen, Semiotext(e), Social Text, and others. Her book Landscape, Memory, Dad and Me published by Victoria University Publications. Annie has also been director of the biennial New Zealand International Documentary Conference that has run since 1996, is a trustee of the New Zealand International Documentary Festival, DocEdge and was the President of the Screen Directors’ Guild of New Zealand for three years.

She received her PhD in Film and Television Studies from The University of Auckland and is currently a Professor at the Department of Film, Television and Media Studies at that institution. In 2006 she received an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for services to film.

For more information about Annie’s films:

www.op.co.nz

www.brothernumberone.co.nz

www.nzinafghanistan.com

Workshop: Documentary with Annie Goldson

Daniel Joseph Borgman has forged a unique path as a New Zealand filmmaker, making his films both there and in Europe. The films are influenced by both environments and filmmaking histories, and he has gained recognition for his emerging talent at the most prestigious festivals in the world. He has been innovative with approach and format, but the films all share a mature sensitivity and strong visual aesthetic.

Daniel Studied film science at Otago University in New Zealand before moving to Europe where he worked in post production, first as an assistant and later as a colourist and VFX artist.

His first film THE MAN AND THE ALBATROSS is remarkable for the arresting visuals on a small budget and premiered at ‘The Leopards of Tomorrow’ Competition at Locarno 2008. His second film LARS AND PETER is a sensitively told drama and screened In Competition at the Festival de Cannes in 2009. In 2009 Daniel was admitted into the Danish Alternative film school Super16 (www.super16.dk).

His next short film BERIK, is a remarkable and confronting film shot in Kazakstan with a small crew. This film was selected for Critics Week at Cannes 2010 and won the Grand Prix for Best Short Film. Also in 2010, Daniel’s debut feature film project THE WEIGHT OF ELEPHANTS was selected for development at the Cannes Cinefondation’s The Residence program in Paris, France.

BERIK was nominated for the European Film Academy Award in 2011.

In 2012 Daniel completed production on THE WEIGHT OF ELEPHANTS, a Danish/New Zealand co-production set in New Zealand. At the same time he completed his studies at the Danish alternative film school Super16 with his graduation project, an experimental live film/theatre/happening, entitled HOW TO SAY GOODBYE.

Co-Pro Case Study – The Weight of Elephants: What Scandinavia does right with Leanne Saunders and Daniel Borgman

Wonjo Jeong is a producer working at Moho Film, a production company owned by the acclaimed Korean filmmaker, Park, Chan-wook.

Jeong was born and raised in Korea until the age of twelve when his family immigrated to New Zealand where he completed his school education and a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce and Administration with majors in Marketing and Commercial Law.

Along with a keen interest in filmmaking, his Korean born New Zealander background and bi-lingual skills earned him the position of producer’s assistant on ANTARCTIC JOURNAL (2005) directed by Yim Pil-sung, which was filmed in New Zealand. He followed this with THE HOST (2006), a feature film directed by Bong Joon-ho, and the Korean television series QUEEN OF THE GAME serving as Production Coordinator for the New Zealand elements in these Korean productions.

In 2008 he was a Visual Effects Coordinator on the film THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM directed by Rob Minkoff, starring Jet Li and Jackie Chan.

Not long after, Jeong started working with Director Park, Chan-wook, and produced his short film NIGHT FISHING (co-directed with brother, Chan-kyong), shot entirely with Apple’s iPhone, which was the winner of the Golden Bear (Short Film) at the 2011 Berlin Film Festival.

Most recently, he worked as a Co-Producer and translator on Park’s first English feature film, STOKER (2013).

Session: Working with Korea

Kararaina Rangihau (aka Karlite) is of Tūhoe and Te Arawa ancestry and lives in Waikaremoana. She is a dedicated Tūhoe tribeswoman committed to the preservation, protection and restoration of Tūhoe epistemology, and devoted to ensuring that Tūhoetanga continues as a living practice in her community. After 20 years of involvement in various projects as an actress, writer, singer, composer, director and producer for Māori children’s television, film, Māori radio, theatre, and community development, Kararaina made her first short film – TAKU RAKAU E (2010).

She is currently studying a Masters in Applied Indigenous Knowledge at Te Wānanga o Āotearoa while continuing to write and direct films.

“White Lies, or Medicine Woman as it was to me, has helped to awaken a sleeping giant that has been laying dormant within me for almost a decade. The wonderful world of film collides with the deeply mystical universe of Tūhoe, and my job is to continue to strive in the most truthful way to bring that magic to life on screen.”  Kararaina Rangihou

Case Study: Cultural Integrity and White Lies – Tuakiri Huna: An open dialogue with Dana Rotberg & Kararaina Rangihau

Michael Stephens is a leading New Zealand film and entertainment lawyer and executive producer. Michael has been closely involved supporting the development of New Zealand’s film production and digital entertainment sector and its links with Asia. He is the founding principal of Stephens Lawyers, and has a personal and professional interest in the future of Asia Pacific Film co-productions, and funding for film, documentary, animation, games and other digital media projects.

Michael’s current interests include acting as legal counsel and a director for a number of New Zealand film and digital entertainment companies, and as the Chairman of the Korean Cinerama Trust New Zealand. He is also a Board Member of the NZ Film and Literature Board of Review, Honorary Adviser to the New Zealand/China Film Festivals, and an International Delegate for the Shanghai International Film Festival.

In addition to on-going legal work on a number of film related matters, completed film and media projects Michael has been involved producing include the recent NZ/HK film ETERNITY, feature documentaries US AND THE GAMES INDUSTRY and MOVING as well as BLACK SHEEP, I’M NOT HARRY JENSON, LAST OF THE LIVING and, WHEN NIGHT FALLS.

Wellington NZ based Law Office Stephens Lawyers www.stephenslawyers.co.nz provides a full range of legal support and advice to NZ and international business and private clients including a number of  Film and other Screen and Digital Content Sector Production, Animation, Games, VFX and Post Production Companies.

Email Michael.stephens@slaw.co.nz

Phone +64-4-472 9632

Mobile +64-21-635 798

Session: Working with Korea

Quinton Hita’s work on TV, radio and film has seen him on both sides of the camera. After winning fans on MAI TAIME and SHORTLAND STREET, he went behind the scenes on SHORTLAND STREET, and these days is better known in the industry as a prolific producer with company Kura Productions.

Hita’s prowess in Te Reo played a part early in his career, when he balanced work teaching Māori with a gig writing Māori news for Palmerston North bilingual station Kia Ora FM.

In 1996 Hita was in at the launch of influential Māori youth show MAI TIME. The show began with a team of five presenters, and Hita stayed on board for two years. He was also writing and presenting show KA HAO TE RANGATAHI for Māori radio broadcaster Ruia Mai.

After leaving MAI TIME, a publisher approached Hita with the idea of him writing a basic guide to Māori language. When Q’s Course in Māori was released in time for Māori Language Week in 2001, NZ Herald writer Maggie Thomson called Hita “the kind of tour de force who is just the figurehead Te Reo needs among young people“. The book was updated in 2004, this time with an accompanying CD instead of a cassette tape.

The years between the book’s first and second edition saw Hita balancing multiple broadcasting gigs, and adding acting into the mix. He joined the on-air team at Auckland’s Mai FM, made radio shows for Ruia Mai and started a six year term as youth rep on the Māori Language Commission. After joining long-running Māori children’s series PUKANA as presenter, he also worked on the show as writer, director and Te Reo Māori consultant.

He made his screen acting debut in 2001 with CROOKED EARTH, a film he had first auditioned for four years before. Hita played Api, who romances the screen daughter of Temuera Morrison’s character (played by Jaime Passier-Armstrong). “He was a very cool character to play,” Hita told Pavement. “He rides the horses, he gets the chicks.”

After a small role in Harry Sinclair comedy TOY LOVE, Hita joined the cast of SHORTLAND STREET in 2002. Playing ambulance driver Nelson Copeland, he found himself falling for the manipulative Layla Cornwall (Louise Harris) and saving lives in the earthshaking 2003 Christmas cliffhanger, before departing for the Solomon Islands with Hannah Tolich’s character.

Hita had by then moved behind the scenes to become part of the SHORTLAND STREET writing team, and also became the show’s Māori script editor.

2004 saw the launch of Kura Productions, a joint venture with company South Pacific Pictures. As Kura’s manager, Hita has executive produced or produced over 250 hours of TV, much of them for Māori Television. The shows include PUKORO and multiple seasons of both bilingual game show KUPUHUNA and five-nights-a-week language series TOKU REO. Hita can also be seen on KOWHAO RAU, talking to kaumātua about lives lived far from the beaten track.

Hita has also worked on a number of films with actor turned director Tearepa Kahi. Their first short, tagging tale THE SPEAKER(2005) was invited to top-rated film festivals in Berlin and Clermont Ferrand. Two years later Hita produced Kahi’s second short TAUA – WAR PARTY, which travelled even further, and won the best short award at National Geographic’s All Roads Festival.

Leanne Saunders gained a foothold in the industry with Working Title Films and attached sales company Manifesto Film Sales, UK. On return to New Zealand she worked as an in-house and freelance production manager before establishing herself as a producer of short form drama, commonly known as TV commercials.

She launched as a feature film producer under her newly formed company Severe Features with micro budget digital film CHRISTMAS (2003) directed by Gregory King, which was selected for Toronto, Locarno, Edinburgh, and Melbourne. She then set up low budget feature scheme, Headstrong with business partners Ant Timpson and Paul Swadel, looking to energise opportunities for filmmakers to make feature films, recognising international trends around digital acquisition and distribution. Through the scheme she executive produced THE DEVIL DARED ME TO (2007), World Premiere at SXSW and sold in the UK to Wild Bunch and to BollAG for ROW and A SONG OF GOOD (2008), World Premiere at Rotterdam 2008; other festivals include Warsaw, Durban, Karlovy Vary, Gijon and Philadelphia.

She partnered with Curious Film to produce Stephen Kang’s feature film DESERT (2010), which premiered at Pusan and was released in NZ/Australia by Curious Distribution. She also came on board with Curious and AKA Films to co-produce Kang’s short film BLUE (2011) Winner Grand Prix Critics Week Cannes 2011.

She produced Paul Campion’s low budget horror THE DEVIL’S ROCK (2011) as an unofficial co-venture between UK and NZ, which was has sold to 30 territories including UK (Metrodome) and US/ Canada (Entertainment One) as well as screening in many leading genre festivals including Fantasia, San Sebastian and Yubari.

Currently in release is the debut feature of Daniel Joseph Borgman, THE WEIGHT OF ELEPHANTS, a co-production with leading European production company, Zentropa Entertainments5 and Sweden’s Film I Väst. It premiered in Forum and Generation sections of the Berlin Film Festival 2013.

Co-Pro Case Study – The Weight of Elephants: What Scandinavia does right with Leanne Saunders and Daniel Borgman

NZ born Chris Sinclair is a freelance sound editor and mixer. Having spent much of the last fifteen years living and working in the UK, Chris was instrumental in the design and construction of Britian’s first accredited Dolby Premier mixing theatre at ‘Savalas’ in Scotland. His film mixing credits include THE MAGDALLEN SISTERS, ASYLUM and VALHALLA RISING as well as New Zealand films WHEN A CITY FALLS, THE LAST OCEAN and WHITE LIES.

Workshop: Sound Design with Steve Finnigan and Chris Sinclair

Steve Finnigan is co-owner and Head of Sound at Auckland-based post-production facility Images & Sound.

His credits as Supervising Sound Editor and ADR recordist are extensive in both film and television, and include award winning New Zealand TV series’ OUTRAGEOUS FORTUNE, GO GIRLS and KAITANGATA TWITCH as well as feature films MY WEDDING AND OTHER SECRETS, SIONE’S 2, KIWI FLYER, INSATIABLE MOON and most recently WHITE LIES. 

He also has ADR recording credits on international features including STAR WARS – EPISODE I AND II, FROST/NIXON and the 2009 STAR TREK.

Workshop: Sound Design with Steve Finnigan and Chris Sinclair

Oscar Kightley is a critically acclaimed writer, actor, director and television presenter renowned for his comedy work, particularly with BRO’TOWN and The Naked Samoans.

Oscar started writing for the stage in 1996 with A Frigate Bird Sings (co-written with David Fane), which gained success at the 1996 New Zealand International Arts Festival. Oscar’s first solo venture as a playwright, Dawn Raids, premiered in Auckland a year later and in 1998 he was awarded the Bruce Mason Playwriting Award. In 2004, Oscar wrote Niu Sila with Dave Armstrong, which played to sell-out crowds. In 2006, Oscar was made a Laureate by the Arts Foundation of New Zealand.

Oscar wore two hats as the lead actor and co-writer of 2006 hit film SIONE’S WEDDING which reached the number one position in the New Zealand box office in its first week of release, and had the biggest opening weekend of any New Zealand-made film. SIONE’S WEDDING grossed over $4 million at the New Zealand box office and it is still in the all-time’s top five most popular New Zealand films.

Oscar is a member of the Naked Samoans comedy group, who have performed all over New Zealand since 1998. Oscar co-hosted TV3’s coverage of Super 12 Rugby and the weekly sports show, SPORTZAH, as well as being a writer/performer for SKITZ and TELLY LAUGHS for TV3. He’s also a presenter on Nui FM’s breakfast show. Oscar is also one of the creators and writers of the animated TV3 comedy phenomenon BRO’TOWN, which has won several Best Comedy prices at the NZ Screen Awards.

In 2007 Oscar was appointed as a member of Creative New Zealand’s Arts Council by then Prime Minister and Minister for the Arts – Helen Clark and in 2009, he featured in the Listener’s list of New Zealand’s 50 most powerful people. More recently, Oscar has featured in the TV3 series RADIRADIRAH, reprised his role of Albert in the sequel of  SIONE’S WEDDING, which he wrote with James Griffin, as well as being the director on Series 2 of SUPERCITY.

His most recent role was as lead police detective Harry Anglesea in TV3’s HARRY.

Case Study: We Need to Talk About Harry

Steven O’Meagher is the Founder and Managing Director of Desert Road, an award-winning film, drama and documentary production company based in Auckland, New Zealand, which has earned a reputation for delivering audiences original, high-end, quality storytelling.

Steven formed Desert Road in 2005, and a year later the company’s debut feature film OUT OF THE BLUE (which he originated and co-produced) premiered at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival. OUT OF THE BLUE became New Zealand’s 10th most successful film of all-time on its domestic release (tipping Heavenly Creatures into 11th spot), and picked up a fistful of Qantas Film Awards in 2008 for Best Picture, Screenplay, Actor, Supporting Actor, Cinematography and Editing. The Weinstein Company acquired OUT OF THE BLUE for international theatrical distribution in Europe, the UK, Brazil, and in the US.

Desert Road (with Steven as series co-owner and Executive Producer) made its foray into television drama in 2009 when the company co-produced New Zealand’s most expensive drama series, THIS IS NOT MY LIFE (13 x 1 hour) for TVNZ. This primetime series launched in August 2010 and worldwide distribution and format rights were bought by Lionsgate (the producers of the Emmy-winning series Mad Men). A current US-remake of the series is being prepared.

Steven created the original television drama series HARRY (Oscar Kightley, Sam Neill) for Desert Road which screened on TV3 in 2013 to universal acclaim.

Case Study: We Need to Talk About Harry

Chris Dudman is a highly accomplished and respected writer and director. He has gone on to work extensively in film, television and advertising, collected armfuls of awards and accolades along the way, including Qantas Film and Television Awards, a British Television Society award and numerous short film festival awards. He currently has two feature film projects in development and also wrote and directed major TV drama series HARRY (Oscar Kightley, Sam Neill) in 2012. The series aired on TV3 in 2013.

Chris Dudman’s Royal College of Art (London) film BLACKWATER SUMMER was nominated for an Oscar and went on to win Best European Short Film at Cork, Best Film at the Munich International Student Film Festival, the Young Jury Prize at the Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival, and Best Director and the Public Prize at Tours.

During the 1990’s, based in London, Chris wrote and directed WINGS OF WOOD and SANDMAN, two arts documentaries for Thames Television; the latter nominated for a British Television Society Award. He also directed the documentary LIDO, which became the most popular documentary in the BBC 10×10 series.

Chris also researched and outlined INTIMATE STRANGERS, an original six-hour thriller series about a forensic pathologist, commissioned by BBC Scotland, and co- wrote the pilot episode entitled, THE CONFESSOR

In 1995 Chris returned to New Zealand where he wrote and researched the final two episodes of NEW ZEALAND AT WAR and wrote the feature screenplay THE DOLPHIN OF DINGLE BAY.

In 1998 Chris directed two INSIDE NEW ZEALAND documentaries, ZOO and PROTECTING THE BORDER, for TV3.

Since then Chris has directed numerous award-winning television commercials around the world and now co-owns Robber’s Dog Films, a New Zealand leading commercials production company.

Chris’ love of drama is a strong as ever. The New Zealand Film Commission short film he directed, THE GRAFFITI OF MR TUPAIA, starring Rawiri Paratene, won best screenplay, best actor and best film at the Qantas film and TV awards in 2008, and Best Film against Violence at the Berlin Film Festival in 2010.

Chris’ CHOICE NIGHT, another NZFC funded short film, was selected for last year’s BFI London Film Festival, Valladolid’s SEMINICI, Melbourne’s International Film Festival and Switzerland’s Cinema dus Ecrans Festival. The short was also at Cannes’ Short Film Corner in 2010. in 2013, the short screened at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in France and at the Palm Springs International Short Film Festival.

In 2012 Chris developed and wrote TV series HARRY (Oscar Kightley, Sam Neill) with Auckland production company Desert Road. The series debuted on TV3 in 2013.

Chris currently has a feature film in development with the NZFC, WE WILL NOT CEASE, Archibald Baxter’s extraordinary pacifist struggle against the military machine of World War One who were determined to break his will and make him fight.

Case Study: We Need to Talk About Harry

Neil Grimstone is a former Detective Senior Sergeant who served 28 years in the police, all of his time served being in South Auckland.

He was the lead investigator in many high profile cases prior to him taking retirement in late 2007.

Some of these cases included the murder of Chris Currie, killed by a teenager dropping a concrete block on him from a motorway overbridge; the Pukekohe intruder rape; the Asian kidnapping for a $1 million ransom; and the murder of Darunee Apiromlek whose body was found bound and gagged in the Waikato river.

He is currently working in a regulatory compliance role after managing Matrix Security for four years after he finished in the police.

He was a co-writer for the series HARRY and worked full time on the project for 12 months from November 2011. He has been the Technical Consultant on the series for the four years that it took to get the project onto the screen.

Case Study: We Need to Talk About Harry

Dr Ian Hassall was New Zealand’s first Commissioner for Children from 1989 to 1994. He is a paediatrician and children’s advocate and has campaigned for children’s health, safety and rights. He was prominent in the campaign that ended legally-sanctioned physical punishment of children in New Zealand in 2007. In 2010 he received the biennially awarded international Aldo Farina prize for child rights advocacy.

Ian was in clinical practice in Auckland hospitals as a paediatrician from 1971 to 1981.

He was a medical advisor to the Plunket Society from1978 to 1989. Notable campaigns during that time were for adaptation of services for mothers and children to a low income urban area, mothers’ groups, support centres, measles immunisation and fencing of home pools to prevent toddler drowning.

During his term as Commissioner for Children he reported on various matters including child maltreatment, child homicide, searching of school children for drugs and police sweeps for youth offenders and oversaw the introduction of the provisions of the Children, Young Persons and Their Families Act 1989, notably the innovative Family Group Conferences.

He was a founder member from 1993 and chair from 1999 of the lobby group for children, Children’s Agenda, and involved in the establishment in 2004 of the child advocacy coalition, Every Child Counts. In 2002 he helped set up the national children’s helpline, Whats Up?

He convened an international child abuse prevention conference, the 12^th ISPCAN congress, in Auckland in 1998.

From 2001-3 he was Manager – Health Sector at the Domestic Violence Centre (now S.H.I.N.E.) during the introduction of screening for intimate partner violence in health care services.

From 2002-9 he was Senior Lecturer/Researcher at the Institute of Public Policy at the Auckland University of Technology where he introduced a Masters course in Children and Public Policy.

He is at present a research associate at the Institute of Public Policy, AUT University, a Trustee of the New Zealand Children’s Screen Trust and a panel member in the Confidential Listening and Assistance Service.

He and his wife Jenny live in Auckland and enjoy the company as circumstances permit of their four children and seven grandchildren.

Panel: Where are Kids in the Big Picture?

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.

Starting his career in the screen industry as an actor on various TV productions, Tom eventually followed his yearnings to tell stories that he believed in, and in 2007 co-founded production company Six String Pictures with his old acting buddy (turned writer-director) James Napier Robertson. Together the pair independently developed, financed and produced their debut feature, the micro-budget, whodunnit thriller I’M NOT HARRY JENSON. INHJ was released theatrically in New Zealand to strong reviews, off the back of sell out screenings at the New Zealand International Film Festival, and went on to play at a number of other festivals.

In 2010 Tom co-founded Four Knights Films Ltd, again with Napier Robertson, and Australasian entrepreneurs Tim and Sasha Wood. That year, Tom produced a short film entitled LAMBS, written and directed by Sam Kelly, which was invited to screen at a number of prestigious international film festivals including Clermont Ferrand, Berlin, Melbourne and Raindance, and won the Madman Grand Jury Prize and the Peoples Choice Award at the 2012 New Zealand International Film Festival.

2013 ad 2014 have been huge for Tom and Four Knights with the release of two feature films. The micro-budget arthouse drama EVERYTHING WE LOVED, written and directed by Max Currie, and THE DARK HORSE, a drama inspired by the colourful life of bipolar-suffering Maori speed-chess-genius Genesis Potini. The film was directed by James Napier Robertson and stars Cliff Curtis and James Rolleston.

Tom is a passionate, creative-producer who loves cinema.

Session info: Secrets of The Dark Horse with Tom Hern and James Napier Robertson

Session info:  In Conversation with Alix Madigan 

Fergus Barrowman has been the Publisher of Victoria University Press, New Zealand’s leading publisher of new fiction and poetry, since 1985. His publishing highlights include Emily Perkins’ debut Not Her Real Name, The Vintner’s Luck by Elizabeth Knox, and Eleanor Catton’s The Luminaries, which received the 2013 Man Booker Prize.

Fergus founded and continues to edit the literary magazine Sport. His book Great Sporting Moments: The Best of Sport Magazine 1988-2004 (edited by Damien Wilkins) won the 2006 Montana New Zealand Book Award for Reference and Anthology. Fergus also edited The Picador Book of Contemporary New Zealand Fiction (1996), and has contributed to the teaching and assessment of the VUW creative writing programme for 30 years. He is married to the novelist Elizabeth Knox.

Session: Optioning Source Material – Publishers Present their Picks