New Zealand director, producer and screenwriter Jane Campion is one of contemporary cinema’s most notable filmmakers. She is the first and only female director to receive the Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival (1993) and only the second of four women ever to be nominated as Best Director at the Academy Awards (1994), both for THE PIANO. Jane went on to win Best Screenplay.
Jane studied anthropology at Victoria University in Wellington and painting at London’s Chelsea School of Arts and the Sydney College of the Arts before moving to film in the early 1980s studying at the Australian Film Television and Radio School.
Her first short film, PEEL (1982), winner of the Short Film Palme d’Or in 1986 at Cannes Film Festival was followed in 1989 by SWEETIE, AN ANGEL AT MY TABLE (1990), THE PIANO (1993), THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY (1996); HOLY SMOKE (1999); IN THE CUT (2003) and BRIGHT STAR (2009).
In 2013 Jane created and co-wrote (with Gerard Lee), directed (with Garth Davis) and executive produced the mystery thriller TOP OF THE LAKE, a six-hour TV mini-series for the BBC, UK TV and the Sundance Channel.
In 2014 Jane was the Jury President of 67th Festival de Cannes.
In Conversation with Jane Campion, Sun 11 October 3.10pm
Directing Masterclass with Jane Campion, Sun 11 October 10.30am
One of Australia’s most prolific thespians, Rachel Griffiths is also an Academy Award nominated and multi-award winning actress. After a successful career on the Australian stage, Rachel Griffiths burst onto the international scene in 1994 with P.J. Hogan’s much loved feature film MURIEL’S WEDDING. Her film credits since then include MY BEST FRIEND’S WEDDING alongside Julia Roberts, THE ROOKIE, THE HARD WORD with Guy Pearce, BLOW, STEP UP, BURNING MAN, NED KELLY, PATRICK, SAVING MR BANKS with Tom Hanks, BEAUTIFUL KATE and HILARY & JACKIE, a performance which earned her an Academy Award nomination.
In television Rachel earned a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Brenda in the critically acclaimed and long running HBO series SIX FEET UNDER. She also received an Emmy Award nomination for her role in fellow US series BROTHERS & SISTERS. Other television credits include the HBO/NBC CoPro CAMP and the Julian Assange biopic UNDERGROUND, which screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. Rachel featured in the hugely successful series HOUSE HUSBANDS in 2014 as well as a directing spot on NOWHERE BOYS for Matchbox Pictures. Other television credits include MAG WARS and DEADLINE GALLIPOLI for Foxtel alongside Sam Worthington, Hugh Dancy and Charles Dance.
On stage Griffiths received Helpmann and Green Room Awards for her role as ‘Catherine’ in the of David Auburn’sPulitzer production of Proof. Perhaps most notably, Rachel tread the boards in the Broadway production of Other Desert Cities opposite Stockard Channing, Stacy Keach and Thomas Sadoski.
Keynote Address: Rachel Griffiths, Sat 10th October, 4.20pm
In Conversation with Rachel Griffiths, Sun 11th October, 1.45pm
Academy Award and two-time Golden Globe winning producer Jon Landau holds the distinction of having produced the two highest grossing films of all time: AVATAR and TITANIC. The combination of Landau’s thorough understanding of the most complex state-of-the-art technologies, his ability to work hand-in-hand with the highest calibre of creative talent, and his motivational ability has enabled him to play a significant role in numerous major feature films.
Landau has a handle on all aspects of the creative process, including a firm grasp on the ever-changing landscape of digital technology. With an innate ability to inspire others to push the creative boundaries of storytelling, and the imagination to invent any new tools that will achieve this success, Jon Landau teaches believes that if you feel limited because you feel your ideas are “ahead of their time” – get a new watch.
Jon Landau was recently appointed to the New Zealand Screen Advisory Board alongside other BSS 2015 speaker Jane Campion, bringing a wealth of experience and generosity of spirit to our local industry.
In Conversation with Jon Landau, Sat 10th October, 1.35pm
Since early in his career, the films of Sebastián Silva, a Chilean writer and director, have received international acclaim.
He studied filmmaking at the Escuela de Cine de Chile for a year before leaving to study animation in Montreal. In 2007, he co-wrote and directed his first feature, LA VIDA ME MATA which garnered multiple awards, including Best Film from the Chilean Critics Circle.
Silva’s success continued with his next film, LA NANA (THE MAID) which premiered in World Competition at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and won the Grand Jury prize. The film was nominated for a Golden Globe, as well as an Independent Spirit Award in the Best Foreign Film category. Sebastián followed up THE MAID with his film OLD CATS, which premiered at the 2010 New York Film Festival.
In 2012 Sebastián directed two films, MAGIC MAGIC and CRYSTAL FAIRY. MAGIC MAGIC, which he wrote and directed, is a dark thriller starring Michael Cera, Juno Temple and Emily Browning with Christine Vachon and Mike White producing. The film premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival as well as the 2013 Cannes Film Festival as part of Directors’ Fortnight. CRYSTAL FAIRY similarly premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival as part of the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. The film starred Michael Cera and Gaby Hoffman, and was produced by Pablo Larrain and Juan de Dios Larrian.
Sebastián’s film NASTY BABY, which premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, stars Sebastián himself as Freddy, a Brooklyn artist, alongside Tunde Adebimpe as Mo, who are a gay couple grappling with the complications of conceiving a child via artificial insemination, and enlist the help of their friend Polly, played by Kristen Wiig.
Filmmaking Masterclass with Sebastián Silva, Sat 10th October, 11.20am
In Conversation with Sebastián Silva, Sun 11th October, 9.00am
Novelist, filmmaker, producer and playwright
A double Academy Award nominated and double BAFTA winning screenwriter and film producer of the film THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING (2014) as well as a celebrated novelist, New Zealand-born Anthony McCarten is a filmmaker, novelist and playwright. He received early international success with his play Ladies Night, which remains New Zealand’s most commercially successful play of all time.
In 2011, his adaptation of his own novel DEATH OF A SUPERHERO had its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, won the 2011 Les Arcs European Film Festival Audience Choice Prize and Young Jury Prize, and the Audience Award and ‘Special Mention’ of the Jury at the Mamer-en-Mars European Film Festival. Prior to this, VIA SATELLITE, which he adapted from his own stage play, and directed himself, was invited to several film festivals including London, Cannes, Toronto, Melbourne, Hawaii and Seattle. His follow-up feature as writer/director, SHOW OF HANDS(2008), premiered at the Montreal International Film Festival and was an official selection for the Shanghai Film Festival 2009, and was nominated for Best Picture and Best Director at the New Zealand Film Awards.
McCarten produced and wrote THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING (2014), concerning the life of Prof. Stephen Hawking, and his first wife, Jane Hawking. On January 15, 2015 the film received 5 Academy Award nominations, with McCarten earning two as producer and screenwriter in the categories of Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. He won two BAFTA awards for his roles as producer Best British Film and screenwriter Best Adapted Screenplay.
He is currently working on several upcoming projects: a biopic of Winston Churchill, another of Freddie Mercury, the 2008 siege of The Taj Palace Hotel in Mumbai, the origin story of bungee jumping, an adaptation of his latest novel Funnygirl, and a project for George Clooney.
In 2015 he was inducted as a Literary Fellow of the New Zealand Society of Authors.
He lives in London.
Writing Masterclass with Anthony McCarten, Sat 10th October, 2.45pm
Australian producer Liz Watts has over 13 years of experience in the screen industry, having produced and executive-produced over ten feature films and numerous television dramas. Amongst her credits are many critically acclaimed titles, by some of Australia’s most anticipated directors.
Her feature films include ANIMAL KINGDOM (2010, Director David Michôd), THE HOME SONG STORIES (2007, Director Tony Ayres), LITTLE FISH (2005, Director Rowan Woods), Cannes & Sundance selected JEWBOY (2005, Director Tony Krawitz), and Berlin selected WALKING ON WATER, (2002 Director Tony Ayres).
Liz’ last feature THE ROVER, reteaming with writer/ director David Michôd, premiered in Official Selection Cannes Film Festival 2014. THE ROVER stars Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson, and is sold by FilmNation.
Liz produced the acclaimed German Australian co-production LORE, directed by Cate Shortland, and DEAD EUROPE, directed by Tony Krawitz, with Emile Sherman & Iain Canning, both of which premiered at Festival Special Presentation Toronto International Film in 2012.
As Executive Producer, her credits include THE HUNTER (2011, Daniel Nettheim), starring Willem Defoe, LOU (2010 Belinda Chayko, starring John Hurt), PRIME MOVER (2009 David Caesar), and in 2015, THE KETTERING INCIDENT 8 part TV series for Foxtel, and upcoming feature film JASPER JONES with director Rachel Perkins.
Liz’s television credits include two seasons of LAID (ABC TV, Marieke Hardy & Kirsty Fisher creators, Trent O’Donnell, Abe Forsythe Directing), MARTHA’S NEW COAT (2003, SBS, Director Rachel Ward), DELIVERY DAY (2001, SBS, Director Jane Manning) as well as documentaries including BURIED COUNTRY (2000, SBS); THE PITCH (1998, ABC) and ISLAND STYLE (1999, SBS).
Liz is a 2011 Churchill Fellowship recipient, and she served as Board Member of the Sydney Film Festival for 5 years and as Vice President of the Board of MetroScreen for 6 years. She is currently a Board member of the South Australian Film Corporation.
Producing Masterclass with Liz Watts, Sun 11th October, 1.45pm
Graeme Revell was born in New Zealand, graduating from the University of Auckland in geography and political-economy. Revell worked for a short time as a regional planner in Australia and Indonesia but then spent two fascinating years as an orderly in an Australian psychiatric hospital. Arising from his experience there, Graeme became a founding member of SPK, a seminal 1970s Industrial music group, relocating to France and England, studying philosophy and gaining considerable fame in Europe and the US. Transitioning to film composition, the score of his first film DEAD CALM won him an Australian Film Industry award and he quickly became one of the most sought-after composers in Hollywood.
Since 1990 he has written over 100 major film soundtracks and television series including THE CROW, THE SAINT, THE CHINESE BOX (Gold award, Venice Film festival), BLOW, SIN CITY, CSI MIAMI and the new hit: GOTHAM. Mr. Revell was recently honored by BMI with a lifetime achievement award in a notable ceremony MC’d by none other than Chucky (the doll character from the CHILD’S PLAY movies) for whom Revell wrote several scores.
Graeme continues to reinvent himself, wearing his new hat as CEO of a start-up eCommerce venture but hopes to devote considerable time to mentoring younger composers.
Score-Composing Masterclass with Graeme Revell, Sun 11th October, 10.30am
Born in Canada and raised in New Zealand, Alison Maclean came to international attention when her short film KITCHEN SINK (1989) was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, and won eight awards at festivals worldwide. Starring a young Theresa Healey, it is arguably the most successful short film to come from New Zealand. Her debut NZ feature film CRUSH (1992), produced by Bridget Ikin, also played in competition at Cannes, and was the only debut feature in competition.
Alison then moved to the US and directed her second feature, JESUS’ SON (1999), which won the Little Gold Lion at the Venice Film Festival and earned Alison a Best Director nomination.
Alison has since made her home in New York, working professionally as a director for the last two decades in commercials and television drama. She has directed episodes of the critically acclaimed series SEX IN THE CITY, CARNIVALE, THE TUDORS, THE L-WORD, and GOSSIP GIRL.
In addition to drama, Alison co-directed the documentary PERSON OF INTEREST, which screened in competition at the Sundance Film Festival, and the comedic documentary/narrative hybrid Intolerable, which screened at the Edinburg, Toronto, L.A., and Hamptons International Film festivals.
Alison has continued make short films, and is developing a number of feature projects. She directed the NZ feature film THE REHEARSAL, for which Maclean co-wrote an adapted screenplay with novelist Emily Perkins, from Eleanor Catton’s first novel of the same name.
In Conversation with Alison Maclean, Sat 10th October, 2.45pm
Bridget Ikin works as an independent producer of feature films, documentary, and more recently artists’ moving image installations.
She’s currently filming an adaptation of Eleanor Catton’s first novel THE REHEARSAL, which Alison Maclean is directing (and co-wrote with Emily Perkins). Previous features include: AN ANGEL AT MY TABLE (Silver Lion, Venice Film Festival 1990); Alison Maclean’s CRUSH (In Competition, Cannes, 1992); Clara Law’s FLOATING LIFE (Silver Leopard, Locarno, 1996); Sarah Watt’s LOOK BOTH WAYS (AFI Awards for Best Film; FIPRESCI Award); and MY YEAR WITHOUT SEX (2009).
In 2015, she completed SHERPA, a feature doc (Jennifer Peedom dir) which played in the Aus/ NZ Film festivals, Telluride, TIFF. She’s also produced two landmark documentary series on Aboriginal art, ART + SOUL (presenter Hetti Perkins; directors Warwick Thornton/ Steven McGregor).
Recently, Bridget and her partner John Maynard established Felix Media, a new production company to collaborate with artists on exceptional original moving image projects for cinema and gallery presentation. Productions include Lynette Wallworth’s CORAL, Hossein Valamanesh’s CHAR SOO, as well as several works by Angelica Mesiti.
With over 10 years experience and six feature films, writer/director Florian Habicht is continually exploring new ways to tell a story.
Florian was born in Berlin, and immigrated with his family to New Zealand in the eighties. He studied at the Elam School of Fine Arts, Auckland and Binger Filmlab, Amsterdam. He is responsible for some of NZ’s most innovative films.
His debut feature WOODENHEAD (2003), a Grimm-inspired musical fairytale, is renowned for its unique process. In lieu of writing a screenplay, Florian first recorded the soundtrack including dialogue, music and location sounds, in the style of a radio play. He then shot the black and white visuals, giving the film it’s fairy tale like quality.
His well-loved documentary KAIKOHE DEMOLITION (2004), reveals the heart and soul of Far North town Kaikohe, as it follows a group of regulars at the local demolition derby.
In his 2010 feature film LOVE STORY, Florian shot the film’s opening sequence and then asked New Yorkers on the streets of NYC for love advice and ideas on what should happen next in the story. These were then acted out by Habicht & actress Masha Yakovenko.
When LOVE STORY screened at the London Film Festival, Jarvis Cocker of PULP invited Florian to make a feature documentary about the UK group. This became Florian’s most recent endeavour PULP: A FILM ABOUT LIFE, DEATH & SUPERMARKETS.
Florian went on to shoot three short films in the UK: on musician BECK, spiritual speed dating, and Japanese band BOREDOMS. These ‘Random Acts’ were commissioned by Channel 4.
In 2017 Florian released his latest feature film SPOOKERS, and has two other feature films in development.
Jake Mahaffy is a filmmaker and teacher who grew up in the US midwest, and studied visual art and film at the Rhode Island School of Design and the Art Institute of Chicago, as well as attending the directing course at the Russian State Institute of Cinematography in Moscow.
Jake’s self-produced, micro-budget shorts and features were made single-handed, featuring untrained actors in rural settings. WELLNESS, MIRACLE BOY, WAR and other films have screened in international festivals including Sundance, Venice, and SXSW (Grand Jury Prize).
At the Big Screen Symposium Jake talks about his latest film, FREE IN DEED, which premiered at the 72nd Venice Film Festival. It was awarded the Orizzonti Best Film prize by jury president Jonathan Demme, and it received exceptional reviews, described by Variety Magazine as a “jagged, productively provocative work” with “superb, skin-prickling performances.” Developed over 11 years, and workshopped through the Sundance Labs, the film is based on a true story set in the distinctive world of storefront churches and depicts a man who tries to perform a miracle.
Jake has been awarded fellowships from foundations and institutes including Guggenheim, Tribeca, Sundance, Creative Capital. In the US he founded filmmaking programmes at two universities as an Associate Professor before immigrating to New Zealand. Jake currently works as a senior lecturer at the University of Auckland.
Case Study: FREE IN DEED, Sun 11th October, 10.30am
The multi-talented Duncan Sarkies is a screenwriter, playwright, novelist, performer and short story writer. In New Zealand he is best known for writing the hit black comedy SCARFIES. He also wrote two episodes for the HBO TV series FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS: ‘New Fans’ and ‘The Cup’.
Duncan has written film scripts, plays, short stories and novels, touring several shows around New Zealand and abroad. He won the 1995 New Zealand Play of the Year award for Saving Grace, and the 2000 Montana New Zealand Best First Book Award for his short story collection Stray Thoughts and Nose Bleeds.
He has written two novels. His debut novel Two Little Boys was published in 2008 to rave reviews, and was brought to life as a major motion picture directed by Robert Sarkies in 2012, and starred Hamish Blake and Bret McKenzie. His second novel, The Demolition of The Century, was released in 2013 year through John Murray Publishers, and is currently in development as a film project. He is also working on a film/radio/graphic novel project with musician Lawrence Arabia, artist Stephen Templer and comedian Jemaine Clement called The Mysterious Secrets of Uncle Bertie’s Botanarium.
Writing Masterclass with Duncan Sarkies, Sun 11th October, 10.30am
Anna Dean is a PR maven with a passion for arts, culture and entertainment. Based in Wellington, she is well known for taking a creative approach to communications through both on and off-line strategy and has a number of NZ features, transmedia projects and campaigns under her belt. Her successes on the WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS campaign were recognised with the Best Independent Marketing Campaign Award 2014 awarded earlier this year by the NZ Motion Picture Industry Council (NZMPIC).
She was selected to attend Pixel Lab 2015 in Scotland in July 2015 with 30 people from around the world, and is all about having real conversations around fresh approaches to marketing and publicity.
Publicity and Marketing Masterclass with Anna Dean, Sat 10th October, 2.45pm
Documentary director, editor and cinematographer
THE GROUND WE WON (2015) is Chris Pryor’s second feature documentary as director, cinematographer and editor.
The critically acclaimed feature length documentary HOW FAR IS HEAVEN (2012) was Chris’s debut as a director. He was also the cinematographer and editor, for which he was awarded a New Zealand Film Award for Best Documentary Cinematography, as well as being nominated for Best Documentary Film, Best Documentary Director and Best Documentary Editor.
Chris has also collaborated on a myriad of other works both long and short, for the big and the small screen. Chris was a participant of Script to Screen’s FilmUp Mentorship programme in 2014.
Case Study: THE GROUND WE WON, Sat 10th October, 11.20am
Documentary Producer & Creator
Miriam Smith produced & co-created the critically acclaimed observational documentaries THE GROUND WE WON (2015) & HOW FAR IS HEAVEN (2012), both of which had successful cinema releases in New Zealand.
THE GROUND WE WON screened at the Melbourne International Film Festival & Locarno Film Festival – Semaine de la Critique, amongst a growing list of international festivals.
Also a writer, Miriam is alumni of the Binger Filmlab, Script to Screen’s Aotearoa Writers’ Lab & FilmUp, and has a BA in English & Film & MCPA from the University of Auckland.
Case Study: THE GROUND WE WON, Sat 10th October, 11.20am
With a background in documentary directing, Chelsea Winstanley began producing television and short films with business partner Desray Armstrong in 2008.
Since then she has gone on to make some of the most successful NZ short films of the last 4 years, including having films in competition at the Cannes Film Festival two years in a row – NIGHTSHIFT by Zia Mandviwalla, and MEATHEAD by Sam Holst respectively. She graduated from EAVE in 2011 with a focus on co-production.
WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS is Chelsea’s first theatrical feature film. In 2018, MERATA a feature documentary about Aotearoa’s pioneering Maori filmmaker Merata Mita was released. Future projects include Taika Waititi’s upcoming World War 2 drama JOJO RABBIT, and the feature documentary SPRAY OF PLENTY.
Panel: The Global Indigenous Network – Empowering Makers & Communities, Sat 10th October, 11.20am
Briar Grace-Smith is of Ngā Puhi descent, and is an award-winning writer of short fiction, stage plays and feature films.
Her plays include Ngā Pou Wāhine, Purapurawhetū and When Sun and Moon Collide. She is an inaugural Arts Foundation Laureate and was the writer in residence at Victoria University in 2003. She has also worked as a Development Executive for the New Zealand Film commission and taught ‘Writing for Theatre’ at IIML (2015).
Briar is a Sundance alumni and the writer of the feature films THE STRENGTH OF WATERand the horror comedy FRESH MEAT. Her television credits include FISHSKIN SUIT, BEING EVE, KAITANGATA TWITCH andthe Māori Television drama THIS IS PIKI. She was a director and co-writer of the short film, NINE OF HEARTS,and recently wrote and directed CHARM for the collaborative feature project WARU (BSAG Productions), which brought together the work of eight Māori women directors.
See Briar Grace-Smith in the following session:
WARU: Breaking the silence – Sat 24th September, 11:00 am.
Libby Hakaraia has worked in broadcasting and media for the past 25 years as a producer and director of current affairs, factual documentary, arts & entertainment series, corporate promotional films and drama. Libby is passionate about New Zealand which has led to her creating films for Creative NZ, Tourism NZ and Maori Tourism. She has also been involved in major brand work co-producing the design for the 2011 Rugby World Cup and the National Cycle way – Nga Haerenga.
In 2014 Libby launched Maoriland Film Festival, NZ’s first International Indigenous Industry focused film festival. Libby has been a jury member at the world’s largest Indigenous film festival in Toronto and has also participated in forums at the Berlin Film Festival.
Libby has a slate of projects in development including drama and documentary. She lives at Otaki Beach with television and film producer/director Tainui Stephens.
Panel: The Global Indigenous Network – Empowering Makers & Communities, Sat 10th October, 11.20am
Producer Matthew Metcalfe has worked in film and TV for the past eighteen years. In that time he has produced over NZD 110 million worth of production, representing eleven feature films, ten tele-features and numerous other TV shows, TVC’s, documentaries and music videos.
Matthew’s most recent film, 25 APRIL, screened at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. An animated (graphic novel style) feature film about the Australasian experience at Gallipoli in World War I. He was also a producer on ATOMIC FALAFEL a NZ/German/Israel co-production that tells of mismatched love in the Middle East through biting political satire. ATOMIC FALAFEL opened to the highest ever numbers for a domestic film during its recent theatrical release in Israel. He is currently in production with the action/thriller 6 DAYS and feature documentary MCLAREN.
In 2014 he produced THE DEAD LANDS which released in New Zealand following its world premiere via Special Presentation at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film opened at number one at the NZ box office, rounding beating the Brad Pitt vehicle, FURY.
In 2013 he had theatrical releases with BEYOND THE EDGE 3D, the true story of the conquest of Everest by Sir Edmund Hillary and the 1953 English expedition and GISELLE a feature co-production with the Royal New Zealand Ballet directed by multi award winning director, Toa Fraser. Both BEYOND THE EDGE and GISELLE were invited to screen at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.
Previous films produced by Matthew have been nominated for thirty-eight NZ Film Awards and have won fourteen as well as being recognised at festivals such as Cannes, Toronto and London. Films produced by Matthew have also been long-listed for two BAFTA’s and nominated for a London Critics Circle Award. Matthew also received a Tui Award at the 2002 NZ Music Awards for producing the iconic music video for FADE WAY by Che Fu.
Matthew has also contributed to the New Zealand screen sector by serving for three years on the New Zealand Film Commissions SPIF Committee (SPIFCOM) and as a member of the 2012 Government Steering Committee for the Screen Sector Review. In 2014 he was appointed to the NZ SPG Significant Economic Benefits Verification Panel.
Matthew holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of Auckland and an Advanced Diploma in English History from the University of Oxford.
Producer, former CEO of NZFC
Dave Gibson is the former CEO of the NZFC and has produced feature films and television programmes that have sold in more than eighty countries worldwide. He has co-produced major television drama series and feature films with partners based in Canada, Britain, Australia, Germany and Sweden.
He has served on the board of the New Zealand Drama School and was the inaugural Chair of the New Zealand Independent Producers and Directors Guild. He was the Chairman of Project Blue Sky (a major New Zealand film and television initiative that won the CER court case in Australia) and in 1997/1998 was the President of SPADA. Dave was awarded the honour of SPADA Industry Champion in 2005.
In 2012 he was appointed an officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) in recognition of his services to the film and television industries.
After graduating from drama school Toi Whakaari in 1987, Robyn Malcolm worked extensively in theatre for the first 5 years, performing in over 30 plays. In 2003 she won an International Actors Fellowship to study Shakespeare in performance with Mark Rylance at the Globe Theatre in London.
Malcolm first came to the attention of television audience in 1995 when she joined the staff of SHORTLAND STREET. As nursing manager and mother Ellen Crozier, she quickly lost a husband, accidentally burnt the house down, and soon found herself caught up in a complicated love-life – not to mention the complications which ensued when an ex-boyfriend got married to her psychotic sister. The writers of the show lovingly called her “the slut in the cardy” Malcolm earned her first screen nomination for Best Actress at the 1998 Television Awards.
In 1999 Malcolm founded the New Zealand Actors’ Company with Tim Balme, Katie Wolfe and future OUTRAGEOUS FORTUNE director Simon Bennett. The company produced and toured successful stage productions of Shakepeare adaptations and NZ works throughout the country to huge audiences.
She gained another nomination 3 years later for the film for television CLARE, based on the cervical cancer experiment at National Women’s Hospital. The film’s inspiration was Clare Matheson, whose book Fate Cries Enough chronicles how over 15 years she became an unwitting participant in a medical experiment where carcinoma in situ was often left untreated.
Over this time Malcolm had smaller roles in movies PERFECT STRANGERS, ABSENT WITHOUT LEAVE, THE LAST TATTOO, and LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS.
In 2004, Malcolm travelled to France to front her documentary OUR LOST WAR: PASSCHENDAELE. She followed her Great Uncles footstep’s from the hills of Central Otago, to the UK and France to then Belgium where he eventually was killed in 1917.
She would score her first actual screen award in 2005 for a show which surely drew some inspiration from SHORTLAND STREET: satire SERIAL KILLERS, in which she played a stressed out scriptwriter.
2005 was also the year that she first played Cheryl West, in OUTRAGEOUS FORTUNE. The show would go on to become the longest running and most successful drama in New Zealand TV history.
Bringing her substantial experience to the part, Malcolm helped created an iconic character on New Zealand television: feisty, flawed and cleavaged to the hilt, the straight-talking Cheryl tried to keep the West whanau on the straight and narrow, while trying to sort her affections for her criminal husband Wolf (Grant Bowler) and policeman Wayne Judd (Kirk Torrance). By the show’s third season, women were turning up in Kiwi hair salons asking for a “Cheryl West”. Malcolm argued in 2007 that audiences liked the character “because she’s so fallible… no one wants a two dimensional hero. We want messed up struggling people.”
The final episode of OUTRAGEOUS FORTUNE aired in November 2010 and rated better than any in the show’s six season run. Over those 5 years Malcolm has stacked up an unprecedented run of awards for her role.
In 2010 Malcolm took another centre stage role with THE HOPES AND DREAMS OF GAZZA SNELL, the first feature from award-winning INSIDERS GUIDE director Brendan Donovan. She was nominated again for best actress for this role. She then went to Australia for feature films DRIFT starring Sam Worthington, and THE BURNING MAN. She also began her association with the much acclaimed and loved Aussie TV series RAKE. Her recurring character the mad and hilarious Kirsty Corella, wife of jailed gangster gained her much praise in Australia.
Malcolm pitched her idea for her “tragi-comedy” AGENT ANNA, which debuted on television in January 2013. She was intrigued by the idea of basing a show around a middle-class mum “with no hint of hero about her,” who is forced to enter the highly competitive world of selling real estate whilst in a state of growing internal collapse.
She features in Jane Campion’s acclaimed mini-series TOP OF THE LAKE as a messed up American chimpanzee owner seeking healing down under and was voted Best Supporting Actress by Indiewire at the Berlin Festival.
Robyn featured in the hugely popular Melbourne comedy UPPER MIDDLE BOGAN and the second series of critically acclaimed political thriller THE CODE.
Through these years of film and television she has kept up regular theatre work. Most notably in recent years as the buried Winnie in Samuel Becket’s in HAPPY DAYS for Silo Theatre, the title role in Auckland Theatre Company’s production of MARY STUART and again for that company the roles of Shen Te and Shui Ta in Brechts THE GOOD SOUL OF SZECHUAN.
Robyn’s most recent work has included her role in the feature film HOSTILES (2017) starring Christian Bale, and as the star of the 2017 short film GOODNESS GROWS HERE. She has been kept busy with her roles in various new television series including Season 1 and 2 of WANTED (2015/2016), WAKE IN FRIGHT (2017) and HARROW (2017).
She is slowly becoming a fixture at the Big Screen Symposium as a regular interviewer of guests because “I love talking to people about this business, it’s a never-ending treasure trove of experience and story.”
See Robyn in the following session:
Case Study: THE CHANGEOVER – Sunday 1 October, 1.20pm.
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.
Gaylene Preston has been celebrated as one of New Zealand‘s leading filmmakers, having made some of the most enduring popular classics of New Zealand cinema. Gaylene is a storyteller whose work has a distinctive flavour; that entertain while presenting serious subjects with humour and warmth. Her compassion and understanding of real life, and real people, combined with her talent for portraying on film metaphoric stories, has contributed to Gaylene’s reputation as a distinct local voice.
Her career has spanned three decades, and her generosity of spirit and her powerful mentorship and advocacy skills have been central to the development of New Zealand’s filmmaking community.
Gaylene’s feature films include MR WRONG (1985), RUBY AND RATA (1990), WAR STORIES OUR MOTHER NEVER TOLD US (1995), PERFECT STRANGERS (2003), and HOME BY CHRISTMAS (2010).
Her documentaries include ALL THE WAY UP THERE (1978), LEARNING FAST (1980), MAKING UTU (1982), KERI HULME – KAI PURAKAU (1987), HONE TUWHARE – NO OTHER LIPS (1996), GETTING TO OUR PLACE (1999), PUNITIVE DAMAGE (Co-producer, 1999), TITLESS WONDERS (2001), COFFEE, TEA OR ME? (Producer, 2003), LANDS OF OUR FATHERS (Executive producer, 2004), EARTHQUAKE! (2006), TIME OF OUR LIVES (2007), LOVELY RITA (2007), STRONGMAN THE TRAGEDY (2011).
Her television series include BREAD AND ROSES (1993) and HOPE AND WIRE (2014), a three-part drama focused on the social and psychological upheaval during the Christchurch earthquakes.
Gaylene’s films have been in official selection for most major international film festivals including Venice, Sundance, Toronto, London, Sydney, Melbourne and New Zealand and have won awards in the USA, Canada, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, Russia, Australia and New Zealand.
In 2001 she was honoured by the New Zealand Arts Foundation, becoming New Zealand’s first Filmmaker Laureate. In 2002 Gaylene was appointed an Officer of the NZ Order of Merit for her services to filmmaking.
Gaylene is currently working on a feature documentary for international distribution following one of the most powerful New Zealanders in the world.
Tom Hern was recently recognised as a future leader of the industry in SCREEN INTERNATIONAL’s special Cannes 2015 edition, heralded as one of the world’s top emerging producers.
Thirty-year-old Hern has produced three feature films. One, the micro-budget-whodunnit-thriller, I’M NOT HARRY JENSON, which was funded entirely through private investment and was released theatrically in its home country of New Zealand to critical acclaim in 2009. Two, the eerily provocative festival darling, EVERYTHING WE LOVED, which he made with writer/director Max Currie and co-producer, Luke Robinson in 2012/13. And three, THE DARK HORSE, the gritty-based-on-a-true-story-drama which recently became a box office smash (NZD$2M) and audience fave in NZ, before launching internationally at the Toronto International Film Festival, where the film received fantastic reviews and sold to all major territories around the world. THE DARK HORSE has gone on to win a number of awards at top film festivals (including Audience Awards at the Rotterdam, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington DC and the Palm Springs International Film Festivals), and will be released theatrically in the US by Broad Green Pictures on December 11th this year.
As lead producer on THE DARK HORSE, Hern won the Moa Award for “Best Film” at the 2014 New Zealand Film Awards.
Hern was a member of the prestigious international jury for the Berlin Film Festival (Generation Section) in 2015. Hern and his shingle, Four Knights Film, had two features slated for production in early 2016 – a reimagining of the 1981 Kiwi Classic action/comedy, GOODBYE PORK PIE, and a NZ/Irish co-production entitled, A LONG WAY HOME.
Producer, writer and script consultant
Christina Milligan is an Auckland-based producer, writer and script consultant. Her most recent production is the feature documentary THE PRICE OF PEACE, directed by Kim Webby, which is currently playing in cinemas in the North Island after a very successful run at the NZ International Film Festival. As a producer or executive producer, her work includes the award-winning features MT ZION and THE END OF THE GOLDEN WEATHER as well as many television dramas for both adults and children. She has written for a number of prime-time Australian drama series and has script-edited hundreds of hours of drama including Emmy-finalist HANLON. Christina is also a researcher in the field of indigenous filmmaking and lectures in screen production and screenwriting at AUT University.
Dramaturg, coach and consultant
Brita McVeigh works with actors, directors, writers and producers, as a dramaturg, coach and consultant. In less than a decade, Brita’s working methodology has contributed to the development of more than 123 feature film, short film, television and theatre projects. Brita began working in the film industry at the age of 19 and directed her first film at 28. She had previously worked in story development, casting, production and post production in both NZ and the United States. Since 2011, over 400 creative professionals have attended Brita’s Acting for Humans workshops. She is an advisory board member of Story Camp Aotearoa, a five-day residential retreat for filmmakers.
See Brita McVeigh in the following sessions:
Screenwriting Masterclass with Cate Shortland – Sat 24th September, 2:55 pm.
Directing Masterclass with Tony Krawitz – Sun 25th September, 2:15pm.
Karin Williams descends from Cook Islands ‘akapapa on her father’s side. Her mother’s ancestors arrived in Aotearoa from Britain in the mid-1800s. This bicultural genealogy makes Karin a proud Kiwi who is passionate about the stories of her tupuna on both sides. She began her career as a journalist on Rarotonga and went on to work in New Zealand and the USA as a writer, director and producer for broadcast, film and theatre. Her award-winning independent documentaries, short films and theatre productions have shown at festivals around the world.
Karin is currently serving as a Development Executive at the New Zealand Film Commission.
Georgina Allison Conder
Georgina Allison Conder started off from career in the early 2000’s with Larry Parr and his company Kahukura Productions. Under the Mentorship of Larry she spent the next two years working in the development team, budgeting projects and working in the production team. At this time Kahukura was focused on producing 4 micro budget films for the NZFC as well as larger budget productions – TV series LOVE BITES and feature film FRACTURE.
In the coming years she gained experience in a large number of production roles on films, documentaries and TV series. In recent years she has been working as a line producer, working on New Zealand feature films EAGLE VS SHARK, BOY, SHOPPING and THE PA BOYS. Most recently she co-produced CONSENT: THE LOUISE NICHOLAS STORY. In 2014 Georgina and Simon Price were selected to attend La Biennale College of Cinema in Venice with their project BE WILDEBEEST, which is in currently in development with the NZ Film Commission.
Her most recent film is FREE IN DEED, directed by Jake Mahaffy, and co-produced with US Producers Mike Ryan, Mike Bowes and Brent Stiefel. This project has enabled her to continue working in the area she loves – low budget independent films. FREE IN DEED premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2015, where it won the Grand Jury Prize in the festival’s Orizzonti category.
In 2015 Georgina founded Miss Conception Films with Ainsley Gardiner. Their new production company is focused on female-lead character driven projects with female key creatives.
Producer and Documentary Director
Julia Parnell is an award-winning producer and documentary director. In her 12 year career as an independent producer she has created a diverse range of projects including the renowned comedy WAYNE ANDERSON: SINGER OF SONGS and documentaries and documentary series RESTORING HOPE, BOTH WORLDS, PRIME ROCKS: THE EXPONENTS, PRIME PRESENTS: DRAGON and DRUG COURT.
In recent years since launching Notable Pictures, Julia has expanded into producing drama with four NZFC-funded theatrical shorts HITCH HIKE, FRIDAY TIGERS, DIVE and RISING DUST. FRIDAY TIGERS, won the New Zealand International Film Festival’s Best New Zealand Short Film for 2013, and DIVE went on to win best film and screenplay at Show Me Shorts Film Festival in 2014.
Notable Pictures also founded the online short documentary platform Loading Docs, which presents ten distinctive and original three-minute documentary shorts exploring the same theme. The platform aims to provide local documentary makers with a platform to promote their creativity and talent.
After graduating with a journalism degree, David Farrier began work on New Zealand news show Nightline as an entertainment reporter in 2005. He quickly became known for covering quirky local news, and bigger entertainment stories overseas, travelling to LA to cover events like the Grammys and the E3 expo.
Fascinated by cryptozoology he began hosting THE CRYPTID FACTOR radio show in 2009 with comic and actor Rhys Darby. The show now runs as a podcast, keeping listeners abreast of matters related to Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster.
Farrier and Darby went on to star in Netflix comedy series SHORT POPPIES, in which Farrier played himself.
In 2015 Farrier began co-hosting late night news show NEWSWORTHY, a daily show that looks at “the ordinary and the extraordinary”.
He released his first feature length documentary, TICKLED, in 2016.
Composer and musician
Victoria Kelly is an award-winning composer and musician. Her contemporary classical music has been commissioned, performed and recorded by many of NZ’s leading performers and ensembles including NZTrio, the NZ String Quartet, Stroma and Michael Houstoun.
For her work in film and television, she has received numerous nominations and won two New Zealand Screen Awards. Her original scores include BLACK SHEEP, UNDER THE MOUNTAIN, OUT OF THE BLUE, and FIELD PUNISHMENT NO.1. for which she won the inaugural APRA Best Original Music for a Feature Film award at the Silver Scrolls in 2014. She co-composed the music for the television series THE ALMIGHTY JOHNSONS with Sean Donnelly and has performed extensively in Sean’s band, SJD, as well as in ‘The Bellbirds’ with Don McGlashan, Sean Donnelly and Sandy Mill.
Victoria tours and performs regularly with Neil Finn and created the orchestral arrangements for his recent solo album “Dizzy Heights.” In 2011 she was the composer and Musical Director for the Opening Ceremony of the Rugby World Cup 2011. Victoria is now the Director of NZ Member Services at APRA AMCOS.
See Victoria Kelly in the following session:
Composing Masterclass with Luke Buda and Sam Scott: Scoring HUNT FOR THE WILDER PEOPLE – Sun 25th September, 1:50 pm.