The popularity of documentaries in this country has grown considerably in recent years. And the range of quality docos, from both here and overseas, being screened in our cinemas is outstanding – The Last Dogs of Winter, The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls, Searching for Sugar Man, and Inside Job immediately spring to mind.
Now there’s exciting news for NZ doco makers and fans. The New Zealand Film Commission have announced that two funds have been set up to spur the creation of more New Zealand documentaries: the Documentary Fund and Te Whai Ao.
The Documentary Fund is a joint venture with NZ On Air and will make $2.5m available for investment in five feature-length projects from experienced New Zealand documentary filmmakers – to screen in cinemas, on television and online. There will be no restrictions on treatment or style.
In the words of NZFC Chief Executive Graeme Mason: “This is a fantastic opportunity for talented New Zealand documentary makers to develop and make top quality documentaries likely to catch the eye of international film festival programmers”.
The Te Whai Ao is a $250,000 fund set up for emerging and experimental documentary makers with “truly cinematic projects and distinctive voices”. The fund aims to help filmmakers to move projects to a stage where they are eligible to seek production, post-production or finishing funding.
“We want to support emerging New Zealand documentary filmmakers or those with particularly innovative ideas to get their next project off the ground,” comments Graeme Mason. “This fund aims to support those who don’t already have a TV or theatrical documentary credit to their name or whose experimental project doesn’t yet fit with other funding avenues.”
Application details, criteria and submission deadlines for 2013 are available on the NZFC website: Documentary Fund or Te Whai Ao.
It’s wonderful to see the New Zealand Film Commission and NZ On Air getting behind Kiwi documentaries in this way, and creating opportunities for both experienced and emerging filmmakers.
Admit One will follow the films that come from these funds closely and keep you up-to-date with their progress.
