NEW ZEALAND

New kiwi short film, LAMBS, has been selected to screen at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival – widely regarded as the world’s premiere short film event.  LAMBS was selected from over 5,000 worldwide submissions.

Funded through the New Zealand Film Commission short film funding initiative,  Fresh Shorts, LAMBS tells the story of Jimmy, a big-hearted fourteen year old boy facing a difficult decision – stay in his abusive home to protect his younger siblings, or leave to start a new life of his own.

Written and directed by Wellington filmmaker, Sam Kelly, the script for LAMBS emerged from research for a feature film he is writing, and time spent meeting ‘at risk’ youth from Wellington, New Zealand. 

“There were similarities in many of their lives, often facing neglect, abuse, drugs, and gang affiliations. I felt disturbed that children in my developed country were in survival mode, yet moved by the courage and heart that many of the kids showed“ says Kelly.

The film was shot just outside Wellington, in the Porirua City suburb of Cannons Creek.   Casting Director, Yvette Reid, spent six months casting the film almost entirely from non-actors. Reid and Kelly scoured schools, supermarkets, boxing clubs and netball courts to audition over 300 people for the film.  The lead role of 14-year-old Jimmy was a challenging role to cast, needing both a tough exterior and emotional openness. Waka Rowlands instantly stood out with his naturalism, belief in the situation, and emotional access. Waka’s performance as Jimmy has impressed New Zealand casting directors, and promises bigger things. 

Kelly was awarded New Zealand Young Filmmaker of the Year in 2010 by the Screen Producer’s and Director’s Association (SPADA). Together with LAMBS producer, Tom Hern, and an outstanding creative and technical team, Kelly harnessed the Fresh Shorts funding with the SPADA prize pack to deliver an exceptional level of storytelling and craft.

The 34^th Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival 2012 runs between January 27^th and February 4^th 2012 -www.clermont-filmfest.com.

Below is a listing of the top ten programmes on NZTV, recorded as of the 18th of August 2011 via Nielsen TV Audience Measurement.

The top programme being watched is still One news TV ONE, with a mixture of New Zealand drama and current affairs programmes dominating the other top spots.

To watch some of these programmes please follow this link to the TVNZ website.

The land of the long green cloud will begin screening onWednesday 17 August, TV3 at 9:30pm.

On Thursday 22 September, the day after the final broadcast, and the DVD will land in store. Don’t miss out!

Underbelly is a hugely popular show and is described as “Australia’s best ever crime drama”.

The search is on to find a cast of young actors for New Zealand’s latest feature film production Kiwi Flyer, which will begin filming on Friday 19^th August in and around the Nelson area.

Co-written by Andrew Gunn (The Beginners Guide to Space Travel) and director Tony Simpson (Mel’s Amazing Movies, Heroes), Kiwi Flyer is inspired by Nelson’s annual Collingwood Street trolley derby.    The film tells the story of 12-year-old Ben, who wants to win the annual race as a tribute to his late father, but he has more than a few obstacles in his way to achieving this dream and being the best he can be.   Tim Sanders (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Whale Rider, Perfect Creature) will produce.

Nelson-born director Tony Simpson is delighted to be filming his first feature in his home town “I’ve always thought that Nelson would be a great place to make a movie. Every way you point the camera you get a beautiful shot. Kiwi Flyer is the first family film since The Silent One, 27 years ago, and I believe more than ever Kiwi kids have a strong yearning and need to see their stories on the big screen.  We hope to give them that with this heartfelt tale about family and friendships, all wrapped up in comedy and action.”

Graeme Mason, CEO of the New Zealand Film Commission added “Kiwi Flyer is a film for New Zealand kids about New Zealand kids and we are thrilled to be involved not just with the production of this film, but also for the opportunity to discover new young acting talent.”

The film will be distributed in New Zealand by Rialto Distribution.  CEO Kelly Rogers said “We are delighted to be involved in this exciting and fun project aimed at a wide and discerning audience.  Go Kiwi!”

Casting for the actors will commence in Nelson on the 14th of July, and move nationwide from that date.

Kiwi Flyer is financed by the New Zealand Film Commission, NZ On Air, TV Works, the Nelson City Council and Venture Accelerator Limited.

For more information about the film contact: Tim Sanders - timsanders@xtra.co.nz

For more detail about the casting call for actors contact: Neill Rea - neillrea@xtra.co.nz

THREE NEW ZEALAND FILMS PREMIERE AT SHANGHAI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Desert, Love Birds and Tracker have all been selected to screen in the Panorama section of the Shanghai International Film Festival this year.

International Panorama is one of four major sections at the festival and showcases a wide selection of films from around the world.

Desert, the debut feature film from writer/director Stephen Kang, follows the story of Jenny, a young pregnant Asian girl living in Auckland who is left to fend for herself when she is abandoned by her Kiwi boyfriend just before they are about to get married. Rejected by her Asian community for getting pregnant to a westerner out of wed-lock and after unsuccessfully searching for her boyfriend, Jenny is forced to look inside herself to find a positive solution for her and her unborn baby.

Desert premièred at the Pusan International Film Festival in October 2010 and is currently in release in New Zealand. Kang’s debut short Blue was last week awarded the Grand Prix at Critics Week which is a sidebar alongside the Cannes Film Festival.  Stephen and producers will attend Shanghai where they will be doing preliminary casting for their upcoming feature ‘Summer Rhapsody’ which stars a female Chinese lead.

Love Birds is the second feature film collaboration for director Paul Murphy and writer Nick Ward (Second-Hand Wedding). A hilarious romantic comedy that tells the story of a regular Kiwi bloke who finds himself on a quest to find true love – all with the help of a native New Zealand Shelduck – Love Birds stars Golden Globe winner Sally Hawkins (Happy Go Lucky, Made in Daggenheim)and NZ stand-up comedian and actor Rhys Darby (Flight of the Conchords). The film has just completed its theatrical release in NZ.

Tense chase movie Tracker completes the line-up of NZ films selected. Starring Ray Winstone (Sexy Beast, The Edge of Darkness) and Temuera Morrison (The Green Lantern, Once Were Warriors) Tracker tells the tale of a guerrilla survivor of the South African Boer War who lands in colonial New Zealand and is promised a huge bounty to capture Kereama, a Maori seafarer accused of killing a British soldier. A UK/NZ co-production Tracker was written by Nicholas van Pallandt and directed by Ian Sharp.

The Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF), founded in 1993, is China’s only A-category international film festival accredited by the FIAPF. It is an excellent platform to promote widely and communicate with media.  For more information on the festival: http://www.siff.com

Pollywood Pasifica Short film Festival is now into its ninth successful year, this is an event to watch out for. With each year growing bigger and better, Pollywood has largely become a launching pad for Pasifika Film and multimedia art for the past 9 years. The core focus of Pollywood is to showcase and celebrate Pacific Island writers, Directors and Actors.  Pollywood is the leading Pacific Island short film festival in New Zealand.

Each screening will be introduced by curator Craig Fasi, and promises to please audiences from across Auckland. “I am hubled by the status of films that have been sourced  for this years festival, in light of so much that has changed over the years. I am thankful that Pollywood is still delivering quality Pacific Island art for the community”says Mr Fasi.

There is seven films which will be screened in total with just over 80 mins of heartfelt stories to be showcased. With such a varied mix of short films there is bound to be something for everyone, so get your tickets now. All are welcome.

The premiere of Pollywood Nine2011 is set for Wednesday the 16th of March At Galatos, Galatos Street, Newton 7:30pm.

For more information on this event and ticket bookings please follow this link

The new look channel FOUR channel has launched and the public were treated to an early taste of what’s to come with an installation of a giant 40 foot duck in the Auckland Harbour on the first.

The installation was designed by world renowned Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, famous for integrating intriguing and interactive, oversized installations into public spaces all over the world. This is the first time an installation of this kind has been to Australasia.

Hofman says he has a strong wish to amaze and make life a little more fun – which captures perfectly what FOUR is all about.

Before coming to New Zealand, versions of the duck have appeared in several cities in Europe, including Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Nürnberg as well as Osaka and Sao Paulo to name a few. The New Zealand version of the duck was constructed locally in Whangarei.

The new look FOUR is all about entertainment. To celebrate the launch of a brand new channel we have created a series of on-air idents which encompass the values of the brand. The duck is part of this. The FOUR launch campaign will roll out with a mixture of activity including online, print, cinema, digital, radio and on air.

At over 12 metres high and 14 metres wide, the duck is hard to miss. With over 800 square metres of fabric, it’s a bold statement, and the first of its kind in New Zealand.

Director of Marketing and Communications, Roger Beaumont says: “We wanted to do something that ‘feels like FOUR’ that is – something that would surprise, delight and entertain people, just like the channel. The idents starring the giant duck will screen on FOUR from launch on February 6. In the meantime you can see him up close in the Auckland Harbour.”

The exciting new look FOUR targets 18-49 year-olds (previously 15-39) and has wide ranging appeal with its broad line-up of programming. As the home of pure entertainment, FOUR has a host of key new shows that push the boundaries and offers viewers a fun and consistently fresh line-up.

Now that we’ve had our fun with the duck – it’s now there for the public to enjoy down at the Auckland Viaduct during the first week of FOUR being on air.

The duck was inflated on the 1st of February for his first photoshoot. He’s now down at the Viaduct outside Soul Bar for all to enjoy.

FOUR launched at 6pm on Sunday February 6.

To see more of the duck and FOUR