Inaugural Dunedin Script Accelerator Grant

Dunedin City Council (DCC), through the Dunedin Film Office at Enterprise Dunedin, launched an exciting new script development opportunity for Dunedin-based filmmakers – the Dunedin Script Accelerator Grant.

For this inaugural round, DCC will offer one script grant of up to $10,000 for the development of a scripted film with a total runtime of 80 minutes or more, or for a scripted series project with a minimum runtime of 20 minutes per episode. From this Script Grant, $2,500 is reserved for engaging an experienced script consultant.

The kaupapa of this script grant is to generate support for Dunedin-based writers or producers to develop long-format projects, and to stimulate the city’s screen sector growth by increasing the number of Dunedin-focused stories.

Applications closed on 17 June and the successful recipient will be announced in early August.

The Southern Filmmakers Collective is Official! 

The Southern Filmmakers Collective (SFC), operating informally for the last two years, recently became officially incorporated and now has an active website: www.southernfilmmakers.nz.

Our committee includes Fiona Smyth (Dunedin) - Chair, Sue Marshall (Dunedin) - Secretary, Erin Murdie (Wanaka) - Treasurer, Reece Hallum (Dunedin), Rebecca Rowe (Dunedin), Pennie Hunt (Dunedin) and Patrick Gillies (Invercargill). 

Our current focus is pulling together the first Southern Screen Summit, set to take place on 21 -22 September in Invercargill. With a theme of Past Pioneers, Future Frontiers speakers will cover topics that range from creating festival strategies to finding alternative film funding, as well as how to pitch creative material to the market. Specialist workshops will engage regional crew in sessions targeted to various film departments. The Summit will also play host to a networking event for industry.

The Summit aims to bridge historical cinematic achievements with innovative future possibilities. Watch this space for a full programme of the weekend’s events.

Film Dunedin Lead on the AFCI Board of Directors

Co-Manager of Film Otago Southland and Film Dunedin Lead, Stefan Roesch, was elected on to the Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI) Board of Directors. The two year term for newly elected board members began in January 2024.

The board of directors is comprised of 11 representatives from film commissions all over the world, each bringing extensive experience and a broad perspective from different regions to steer AFCI’s strategic vision and operations.

The AFCI Advisory Board consists of studio executive representatives from Walt Disney Studios, Viacom, HBO, 20th Century Studios, NBCUniversal, Apple Studios Warner Bros. Entertainment and Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Industry Spotlight: Dan Eady – Production Coordinator

Across 5 months and over 70 shoot days, Dunedin based actor and filmmaker Dan Eady recently wrapped on Season One of A Remarkable Place to Die as the Production Coordinator.

Shot in Queenstown, the show is a cheeky murder mystery showcasing the stunning landscape of the area. The series is an international co-production with Screentime New Zealand and Germany’s Real Film Berlin. Britain’s Banjay Rights will handle global distribution. The first series is set to air in New Zealand by the end of the year and will also be shown across Germany and the United States.

Production coordinators work with people across the many different departments, including cast, crew, creative teams, vendors and suppliers and this was the first time Dan had worked in this particular role. They also manage complex schedules, bookings, purchases, supplies, staff and provide the support so a fast-paced film set can run efficiently.

''It can be a very challenging role at times,” Dan says, “but I really enjoyed the situations of creative problem solving that can arise in the moment. Teamwork is especially critical for a production like this to run from beginning to end. A highlight for me was the way in which this Queenstown based production utilised an existing commercial space and repurposed it as a fully functioning film studio.”

That is something he would still love to see happen in Dunedin. “I learned a lot of valuable lessons from this experience."

Other Industry News

In March, we had a film team from South Korea in town, filming for an influencer-led travel show at some of Dunedin’s most iconic locations. TNVZ portrayed some of our local para-athletes and filming took place for a number of homegrown short films and music videos.

In early June, Film Otago Southland hosted an evening get-together for our local filmmakers. It was well attended and great to see all the networking going on.

Also in June, the team from Show Me Shorts travelled here to run an intensive workshop on short film festival strategies. Thanks for all the amazing intel, Mark and team!

The 48 Hours Festival saw a great number of entries for the Ōtepoti Dunedin heat and covered a whole lot of genres, from animation to splatter.

The Dunedin-based branch of Wildbear Entertainment has wrapped Shark Week. It was shot around Stewart Island and produced for Discovery Channel. And their programme Wild, Smart, and Deadly (6 x 1 hr), produced for National Geographic Channel out of Dunedin last year, has just started airing globally.

Jon Wilson from Shine on Films created the cinematography and the sound design for the projections for Mathew Galloway's The Power That Flows Through Us exhibition. Jon said: “We were allowed to fly drones in places not normally allowed which was a challenge with the massive electromagnetic fields at Clyde Dam and the Central Otago winds. Some cool shots and sweaty palms”. The exhibition ran from 20th April to 30th June at the Adam Art Gallery in Wellington.

In late April, Sound Designer Paul Fox from Soundcreature Interactive completed post-production sound design on ANZAC doco Te Kaiwhakaāhua Pakanga, Shooter of War, produced by the 2B Media Team, directed by Trevor Conn and narrated by Julian Wilcox. It is currently streaming on MĀORI+. It's the story of Major Walter Downs Piiti Wordley’s secret WW2 photos and diary of the Māori Battalion life during WW2.

And finally, local short film Water That Smudges My Mascara was filmed earlier this year. Written and directed by Jackson Rosie as a tribute to a close family friend, the short explores themes of love and loss. With the support of Film Otago Southland and guidance from industry professionals, Jackson brought his vision to life. Despite challenges from the weather the collective effort showcases the power of grassroots filmmaking.