Archive for category New Zealand

Taxpayers being fleeced in film industry bidding war – ACT

Saturday, 3 November, 2018 – 10:58 Hard up Kiwis taxpayers are being fleeced as Peter Jackson, James Cameron and other Hollywood bigwigs line their pockets with corporate welfare, says ACT Leader David Seymour. The New Zealand Herald this morning reported that taxpayers could be making a loss on $1.5 billion in subsidies provided to Hollywood […]

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Film and television co-production agreement with Poland

Hon Maggie Barry Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Film and television co-production agreement signed with Poland A new agreement will encourage collaboration between the New Zealand and Polish screen industries, Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Maggie Barry says. “The Poland-New Zealand Film Co-Production Agreement was signed yesterday by Ambassador to Poland Wendy Hinton and […]

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New Zealand leads charge to develop film-camera drones

Companies foresee a drone boom in Hollywood now US has begun to relax curbs on unmanned aerial vehicles, with drones replacing cranes, jibs and other expensive equipment used for aerial filming   Naomi Tajitsu Deep in New Zealand’s dairy heartland, drone maker Aeronavics tests aircraft designed to corner the fast-growing market for unmanned aerial vehicles […]

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Film NZ scrapped after review of govt’s screen production grant

SUZE METHERELL The role of the country’s national film office and international screen business marketing agency, Film New Zealand, will be taken over by the New Zealand Film Commission, Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce and Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Maggie Barry announced today. The commission, which funds local films as well as administering the […]

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Auckland film industry hub gets the initial go ahead

MARIA SLADE   A screen industry hub including studios and film training schools looks set to be created in west Auckland, following a decision by city councillors on Tuesday. Auckland Council has given the green light to a Film Studio Campus on 10 hectares of ratepayer-owned land at Hobsonville Point, as long as a commercially […]

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Door opens to careers in film industry

Door opens to careers in film industry   Northland College students William Hohepa (17), Caylynn (16) and Qianna Titore (15), and Francesca Blaikie (17), from Okaihau College, have been granted mentorships to develop short films this year, after a weekend Script to Screen workshop in South Hokianga. The workshop, designed around developing story ideas for […]

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NZ animation studio signs Chinese co-production deal

Auckland-based animation company Huhu Studios has signed up to a co-production with China Film Animation to develop the first animated 3D movie between the two nations, Beast of Burden. The companies announced the deal on Sunday at the Beijing Film Festival, with media firm Qi Tai Culture Development Group bankrolling the movie, they said in a […]

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China a ‘priority’ for NZ Film Commission as co-production agreements languish

PAUL MCBETH IN SHANGHAI The New Zealand Film Commission, the government entity tasked with supporting the local film sector, is putting more emphasis on building links to China, which local film-makers have largely ignored. Chief executive Dave Gibson is in China where the commission has its first official presence at the Beijing Film Festival, screening […]

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“Poverty wages” in NZ film industry; insecure, badly paid, says Helen Kelly

News from NZ Council of Trade Unions Workers in New Zealand’s movie making industry are earning poverty wages. Three-quarters of the 12,600 jobs earned less than $13,200 in 2013 according to new statistics released by Statistics New Zealand.  “Production made up almost half of the jobs in the screen industry, but most people employed got very […]

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Wellington continues as NZ’s film hub, with $644m feature film revenue

News from Statistics NZ Total revenue for the screen industry in 2014 was $3.2 billion. This is relatively unchanged from 2013. However, the contributions from different activities within the industry have changed slightly over the past year.  Feature films continued to dominate the revenue streams, contributing over 50 percent of all production and post-production revenue. […]

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