Exciting year for New Zealand film

18 November 2015

Exciting year for New Zealand film at the prestigious Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival

This is an exciting year for New Zealand film at the prestigious Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival (TGHFF).

The acclaimed film A Flickering Truth will screen at this year’s festival – the first New Zealand film to be shown in the main selection of the Festival. The film’s director Pietra Brettkelly will travel to Taipei for the event. 2015 also sees the first New Zealand project selected for the Taipei Golden Horse Film Project Promotion (Lotto Family from writer/producer, Sean Seungsik Shin) and the first New Zealander (writer/director, Han Niu) selected for the Taipei Golden Horse Film Academy, overseen by famed Taiwanese filmmaker, Hou Hsiao-Hsien.

New Zealand excellence in film will be celebrated at a dedicated New Zealand Film Night. A function for up to 350 invited guests was held on 17 November, following a screening of A Flickering Truth and Q&A with Brettkelly. Hosted by the New Zealand Commerce and Industry Office in Taipei (NZCIO), the Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development (BAMID), the Taipei City Department of Cultural Affairs and TGHFF, this is the first time a country other than France will co-host a country themed festival function.

NZCIO Director Si’alei Van Toor says: “We’re delighted that New Zealand is represented so strongly in this year’s Festival, Film Project Promotion and the Film Academy. We hope that filmmakers on both sides will take advantage of the opportunities available to expand cultural and creative partnerships and to share stories, technical expertise and resources.”

New Zealand’s involvement in TGHFF aims to foster closer ties between the Taiwanese and New Zealand screen sectors, and to promote and stimulate film and television co-productions. Film and television projects that qualify as co-productions under the ANZTEC Agreement are entitled to a cash grant equivalent to 40% of the production’s Qualifying New Zealand Production Expenditure. This provides a unique opportunity for both sides. For more information contact the NZCIO in the first instance.

The New Zealand film industry is committed to strengthening collaboration with the Taiwanese screen sector. There is already strong engagement, such as the partnership between Wellington-based Pukeko Pictures and Taipei-based CGCG on Thunderbirds Are Go, as well as Auckland-based Huhu Studios’ Taipei joint venture, AnimazeHuhu Studios Taiwan. There are many opportunities to build on these existing relationships and to explore new opportunities for international collaboration.

TGHFF runs from 5-26 November. The Golden Horse Film Project Promotion takes place 17-19 November and the Golden Horse Film Academy runs 23 October – 21 November.

ENDS

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