New $2.5 million Documentary Fund

The New Zealand Film Commission and NZ On Air announce new $2.5 million Documentary Fund

The New Zealand Film Commission and NZ On Air are announcing a new documentary fund for feature-length documentaries.

It is expected that this new collaboration between the two organisations will invest in at least five quality documentary projects to screen in cinemas, on television and online.

It will focus on funding one-off documentaries from experienced New Zealand documentary filmmakers. There are no restrictions on treatment or style.

“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” says NZFC Chief Executive Graeme Mason.

“We want to fund projects with clear New Zealand relevance that will interest and challenge a prime-time television audience” says NZ On Air Chief Executive Jane Wrightson.

Projects will plan for theatrical distribution in at least three New Zealand cities and also have a New Zealand free-to-air broadcaster attached. The broadcaster will need to commit to screening the documentary in prime-time around six months from the documentary’s theatrical premiere date, and contribute a licence fee towards the cost of production.

The documentary may also be released on DVD and must be made available in its entirety to NZ On Screen for free public viewing within five years of its theatrical premiere date.

The NZFC and NZ On Air will release details through a request for proposals on 18 April with a view to green-lighting successful projects in October.

The NZFC is also pleased to announce Te Whai Ao to run in conjunction with the joint Documentary Fund.

Te Whai Ao is a dedicated documentary development fund focused on supporting emerging filmmakers with truly cinematic projects and distinctive voices. Funding will be by way of a grant, enabling filmmakers to move projects to a stage where they are eligible to seek production, post-production or finishing funding.
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