New Zealand’s most successful short documentary initiative takes a powerful approach to digital storytelling. Releasing
today is a brand-new collection of eight short documentaries, housed on Loadingdocs.net now and available on TVNZ OnDemand from midday.
This year, Loading Docs has extended the durations of the shorts to between six and eight minutes, enabling greater opportunities for fresh
perspectives and deeper exploration. Unified by the theme of power are stories that will have audiences questioning
their own interpretation of power and revealing how unlikely characters can become the heroes of the story.
Celebrating New Zealand perspectives on world issues, subjects include Kiwi icons William Trubridge, Pania Newton, the
‘Nek Minnit’ guy – Levi Hawken, and revered celestial navigator Sir Hector Busby.
He Hekenga Tūhura presents the extraordinary final interview with Sir Hector Busby – in te reo Māori - just weeks before his passing.
Also part of the collection is My Breakup with God, about a devoted Christian who slams the door on the Church - against her parents’ hopes - and pursues a path of sexual
freedom and love. Operation: RAMBU! propels audiences back to 1980s Indonesia to meet an unlikely Kiwi action hero.
SOUL co-founder Pania Newton’s personal struggles are revealed in Mana Wahine. The documentary, providing a unique perspective on Ihumātao, was released on August 2 and featured on RNZ and The Guardian - so far being seen more than 300,000 times.
“Fostering the celebration of Aotearoa’s stories and storytellers is our business,” says Executive Producer Julia
Parnell. “By providing a foundation for the elevation of filmmakers and innovation, our documentaries are able to
bravely reflect the drama and complexity of life. This year’s collection extends these foundations by powering eight
longer format documentaries to audiences here and around the world.”
Watch the collection now:
Loading Docs: loadingdocs.net/shorts/ | TVNZ: tvnz.co.nz/shows/loading-docs
Loading Docs is funded by NZ On Air and made with the support of the New Zealand Film Commission and Te Mangai Paho.
Loading Docs documentaries have been viewed 5.83 million times online and screened by prestigious film festivals such as
NZIFF, SXSW and Sheffield Doc/Fest.