DEGNZ Announces Women Filmmakers Incubator

DEGNZ Announces Women Filmmakers Incubator

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 18 July 2016

The Directors & Editors Guild of New Zealand (DEGNZ) is delighted to announce the ten emerging women directors who will participate in its inaugural Women Filmmakers Incubator. They are:

Catherine Bisley
Nathalie Boltt
Abigail Greenwood
Kirsty Hamilton
Cathy MacDonald
Renae Maihi
Zoe McIntosh
Niki Si’ulepa
Yamin Tun
Aidee Walker

“After much debate, the experienced industry selection panel chose ten applicants who it felt were at the right stage of their careers to get the maximum benefit from the content the Incubator offers,” said Executive Director of DEGNZ Tui Ruwhiu.

“We look forward to assisting these talented women towards their first feature films, and helping to address the gender inequality that is reflected in the poor statistics of New Zealand women at the directing helm of feature film in this country.”

The Incubator is a targeted initiative designed to give emerging female directors the opportunity to build their knowledge, skills and networks as a means to advance their careers and projects in the screen industry.

Each workshop in the programme will bring in highly successful filmmakers and experts in a stepped approach that will develop participants’ confidence and capability to engage with the screen industry as they seek to get their own projects through development and into production.

The workshop series will start in Auckland in September 2016 and run through to the winter of 2017.

This initiative is supported with financial assistance from the New Zealand Film Commission.

ENDS

The New Zealand Film Commission invests in original and culturally significant films, encourages talented New Zealand filmmakers through developing career pathways and facilitating connections offshore, and works to increase the number of people seeing New Zealand films here and overseas. It supports the growth of economic activity and helps ensure New Zealand has sustainable screen sector businesses operating within an internationally competitive screen sector. The NZFC also helps negotiate co-production treaties and certifies co-productions and New Zealand films for tax purposes. www.nzfilm.co.nz

The Directors & Editors Guild of NZ is a not-for-profit membership organisation that represents Directors and Editors in the New Zealand screen industry. This includes Directors and Editors of feature drama and documentary; television drama, documentary and factual programmes; short films; video art; animation; commercials and web content.
DEGNZ’s two primary roles are advocacy and professional development. We:
• are dedicated to promoting excellence in the arts of directing and editing.
• foster collegiality and unity within the screen industry.
• promote members’ creative and economic rights.
• work to improve industry working conditions and remuneration.
• offer professional advice and information on contracts and industry standards and practice.
• offer professional development events, networking opportunities, career advice, dispute resolution, mentoring, workshops, training, discounts and regular news bulletins for members across all levels of expertise, from novices to seasoned professionals.
• is a voice for Directors and Editors in influencing policy in the interest of our members. We do this through our membership of the panindustry group SINZ (Screen Industry New Zealand), and by making submissions to government and public officials.
• Internationally work co-operatively with other guilds and we belong to the International Affiliation of EnglishSpeaking Directors’ Organisations (IEASDO).
DEGNZ is Auckland-based with an office in Grey Lynn.

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