DOCNZ E-Newsletter

#15-May/June 2008

Kia Ora from DOCNZ. We have combined May and June into one newsletter, so lots of exciting news to share this time! DOCNZ Focus is coming to Auckland in July, announcing brand new competitions for the DOCNZ 2009 media campaign, how to become a Friend of DOCNZ and more. Don’t forget that the early DOCNZ submission deadline is coming up on the 30th of June so send your entry today!

The DOCNZ Team

1.DOCNZ Focus will be launched in July

We are pleased to announce that DOCNZ Focus, a film society for documentaries, will be launched at the Academy Cinemas in Auckland in late July.

In 2008/9,DOCNZ Focus will screen six high-calibre documentaries in the following categories: Hotdocs, New Frontier/Masters, Kiwidoc, Worlddoc, Classicdoc and a Wildcard.

The first 3 documentaries will screen in 2008 (29 July, 30 Sept, and 26 Nov) and 3 more will screen in 2009 (27 Jan, 31 March and 26 May). Each screening will be followed by a discussion panel and Q&A session.

We are excited to announce the first 3 films for 2008:

29 July - Masters: Hoop Dreams (Dir. Steve James) is one of the most loved documentaries and a classic from 1994. The film follows the lives of two African American boys who struggle to become college basketball players on the road to going professional. The film was nominated for an Oscar and won numerous awards.

30 Sept - Hotdoc: Fields of Fuel (Dir. Josh Tickell), this year’s Audience Favourite from Sundance Film Festival, tells the story of biodiesel, an alternative fuel for diesel engines. Made from vegetable oil, it is non-toxic, has low carbon dioxide emissions and can ultimately replace all liquid fuels used in the United States, thus freeing America 's dependence on oil needed for gasoline.

26 Nov - Classicdoc: Forgotten Silver (Dir. Peter Jackson & Costa Botes) deals with the career of a supposedly forgotten pioneer of international cinema, Colin McKenzie, who was allegedly born in rural New Zealand in 1888.

DOCNZ Focus will offer an annual membership (from July to June) which will provide free access to all DOCNZ Focus screenings. Space is limited so don’t delay your registration. For more details and registration, please visit: www.docnz.org.nz/events/focus-2008.html

2. DOCNZ 2009 – Campaign Competitions

Would you like your talent and skills seen nationwide?

We are taking our DOCNZ 2009 media campaign to you. We want you to help shape and form the look of our TV commercial (TVC) and poster campaign.

The first competition is for the design of DOCNZ 2009 poster. The contest is open for all graphic designers. The chosen artwork may also be used for the cover of the DOCNZ programme, billboards and print ads.

The second competition is for the creation of a TV commercial (TVC) for DOCNZ 2009. This contest is open for any animators, producers, directors, production houses, and anyone who is capable of creating a TVC. The chosen TVC will win top honour to be used in the DOCNZ 2009 media campaign and will be seen on local and overseas channels as well as at the cinemas prior to each DOCNZ screening.

Deadline for submissions (both briefs): Friday, 29 August 2008 at 4.00pm

For complete details (Entry Forms & Certification): www.docnz.org.nz/festival/competition.html

3. Become a Friend of DOCNZ

The Documentary New Zealand Trust is growing. Our activities include the DOCNZ Festival, DOCNZ Summit, DOCNZ Focus and from 2009, the DOCNZ Market running as part of DOCNZ Summit.

To help us develop and run these initiatives, we invite you to become a Friend of DOCNZ. Join us in our efforts to promote documentary filmmaking and help us achieve our goal of becoming the documentary film capital of the Southern Hemisphere.

There are 3 levels of contribution and each level will provide you with a Friend of DOCNZ Card (Greenstone, Paua and Bone). For full details and Registration Form: www.docnz.org.nz

All donations will be recognized in the DOCNZ 2009 programme and are tax-deductible.

4. Festival Highlight

ENCOUNTERS

The 10th Encounters South African International Documentary Festival will be held in Johannesburg 19 - 29 June and Cape Town 3 - 13 July 2008.

In celebration of its 10th edition, Mandisa Zitha, Festival Director, promises a highly entertaining and stimulating line up of films. “A current trend in documentary film is a focus on the personal, and the filmmakers have had access to a trove of archives dating from the 1950s, when ‘home movies’ became so popular. We have selected 49 titles, and more than half of those are South African – a first.”

The festival will showcase films from around the world with a special focus on South African work and only South African Premières will be screened. www.encounters.co.za

5. Documentary News

The New Zealand International Film Festival is coming soon. As in every year, the festival will offer excellent documentaries, so don’t miss out! The line-up including work by Athina Tsoulis and Pietra Brettkelly, and WIFT will be presenting a special panel discussion. Tickets go on sale 20 June. www.nzff.co.nz

Jerusalem Is Proud To Present (DOCNZ 2007) won best documentary in the category of Social & Humanitarian Programs at the prestigious Banff World Television Festival Awards. Congratulations to director Nitzan Gilady.

A Grandmother's Tribe (DOCNZ 2007) has been released on DVD. The film tells the story of two remarkable African grandmothers and received a Special Mention for Best Documentary at DOCNZ last year. To buy a DVD: www.agrandmotherstribe.com

Feet Unbound (DOCNZ 2007) is now available on DVD in stores across Singapore . The DVD contains bonus materials including director's interview, photo gallery, historical info rmation and more.

6.Call for Submissions

THE 49TH FESTIVAL DEI POPOLI 14-21 of November 2008 in Florence, Italy :

30 June 2008 for films produced before 30 April 2008;

10 August 2008 for films either produced after 30 April 2008 or still in production.

www.festivaldeipopoli.org

THE FILM LONDON PRODUCTION FINANCE MARKET 20 – 21 October 2008

The Film London Production Finance Market is a two-day event that focuses on facilitating face-to-face meetings between producers and financiers from the international marketplace and the UK to encourage and foster new financing relationships. The market also includes a key note address, workshops and networking events.

There is a selection process, so entry is not guaranteed, and as it is Film London & UKFC funded, there is an allocation of places for international producers : “International producers will be given priority if they are offering slates or single projects that have either potential UK co-producer partners or UK financing opportunities”.

Deadline: 5pm on 25 July 2008

www.filmlondon.org.uk

ITVS INTERNATIONAL CALL - FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

ITVS International promotes the exchange of compelling documentary films between the United States and other nations, going beyond stereotypes and headline news to provide television audiences around the world with new insight into the cultures and people that comprise our global community.

The ITVS International Call enables independent producers from outside the United States to create documentaries for U.S. television.

ITVS International Call seeks films in production or post-production phase and encourages independent producers to submit their projects for consideration.

Deadline: 6 February 2009

www.itvs.org/producers/international_guidelines

DOCNZ 2009

The early deadline for submission is: 30 June 2008 (postmarked)

The official deadline for submission is: 31 July 2008 (postmarked)

The extended deadline (fee applies): 30 September 2008 (received)

DOCNZ Pitching Forum:

The official deadline for submission is: 4.00pm, 31 July 2008

For regulations and entry forms: www.docnz.org.nz

Please join our social networking sites on Facebook (we have both a profile and a group page) and MySpace. Our sites are updated frequently with news and info rmation about documentaries, filmmakers and festivals.

Facebook: www.facebook.com

MySpace: profile.myspace.com/docnz

We love to hear about what’s happening out there. If you have any news you'd like to share with us, please send information to us so we can share it with the wider community: newsletter@docnz.org.nz