• Casting Announced for The Luminaries. Production to Commence in NZ in November

    News
    Issue date: 26 Sep 2018

    BBC Two has announced that leading actresses Eva Green (Casino Royale, Penny  Dreadful,  Sin City, A Dame to Kill For) and Eve Hewson (Robin Hood, The Knick, Bridge of Spies) will join the cast of six-part drama series, The Luminaries. Eva...

  • Lloyd Meiklejohn Announced as NZFC Investment Executive

    News
    Issue date: 18 Sep 2018

    The New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Lloyd Meiklejohn as Investment Executive, working in the Development and Production team headed by Leanne Saunders. Born and educated in New Zealand, Lloyd moved to London...

  • Big Screen Symposium Scholarships

    News
    Issue date: 6 Sep 2018

    The NZFC has scholarships available to attend the Big Screen Symposium (Tuning into the Zeitgeist) in Auckland on 26 - 27 October. Each scholarship will include a ticket to the two-day event and if you live outside the Auckland region, a...

  • Attendance at Auckland NZIFF 2018 breaks records

    News
    Issue date: 10 Aug 2018

    The New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF) has broken records with the biggest ever total attendances for Auckland, in its 50th year. NZIFF have exceeded the previous record set in 2015 by more than 4,000 admissions. Auckland audiences attended...

  • Wellington Screen Talent off to Seoul

    News
    Issue date: 17 Aug 2018

    Two Wellington film makers have won a trip to Seoul, South Korea, to develop a science fiction TV drama series in the city’s capital. Their entry was one of only six projects selected globally to receive support from the Seoul Film Commission’s Seoul...

  • Attendance at Wellington NZIFF 2018 breaks records

    News
    Issue date: 16 Aug 2018

    The New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF) has broken records with 84,218 attendances, the biggest ever total for Wellington. NZIFF has exceeded the previous record set in 2017 by more than 5,000 admissions. Wellington audiences attended 605...

  • The Meg Makes A Splash

    News
    Issue date: 14 Aug 2018

    Over 2000 people gathered at The Civic Theatre in Auckland on Monday 13th August for a special screening of the science action thriller The Meg.  Warner Bros. Pictures, New Zealand Film Commission and Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic...

  • NZFC announces new business development scheme

    News
    Issue date: 10 Aug 2013

    The New Zealand Film Commission is pleased to announce a three year programme, commencing in 2013/14, to help new and existing screen sector businesses grow to the next stage. The NZFC is allocating a million dollars each year to the scheme over the...

  • Dunedin Shanghai Screenwriters Exchange Opens to Applications

    News
    Issue date: 7 Aug 2018

    Local screenwriters are being sought for a two-month residency in Shanghai as part of a new joint initiative of the Dunedin City Council (DCC), New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC) and the New Zealand Writers Guild (NZWG). The Dunedin Shanghai...

  • NZ’s Best Short Film Winners Announced

    News
    Issue date: 6 Aug 2018

    Congratulations to the winners of the seventh annual New Zealand’s Best short film competition. The winning shorts were announced on stage at the Civic Theatre in Auckland on Saturday. The Madman Entertainment Jury Prize for the Best New Zealand Short...

  • Wellington’s Ghost in the Shell transformation

    News
    Issue date: 16 Mar 2017

    Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures Ghost in the Shell has premiered in New York, showcasing another side of New Zealand’s world renowned screen industry: urban Wellington.  Wellington doubles for a futuristic version of Hong Kong...

  • Iconic Ghost in the Shell set piece now on public display in Wellington

    News
    Issue date: 16 Mar 2017

    In the lead-up to Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures’ Ghost in the Shell U.S. premiere in New York on 29 March, an iconic costume from the film has been unveiled at the Weta Cave on Wellington’s Miramar Peninsula, where it will remain...

  • The Light Between Oceans Trailer Released

    News
    Issue date: 4 Mar 2016

    The trailer for The Light Between Oceans has been released and showcases some stunning landscapes from New Zealand’s South Island. The Light Between Oceans trailer Written and directed by Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine, The Place Beyond The...

  • First Pete's Dragon Trailer Released

    News
    Issue date: 21 Feb 2016

    Audiences got a tantalising first peek at Disney’s Pete’s Dragon with the release of a teaser trailer today.    Pete's Dragon Teaser Trailer A reimagining of Disney’s cherished family film, Pete’s Dragon is...

  • Power Rangers Journey Down Under

    News
    Issue date: 20 Nov 2015

    Auckland takes a starring role in special episodes of Power Rangers Dino Charge, the newest season of Saban’s iconic television series currently airing on Nickelodeon in the U.S. In the 22nd season of the Power Rangers series, Power Rangers Dino Charge...

  • Shannara Chronicles Trailer Released

    News
    Issue date: 19 Oct 2015

    A new trailer for the Shannara Chronicles was released at New York Comic Con 8-11 October. The series, shot entirely in Auckland, New Zealand, will air from January 2016. The Shannara Chronicles -Official Trailer

  • New Shannara Images Released

    News
    Issue date: 9 Oct 2015

    MTV has released stunning artwork for upcoming series The Shannara Chronicles ahead of New York’s Comic Con (8-11 October), where author, Terry Brooks, and cast from the series will be taking part. Set to premiere on...

  • Favorable exchange rate benefits US: Kiwi dollar touches lowest level since 2009

    News
    Issue date: 26 Aug 2015

    A favorable exchange rate is creating an added incentive for international productions to consider New Zealand. During the past 12 months the Kiwi dollar has steadily weakened against the greenback. On August 24 the Kiwi dollar touched 62.44 US cents,...

  • MTV releases Journey Down Under: A Behind-The-Scenes Glimpse Of The Shannara Chronicles

    News
    Issue date: 20 Aug 2015

    MTV has just released a peek behind-the-scenes at its upcoming series The Shannara Chronicles, featuring New Zealand as the magical backdrop for the small-screen adaptation of author Terry Brooks’ post-apocalyptic fantasy. Journey Down Under: A...

  • Disney release first glimpse of Pete's Dragon

    News
    Issue date: 18 Aug 2015

    Disney has released the first look at Pete’s Dragon at their D23 Expo in California over the weekend. Audience members got a glimpse of footage from the film as well as an interview with the film’s star, Bryce Dallas Howard. The official...

  • Successful first year for NZ Screen Production Grant

    News
    Issue date: 23 Jul 2015

    The New Zealand Screen Production Grant (NZSPG) introduced in April 2014 has had a successful first year, attracting increased productions and lifting business confidence, Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce said today.The first year’s...

  • Two screen agencies join forces

    News
    Issue date: 22 Jul 2015

    Dame Patsy Reddy, New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC) Board Chair, welcomes today’s announcement that the Commission and Film New Zealand will join forces from 1 August 2015.“Our two agencies have worked very closely together for many years...

  • Impressive New Zealand line-up at Comic-Con 2015

    News
    Issue date: 10 Jul 2015

    San Diego Comic-Con is back for 2015 and this year there is an impressive number of high-profile film and television productions with a New Zealand involvement in attendance. The convention, which runs from 9-12 July, attracts over 130,000 fans each...

  • New Zealand voted world's top film tourism destination

    News
    Issue date: 24 Jun 2015

    New Zealand has topped a list of must-visit places in a study commissioned by HBO Entertainment. New Zealand came in at number one in the study of holiday destinations made famous by film and television, largely due to its lead role in The Lord of the...

  • Ash Vs Evil Dead in production in New Zealand

    News
    Issue date: 10 Jun 2015

    A new teaser trailer for Ash vs Evil Dead, a major new US television series being produced in New Zealand, has been released.Ash vs Evil Dead started production in Auckland in April and is the long-awaited follow-up to the classic horror film...

  • Z for Zachariah trailer released

    News
    Issue date: 5 Jun 2015

    The first official trailer for Z for Zachariah has been released today. Z for Zachariah Official Trailer #1 (2015) The film, which was filmed in Banks Peninsula in New Zealand's South Island, is a post-apocalyptic thriller starring Chiwetel...

  • Slow West releases in New Zealand

    News
    Issue date: 21 May 2015

    Slow West, the award-winning Western shot in New Zealand’s South Island, is being released in New Zealand cinemas today.Slow West is a western adventure set in late 19th Century Colorado, centered on a young man’s epic search for the love of...

  • Thunderbirds Are Go

    News
    Issue date: 17 Apr 2015

    The much anticipated countdown for the brand new Thunderbirds Are Go TV series is over after the show premiered in the UK, Australia and New Zealand to enthusiastic reviews. The revival has been re-imagined for modern audiences by Britain's ITV...

  • Screen Industry Survey released

    News
    Issue date: 9 Apr 2015

    Results for the 2013/14 Screen Industry Survey just released by Statistics New Zealand show revenue for the year remained solid at $3.2 billion, in line with industry expectations. Screen NZ, the virtual screen sector agency of the New Zealand Film...

  • Legendary Pictures shoots horror-comedy Krampus in Wellington

    News
    Issue date: 16 Mar 2015

    Principal photography is set to begin in Wellington, New Zealand on Legendary Pictures’ Krampus, a horror-comedy feature film that reveals an irreverently twisted side to the Christmas holiday.This darkly festive tale of a yuletide ghoul is co-...

  • New Power Rangers season propelled by New Zealand talent

    News
    Issue date: 6 Mar 2015

    New Zealand is taking a leading role in the new season of Saban’s Power Rangers franchise, Power Rangers Dino Charge, and will be featured prominently in an episode airing in the US this weekend. Followed by millions of fans in more than 150...

  • 'Slow West' wins at Sundance

    News
    Issue date: 2 Feb 2015

    Slow West, John Maclean’s western shot in New Zealand’s South Island last year, has won a top accolade at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. The film has been awarded the World Cinema Drama Grand Jury Prize.Starring Michael Fassbender...

  • Talented New Zealanders lined up for recognition

    News
    Issue date: 16 Jan 2015

    Here’s hoping hard work and talent pays off as New Zealanders nominated for BAFTAs, Oscars and Visual Effects Society awards wait in anticipation.Expat Anthony McCarten (Death of a Superhero, Show of Hands) is up for a BAFTA and an Oscar for his...

  • TV series 'Shannara' filming in Auckland

    News
    Issue date: 8 Jan 2015

    Confirmation today that MTV Networks and Sonar Entertainment are to base production of a television series adaptation of the fantasy adventure book series Shannara at Auckland Film Studios is further great news for the region’s screen sector.It is...

  • Holiday opening times

    News
    Issue date: 23 Dec 2014

    The Film New Zealand office will be closed over the summer break from 24 December 2014 to 5 January 2015.Enquiries manager Laurie Wright will be on hand to help during this time. Please email her at [email protected] or leave a message on our main...

  • A devil of a film will go into production in New Zealand

    News
    Issue date: 17 Dec 2014

    Film New Zealand confirmed today that Legendary Pictures’ KRAMPUS will commence principal photography in New Zealand in early 2015.Based on the ancient legend of a pagan demon who punishes the wicked during the holidays, the twisted horror comedy,...