New Zealand film-maker Roseanne Liang just brought her direct, funny and empathetic directorial voice to a big-budget American action thriller – Shadow in the Cloud, showing in cinemas in New Zealand now. She talks to Michelle Langstone about cosmic partnerships, her love of fight sequences, and how she inadvertently found herself caught up in a … Read more
Theatre owners are up in arms that potential blockbuster Mulan – filmed in New Zealand and directed by hometown hero Niki Caro – is to be premiered not in cinemas, but on Disney’s streaming platform, Disney+. On an office wall somewhere hangs a picture of Disney CEO Bob Chapek – target on his head, and … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Timeline for decision on alert levels released, updates on new cases and testing, and a failure of testing at the border has potentially severe consequences. Right now, we don’t know what the situation around alert levels will be at the end of the day. There was … Read more
New Zealand film-maker Roseanne Liang has just brought her direct, funny and empathetic directorial voice to a big-budget American action thriller. She talks to Michelle Langstone about cosmic partnerships, her love of fight sequences, and how she inadvertently found herself caught up in a #MeToo scandal. Portraits by Edith Amituanai I’ve never seen anyone light … Read more
February 2020 is never coming back. In part one of a two part series, Duncan Greive looks at which industries will be smashed post-lockdown – and how elimination might provide unexpected opportunities to recover. As we turn to face the end of lockdown, the precise shape of which is necessarily still being determined, there’s an … Read more
New Zealand’s game creators are competing for talent with a lavishly subsidised film sector, but they’re still finding ways to thrive, says Simon Dasan of Wellington powerhouse A44. There’s an uncanny parallel between New Zealand’s gaming industry and Ashen – the action role-playing game which is one of its most accomplished and celebrated productions. Ashen’s … Read more
New Zealand’s film industry has always been about location, location, location, but what about everything else? What about all the stuff that comes after filming? Jihee Junn talks to Department of Post’s Katie Hinsen at the company’s new state-of-the-art headquarters about her mission to make Auckland into a post-production powerhouse. For much of late 2016, … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Secretly recorded tape raises huge questions for National, Austrian company gets oil exploration extension, and govt won’t close ‘back door’ for Nauru refugees. The question was asked yesterday – what fresh horrors await National? Well, we got our answer, with the release of a taped phone conversation … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Big budget film subsidies here to stay, NZ First want pledge of allegiance for migrants, and police to investigate themselves. The government has changed its mind on halting ballooning film industry subsidies, after consultation with big budget projects and legal advice. The NZ Herald reports that minister David Parker … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Probe into appointment of top cop who made Louise Nicholas comments, tolls considered for Transmission Gully, and nurses may be at odds with their union. There’s going to be an inquiry into how Wally Haumaha came to be appointed Deputy Police Commissioner, after an outcry over … Read more
Dave Comer was a film location scout who is credited with finding many of the spectacular locations for Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings. His widow Peta Carey introduces her new book of his photographs. It’s an odd affair, a book launch. Particularly your first book launch. My very kind publisher had warned me, “It’s … Read more