DOC EDGE PITCH 2023 Schedule

International Online Pitch Projects

Memory and Longing

PROJECT TITLE: 想念 Memory of Longing

TYPE: Hybrid Docu-Drama

STAGE: In development

COUNTRY: New Zealand

LANGUAGE: English / Cantonese

RUNTIME: 90 minutes

PRESENTED BY: Kim Webby, Alex Lee, Lynda Chanwai-Earle

DIRECTOR BIO:

Over three decades, Kim has directed and produced dozens of television documentaries and long-form series for New Zealand television, Al Jazeera and BBC4. She directed and co -produced her first cinematic feature documentary in 2015. The acclaimed Price of Peace, won Best Documentary at Imagine NATIVE, Toronto, 2015; Jury Prize at FIFO, Tahiti, 2016; among other international awards. Recently she directed television documentary series, Passengers, TVNZ; Waharoa: Art of the Pacific, Sky / Prime, Sky Arts, Neon; and co-directed Ake, Ake, Ake, Whakaata Māori. Kim is a New Zealander of Cantonese and Pākeha descent.

PRODUCER BIO:

Alex Lee has a Masters in Creative & Performing Arts from the University of Auckland. He is a Founding Trustee of Documentary New Zealand Trust, Director of Doc Edge International Film Festival and Industry Forum, and Director of Good Pitch Aotearoa New Zealand, 2021. He was producer of fiction narrative feature The Last Magic Show (2007) and award-winning, acclaimed theatrical feature documentary Hip Hop-eration (2018). He is currently working on several international co-productions including Shh…Diam, Vrindavan: City of Widows and Iggy in Love.

SCREEN WRITER BIO:

Lynda Chanwai-Earle (She/Her, Ngāti Haina, Ngāti Pākehā) has a background in scriptwriting and public broadcasting (TVNZ, RNZ). Lynda’s award-winning plays have toured in festivals here and abroad. Her feature screenplay Little Dragon was the first from Aotearoa to be pitched for co-productions at the Shanghai Film Festival, 2009. Lynda was 2019 Writer in Residence at the International Institute of Modern Letters (IIML), Victoria University of Wellington. Lynda recently received EDF funding (NZFC) to develop Memory / Longing with Kim Webby, and she’s directing Farewell Guangdong a documentary web series for broadcast on RNZ.

PRODUCTION COMPANY: Haining Street Film Ltd

LOGLINE:

Wellington 1905, a white supremacist stalks elderly Joe Kum Yung. Wellington 2023, a young Chinese woman follows her ancestor's ghost as she burns for justice.

SYNOPSIS:

A documentary within a ghost story. In this magic-realism hybrid docu-drama, fictional 26-year-old An Mei Taylor, makes a documentary about her real-life ancestor Joe Kum Yung. 68-year-old, crippled, Joe was murdered by white supremacist, Lionel Terry, in Wellington in 1905. Joe was a luckless Chinese goldminer. Fictional protagonist, Eurasian An, with a nose ring and tattoos recently found her Chinese birth mother, Cindy and learned Joe Kum Yung is her great-great-grandfather. An, with her cameraman / boyfriend Pete, decides to make a documentary about Joe. An interviews real New Zealand Chinese historians. At the Archives, Pete and An learn how anti-Chinese racism was ingrained and systemic. Chinese immigrants were subject to a poll tax and anti-Asian organisations were rife. An also discovers that her birth father descends from the most white supremacist of New Zealand's Prime Ministers, William Massey (factual person.) An has an identity crisis and questions her right to tell Joe’s story. Leaving the Poon Fah Association in Wellington, An time travels to Joe’s gold mining camp on the South Island’s West Coast, where she observes his tough life. He is now a wandering ghost. She must return his bones to China so he can rest in peace…but she wants his interview first. Cindy’s uncle tries to stop An’s documentary, aghast that this non-traditional half-caste, new to the family, is stirring up the past. It sparks a huge row between mother and daughter, with An furious that Cindy supports her elder over her. An continues the documentary.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT:

This story is close to the heart for director Kim Webby and writer Lynda Chanwai Earle. They both descend from the same Chinese county as Joe Kung Yung, Poon Yue, South China. Kim Webby’s birth father is a Yung (Young) and potentially she could be related to Joe. A key interviewee, oral historian, and archivist Lynette Shum, also descends from Poon Yue. Her grandmother is a Joe, so she too could be related to Joe, depending on whether his family name was written down first or last, when he entered New Zealand. Even though Joe was murdered in 1905, white supremacy remains a potent, dangerous force in our world. Racism touches the lives of all in our creative team. Memory of Longing is one way we can create change. We want to create a story that touches people of all ages, without it being a lecture. So, we created An and a ghost story to drive home the important themes and messages in our film.

LOOKING FOR: Funding, Distribution, Sales Agent, Broadcast and On-demand platforms, Streamers, Acquisition.

TOTAL BUDGET (NZD): $1.1 - $1.3 million ($NZ 1.8 – 2.2m)

SECURED BUDGET (NZD): NZFC Development Funding $US15,708; ($NZ25,000) NZOA Development funding $US9,424; ($NZ15,000)

DIRECTOR FILMOGRAPHY:

Price of Peace Director feature documentary; Passengers Field Director documentary series; Waharoa: Art of the Pacific Director documnetary series

TRAILER: https://vimeo.com/825300232?share=copy (Password: kim)

CONTACT:

Kim Webby Alex Lee kwebby@xtra.co.nz alex@yallamedia.co.nz

Kingdom of Kings

PROJECT TITLE: Kingdom of Kings

TYPE: Feature length or TV one-off (41 mins or longer)

STAGE: In Production

COUNTRY: New Zealand

LANGUAGE: English/Tongan

RUNTIME: 90 minutes

PRESENTED BY:

Sebastian Hurrell/ Puti Simich / Sandra Kailahi

PRINCIPAL DIRECTOR BIO:

Sebastian Hurrell has been involved in the arts for nearly 30 years. He has experience in theatre, opera, television and film making. Sebastian was a founding member of award-winning theatre collective Bloodworks. He spent 2 years working as Marketing Manager for Centrepoint Theatre and has spent the last 12 years working primarily as an Art Director and Production Designer. Sebastian has made a number of short films; this is his first time leading the creation of a feature film.

PRODUCER BIO:

PRODUCTION COMPANY: Supervillain & 787 Collective

LOGLINE:

A tiny Pacific Kingdom ravaged by poverty, obesity, globalization and climate events struggles for survival. Can their rugby heroes bring them much-needed Hope?

SYNOPSIS:

As we follow the journey of our heroes striving to claim the rugby World Cup title for Tonga, we can't ignore the greater story and plight of this pacific nation and its silent battle to keep its head above water. In response, the film will unapologetically interweave a tapestry of social and environmental challenges facing the small nation, through the raw unfiltered interviews and imagery of the documentary, as well as a heartfelt cinematic storytelling approach.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT:

Making this film has been a privilege and a concern. The situation in Tonga seems to have worsened since I last spent significant time in the Kingdom. Evidence of climate change is everywhere, poverty-related diabetes and obesity is on the rise and crimes rates are also increasing. Rugby has played a large part in Tonga’s modern cultural and financial development. But does the game give anything back to the people of Tonga? Furthermore, what would happen if Tonga’s ability to compete in international rugby failed? Tongan rugby is being left behind by corporatisation of the game. Developed nations now spend millions on developing their national teams while Tonga languishes in a pool of great talent but no finance to keep this talent. Other nations benefit from Tonga’s poverty. They attract many of the best Tongan players to come and play for their countries. But, with some players turning their backs on big contracts to play for their homeland, there is hope for Tonga yet. This is the story I will tell because if anybody knows about the plight of the Tongans, they are not listening.

LOOKING FOR: Broadcast/platform acquisition/commission, Funding

TOTAL BUDGET (NZD): $500K

SECURED BUDGET (NZD):

Supervillain Limited – self funding $47K, Boosted $31K

DIRECTOR FILMOGRAPHY:

Principal Director

Rū writer, short film, Balloons writer/director short film, Ahikaroa – additional director, series

Co-Director

Vea Mafile’o

For My Father's Kingdom Drector feature documentary; Toa`ipuapuaga Director short documentary; Lea Tupu'anga directo, short film; I`m Not Your Dusky Maiden Director short film, The Panthers Co-director series; The Lord of the Rings Director's attachment series

TRAILER: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/827856557

Other links - website, social channels: https://kingdomofkings.co.nz/

CONTACT:

Sebastian Hurrell - sebastianhurrell@gmail.com

Puti Simich - putisimich@gmail.com

Taliban 2.0: A New Dawn

PROJECT TITLE: Taliban 2.0: A New Dawn

TYPE: Series

STAGE: Concept/In development

COUNTRY: New Zealand

LANGUAGE: Pashto, Dari

RUNTIME: 3 x 1 Hour

PRESENTED BY: Peter Day

DIRECTOR BIO:

Omar is an established Director and Cinematographer. He started in the industry as a photographer before he burst onto the scene in 2013 with his first feature film These Birds Walk. As a Director, his work can be seen on HBO’s flagship film The Vow, Nomad for CNN, Abstract, and Flight/ Risk for Amazon Studios. In 2022 Omar produced Three Songs For Benazir, which was acquired by NETFLIX and was the first indigenous Afghan film to be nominated to the Oscars.

PRODUCER BIO:

Rishi has over 10 years in the TV & Film industry working on a variety of factual programming. He cut his teeth for Feature Docs as Associate Producer on The Plan which was nominated for a Grierson Award at

LFF 2018, and as Associate Producer & Principal Cameraman for Off The Rails, which won Best Film at Doc Edge NZ, was long listed for the Oscars and nominated for a BIFA 2022.

PRODUCTION COMPANY: Faction Media

Faction Media (FKA Faction Films) is a part BAME led indie that has been at the cutting edge of documentary filmmaking since 1983. We work regularly with UK and international broadcasters in Europe, the USA, Japan and Australia. Our programmes have won awards, appeared in numerous festivals and helped change laws.

LOGLINE:

This observational documentary series asks whether the Taliban can reform - or are the Taliban doomed to repeat themselves, dragging Afghanistan through hell again.

SYNOPSIS:

Taliban 2.0 follows three main characters within the Taliban and three main civilians/families and areas within civilian life. Each episode covers a principal theme, but character narratives/themes are weaved throughout and followed chronologically across episodes. Ep1 (Cultural Tensions) shadows Zabiullah Mujahid, Deputy Cultural Minister, while managing the world’s media. We explore cultural tensions between The West, the Taliban, and the people, especially women, as we establish the Taliban’s vision of an ideal Islamic society. We investigate the Taliban as a homogenous group, revealing differing individual opinions within the regime. We discover how the Taliban are integrating into Afghan society and how they and citizens are affecting each other’s beliefs. Ep2 (Economy) follows Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s attempts to unfreeze Afghanistan’s assets and his/colleagues’ efforts rebuilding the economy. We embed with schools/universities and hospitals revealing the suffering of women banned from public life. We join western aid agencies and experience the horrors of millions starving and go inside Jinnah Hospital exposing the staffing crisis without female medics. We follow a desperate family as they attempt a risky escape from Afghanistan. Will they make it out? Ep3 (Security) trails Wali Jan Hamza, Kabul Police Chief, protecting Kabul’s streets, enforcing Taliban rule, and preparing for potential threats/dealing with ISIS attacks. We explore the provinces, observing Taliban rule being administered and security ensured in former no-go areas (Herat) far from Kabul now finally reconnected. However, we see other areas, (Nangarhar - eastern border) under greater threat from ISIS, making security a priority.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT: N/A

LOOKING FOR: Broadcast/platform acquisition/commission, Funding

TOTAL BUDGET (USD): 1,290,000 USD or about 2,100,000 NZD

SECURED BUDGET (USD):

ZDF/Arte $340,000 USD or about $824,000 NZD

VPRO $34,000 or about $82,400 NZD

RDI Canada $10,500 USD or about $17,300 NZD

DIRECTOR FILMOGRAPHY:

Flight/Risk Director feature documentary; Nomad Director documentary series; Abstract: The Art of Design S1E8 (2017): Episodic Director documentary series; The Vow Episodic director documentary series; These Birds Walk (2013) Director feature documentary

TRAILER: https://vimeo.com/718618336

CONTACT:

Peter Day Rishi Ghost Curling peter@factionfilms.co.uk rishi@factionfilms.co.uk

Mary Jane

PROJECT TITLE: Mary Jane

TYPE: Feature length documentary

STAGE: In development

COUNTRY: New Zealand

LANGUAGE: English

RUNTIME: 75-90 mins

PRESENTED BY: Carmen & Susan Leonard

DIRECTOR BIO:

Susan is best known for earning international critical acclaim for her work directing the award winning series The Casketeers for TVNZ and Netflix . With 27 years of crafting television under her belt, Susan has contributed to countless programmes from big format entertainment like The Comedy Gala and Masterchef NZ, to small crew projects like Al Brown Tastes Australia and short films like Lynley Dodd, Writing the Pictures, Drawing the Words. Most recently she has focused solely on documentaries, directing and producing Crown Lynn: A Māori Story and Māori Wardens for Whakaata Māori, both of which received excellent reviews.

PRODUCER BIO:

Carmen has worked extensively in the television industry for over three decades. She is multi skilled across all genres of television, specialising in drama production. She has worked with the largest television production houses and producers in both New Zealand and Australia. In the factual & documentary arena she has executive produced observational documentary series through to multi award winning New Zealand versions of international formats. As a drama Producer, she has produced an array of multi award winning series and telefeatures, which have garnered high audience ratings, many of which have also generated international sales.

PRODUCTION COMPANY: Fearless Productions

LOGLINE:What is dance, if it is not rebellion?

SYNOPSIS:

Mary-Jane O’Reilly is a rebel, a hippy, a feminist and one of NZ’s most iconic dancers. She co -founded Limbs in 1977, the contemporary dance company that changed our dance scene forever and is still pushing boundaries today, with her signature choreography and sell-out shows. Mary-Jane glides through a crowd like she’s wearing ballet slippers. She watches rugby because she adores the choreography. She’s terrified her grandson is a natural dancer, a fate she wouldn’t wish on anyone. Through her lens we enter the rich world of dance and go backstage with her and her dancers as she reworks two shows from her past with her husband Phil. Her biggest fan and greatest antagonist, Phil’s genius ideas have often shaped her work. Now, in their twilight years they intend to break new ground adding elements to her shows that audiences have never experienced before.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

I am excited to weave story and dance together in an intimate tango on screen. My vision is to combine an observational documentary narrative with dramatic recreations filmed from Mary Jane’s sensory perspective. We have a strong beginning, middle and end with the narrative of her plight to break new ground in dance once again that will provide natural, dynamic turning points as she succeeds or fails. As a dancer myself, I am acutely aware of how I want to present performances on screen to feel their maximum impact and be moved. I am learning all the time from Mary Jane how she sees dance which is something I will develop as I film with her further. She finds choreography in mundane life every day and this is something I want to capture and share with audiences. This is a dance film, championing a female icon and celebrating a revolutionary historical era in our country.

LOOKING FOR: Funding, Distribution, Sales Agent, Broadcast/platform acquisition/commission

TOTAL BUDGET (NZD): $1.5 million USD or about $3 million NZD

SECURED BUDGET (NZD): None

DIRECTOR FILMOGRAPHY: The Casketeers Director documentary series; My Māori Midwife Director documentary series; Lynley Dodd, Writing the Pictures, Drawing the Words Director documentary feature; Crown Lynn: A Māori Story Producer/Director documentary feature; Māori Wardens Producer/Director documentary feature

TRAILER: https://vimeo.com/830096776 (pw: MARY_0525)

CONTACT:

Susan Leonard

Carmen Leonard susanleonardemail@gmail.com ` carmen@fearlessproductions.co.nz

On the Road to Reincarnation

PROJECT TITLE: On the Road to Reincarnation

TYPE: Series

STAGE: Concept/In development

COUNTRY: New Zealand

LANGUAGE: English

RUNTIME: 6x45'

PRESENTED BY: Hegan Entertainments

DIRECTOR BIO:

Fred Renata's trail, from engineering into film, after joining the camera crew on Merata Mita's feature, Mauri (1987). After helping out on Māori drama series E Tipu e Rea, he later shot his first feature, Magik and Rose (1999). Since then, his work as Cinematographer has ranged — from music videos and adverts, to hit TV shows 800 Words and Being Eve, to successful movie Mt Zion. Renata has also shot many documentaries (Poi E, Herbs - Songs of Freedom, Hotere), often with Māori themes. In 2003 he won an NZ Television Award, for his work on drama series Street Legal.

PRODUCER BIO:

Kim Hegan: Co-Producer

Kim Hegan was born in Auckland into a well-known family of entertainment business promoters. He extended his interest in contemporary music, studying in India, and performing Indian Classical music and Tibetan language /Buddhism at Vishva Bharati University West Bengal, India. He returned to NZ to take up a directorship with the family business, Hegan Entertainments. They produced large events for TV including award winning Auckland City Millennium Dawn His most recent Feature Documentary Return To Gandhi Road won 2020 Doc Edge award as well as several overseas awards, and numerous 'Official Selections'.

Neil Waka: Co-Producer/co-Writer

Neil Waka is one of New Zealand’s most experienced television journalists and news anchors. He was also one of the first indigenous (Māori) news anchors to present prime time television news in Aotearoa New Zealand. Neil began his broadcasting career as a radio journalist where he spent around 11 years reporting and presenting at TV3. After departing TV3, Neil returned to Aotearoa New Zealand where he had his own radio show before going back into television with the number one network in the country, TVNZ One News, where he worked for 11 years. He later travelled the world including reporting on and presenting coverage of the Olympic Games in Greece in 2004. Throughout his broadcasting career, Neil has presented multiple high profile television programmes. He continues to consult with multiple organisations, around government engagement, Māori engagement and as a communications specialist.

PRODUCTION COMPANY: Hegan Entertainments Ltd

LOGLINE:

On the Road to Reincarnation is a deeply cinematic investigation into multi cultures' belief systems: Māori, Tibetan Buddhist, Hindu, Apache, Amazonian Innuit, and Catholic on what happens when we die.

SYNOPSIS:

We will look at six different cultures view of life after death. Do we enter another plain or do the lights just go out? In Buddhism, reincarnation seems to be an unquestionable fact. The Buddha himself talked about his past lives in the Jataka Tales. Yet, among all the big questions, I must confess I still ask myself: " If it really exists, where is the scientific proof?”.

I visited Dr Jim Tucker, a child psychiatrist, who documented stories of children remembering their previous lives. Dr Tucker, over many years investigated child memory, less than a dozen could find no other excuse. There was proof, they had been born before. We’ll know more about the current attempts of some start-ups and tech giants (Meta, Somnium Space, etc.) that promises digital immortality in their metaverses. I will also interview physicians, scientists, and those who create the metaverse, or who dream of downloading our minds post-mortem on hard drives. My teacher was Kyabje Kangyur Rinpoche, who spoke only Tibetan and died in 1975. I have never met his reincarnation, Mingyur Rinpoche, but he speaks numerous European languages and is himself a master of communication. We will travel to the highest points on the planet, The Himalayan mountains of Nepal and Tibet to his home in Dharamsala. The Rainforests of the North American Amazon, we will chat to Bishop Lowe on his Catholic view, or the furthest, southern lands of preBritish colonialization, the ancient Tohunga still existing in the deepest bush of Tuhoi Aotearoa, New Zealand, Reincarnation, here we come!

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT:

It is my intention to bring to life the exotic locations we are to film with this series We will look at six different culture’s view of life after death. Do we enter another plain… or do the lights just go out? In Buddhism, reincarnation seems to be an unquestionable fact. Yet, among all the big questions, " If it really exists, where is the scientific proof? A visit to America, a child psychiatrist who documented stories of children remembering their previous lives. A Dr Jim Tucker, over many years investigated child memory. There was proof, only 6 had been born before. We’ll know more about the current attempts of some start-ups and tech giants (Meta, Somnium Space...) that promises… digital immortality in their metaverses. We will also interview physicians, scientists, and those who create the metaverse, or who dream of downloading our minds post-mortem on hard drives. Kim's teacher was Kyabje Kangyur Rinpoche, who spoke only Tibetan and died in 1975. He never met his reincarnation, Mingyur Rinpoche, 47 years old now.

LOOKING FOR: Broadcast/platform acquisition/commission, Distribution, Funding, Sales Agent

TOTAL BUDGET (USD): $350,000 USD or $576,651 NZD

SECURED BUDGET (USD): None

DIRECTOR FILMOGRAPHY: Muru Cinematographer feature film; Wind Song and Rain

Cinematographer short film; Dawn Raid 2 (web) Cinematographer short film,;Te Wao Nui

Cinematographer short film; Herbs - Songs of Freedom Cinematographer feature film; Maria

Cinematographer short film; Poi E: The Story of Our Song Cinematographer feature film

TRAILER: N/A

CONTACT:

Kim Hegan kimhegan@gmail.com

Neil Waka neil.waka@icloud.com

Killing Brigitte Nielsen

PROJECT TITLE: Killing Brigitte Nielsen

TYPE: Feature length or TV one-off (41 mins or longer)

STAGE: Concept/In development

COUNTRY: New Zealand

LANGUAGE: English

RUNTIME: 90 Minutes

PRESENTED BY: Kylie Cushman

DIRECTOR BIO:

I’m a creative based in Auckland, New Zealand. Propelled by hope, passion and humour my journey into documentary has been through working as an actor and presenter. My debut short documentary, For the Love of Dog, premiered at Doc Edge Festival and has gone on to travel to furry-themed festivals globally. When I’m not wrangling three (or is it three hundred?) children I spend my time pursuing my latest passion, surfing, and searching for the perfect tiny wave. A bonus of this passion is that I can’t hear my children screaming at me from the shoreline.

PRODUCER BIO:) n/a

PRODUCTION COMPANY: n/a

LOGLINE: Killing Brigitte Nielsen

SYNOPSIS:

It was supposed to be the holiday of a lifetime. Twenty years ago, six strangers were lured to the Greek Islands under the pretence of filming a luxury promotional video. They were promised a week of sunshine and sea, but the show’s creator had something much darker in mind. “Voyage” was a reality television show, a boundary-breaking human experiment from a man with too much money and no morals. The six were subjected to hidden cameras, hunger, sleep deprivation, stolen passports, drug smuggling, and eventually arrested and jailed for the alleged murder of celebrity Brigitte Nielsen. This is reality television at its dirtiest, a social experiment without consent or consideration not only of the law but the immediate and lasting effects on the people involved. In this 90-minute documentary we will revisit the original footage, track down the participants and capture their personal experiences and the impact it has had on their lives. Director Kylie Cushman was part of the original six, so has first-hand knowledge of the traumatic social experiment. We will talk to the cast and crew, Brigitte Nielsen and of course the show’s creator, billionaire Alki David. A story of right and wrong and how David tried to fight Goliath. Both shocking and thought provoking, it’s a story like no other. In the end we will leave the audience with the question what is the cost of our infatuation with reality television? And did Alki David really get away with it?

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT:

It’s a story that’s haunted me for almost two decades. I’ve retold it countless times, at dinner parties and from the side-lines of kids soccer games. Every time the listeners would lean in, their faces incredulous, full of questions, many of which I still cannot answer. This film sets out to do just that. What really happened? How could it happen? And why?

Themes of power and consent, money and morality are explored taking the audience on a wild ride and leaving them both entertained and deeply unsettled. It’s a film full of eccentric characters, unbelievable twists and a plot that continually thickens - a story too good not to be told. I want the audience to experience the confusion and disbelief we felt all those years ago through the retelling of the original story and the structure of my film. The curveballs are continuous and the line between hero and villain begins to blur. The audience may find that the finger of blame is pointing right back at them, the driver behind our obsession with reality television.

LOOKING FOR: A Producer

TOTAL BUDGET (USD): $300,000 or 500,000 NZD

SECURED BUDGET (USD): 0

DIRECTOR FILMOGRAPHY: For the Love of Dog, Short documentary, Educating Archie, Doc Edge pitch project

TRAILER: https://vimeo.com/826734079/5e5b68c936

CONTACT: Kylie Cushman kycushman@hotmail.co.uk

Isabella: A Woman Above

PROJECT TITLE: Isabella: A Woman Above

TYPE: Documentary Series

STAGE: In development

COUNTRY: New Zealand

LANGUAGE: English

RUNTIME: 6 x 15 minutes

PRESENTED BY: Evelyn Ebrey and Julia Parnell

DIRECTOR/PRODUCER BIO:

Evelyn Ebrey is a leading fashion journalist, producer and director. Her storytelling skills were honed on publications in the UK and Australia before becoming editor of New Zealand’s longest running online fashion magazine FashioNZ in 2015, which she led until mid-2022. Having earlier graduated from South Seas Film and Television School, Evelyn spent eight years in film and television befo re moving to journalism and roles in the fashion industry. Evelyn’s career has recently come full circle, now directing and producing fashion-related stories for the screen using her inside knowledge of the fashion industry and the many relationships she has built.

DIRECTOR/PRODUCER BIO:

Julia Parnell is an award-winning producer and documentary director. During a 20-year career, Julia has directed and produced hundreds of hours of content including feature films, primetime series, one-off documentaries and podcasts. Julia creates ambitious and meaningful stories with heart, truth and powerful characters, which have featured in Cannes Docs, SXSW, SIFF, MIFF, Tampere, AIFF, Cork Film Festival, In-Edit Music Documentary Festival, DocEdge and the NZIFF. Her most recent feature film Till the Lights Go Out achieved a place in the top ten highest-grossing NZ box office documentaries of all time.

PRODUCTION COMPANY: Notable Pictures

LOGLINE: A plus size model takes on a conflicted fashion industry wrestling with long overdue change as she battles to overcome a lifetime of self doubt

SYNOPSIS:

Model Isabella Moore turns heads, and when you are a statuesque plus size beauty in a sea of similar size zeros it is impossible not to stand out. Growing up in a Samoan family, Isabella hated her bigger body, she didn’t see anyone who looked like her in the media and didn't feel like she fitted in. The girl from Auckland never imagined she would model for some of Europe's biggest brands. Becoming a model brought her struggles with body dysmorphia to a head. On one hand, her body is perfectly suited to her passion as an opera soprano, on the other, Isabella battles with knowing that losing weight could mean a more successful modelling career. She punishes herself for thoughts of not being good enough. It's a cycle of self doubt that so many people can’t break out of. Charismatic but vulnerable, Isabella has achieved so much but the fashion industry is notoriously cut-throat, one day you’re in and the next you’re out. Isabella is on the precipice of signing to a prestigious New York agency, but after a decade of positive change for diversity, the fashion industry is regressing. ‘00s fashion is trending again, and so is the pervasiveness of thin bodies. Bodies shouldn’t be trends and heroin chic should stay in the past. It did too much damage to generations of women the first time around. As Isabella sets about breaking through her fears, and asking hard questions of an industry she genuinely loves, audiences will be enlightened by a powerful commentary on the perception of beauty, and Isabella’s affecting journey of self-acceptance.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT:

For decades we’ve chased the thorny concept of self-improvement: If only I were taller, richer, thinner. If only I were beautiful. We’ve learned to hate the bodies that give us life. We give in to society’s unattainable beauty standards, and fixate on the pressure to be “thin enough” so we can fit in. It’s time to take back the narrative. Isabella knows that she can be a role model for young Pasifika women that she didn’t have growing up, and she’s determined to open doors for others. Over a revelatory year, Isabella will attempt to find answers to her questions about body image, self worth, and identity. Opening up her personal life, traumas and career, Isabella will get to the heart of these issues with friends, colleagues and her Samoan aiga. Conversations will be joyful, but also painful and insightful, driven by Isabella’s desire to understand and overcome that dangerous cycle of self-hatred. Audiences will accompany Isabella from the UK to NY and back to Auckland, as she attempts to find her place on the international stage. Scenes from inside the fashion industry will lay bare the intense pressure on models to represent an idealised version of beauty and unpack the real, harmful issues that fester within this global community and filter into how we all see ourselves.

LOOKING FOR: Distribution, Funding, Sales Agent

TOTAL BUDGET (USD): $150,000 USD or around $250,000 NZD

SECURED BUDGET (USD): N/A

DIRECTOR FILMOGRAPHY:

Julia Parnell

Waiata Anthems Director/Producer feature documentary; SIX60: Till the Lights Go Out Director/Producer feature; The Chills: The Triumph and Tragedy of Martin Phillipps Director/Producer feature documentary; Wilbur the King in the Ring (2017) Director/Producer feature documentary

Evelyn Ebrey:

Twenty years of New Zealand Fashion Week (2021) Director/Producer; Various client videos and campaigns (2020 – 2023) -Director/Producer (And Then Agency)

TRAILER: Teaser is being edited this week, will forward the link as soon as it’s ready

CONTACT:

Julia Parnell Evelyn Ebrey julia@notablepictures.com ebrey.evelyn@gmail.com

Billy and the Kid

PROJECT TITLE: Billy and the Kid

TYPE: Feature length or TV one-off (41 mins or longer)

STAGE: In Post. 20% of shot material has been drawn from to create the 21-minute Jami Lee Ross centred “Elements of Truth”, successfully distributed by The Spinoff since Feb 23.

COUNTRY: New Zealand

LANGUAGE: English and Maori

RUNTIME: est 85 mins or 2x 47 min

PRESENTED BY: Tony Sutorius

DIRECTOR BIO:

Tony is a senior documentary director and producer based in Porirua, New Zealand. His company Unreal Films has made more than 300 films, most focused on democracy and human rights. His cinematic, often funny plunges into political culture have included the theatrical feature documentaries "Campaign" (1999) and "Helen Kelly - Together" (2019), and the 22-minute “Elements of Truth” (2023) made and distributed with The Spinoff. His particular craft strength is in a longform, solo-shot observational mode, where his work is well known for startling intimacy and disclosure, and for creating deep societal and cultural resonance from strong individual stories.

PRODUCER BIO:

As senior producer and owner of Unreal Films Ltd Tony Sutorius has produced of over three hundred films across New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific, and co-produced two major cinema feature documentaries, Helen Kelly – Together and Campaign

PRODUCTION COMPANY: Unreal Films Ltd

LOGLINE:

The intimate, extraordinary fly-on-the-wall origin story of New Zealand's explosive MAGA conspiracy movement, as end-times preacher Billy Te Kahika joins desperate politico Jami Lee Ross.

SYNOPSIS:

When New Zealand’s MAGA-influenced anti-COVID conspiracy movement was finally driven out of downtown Wellington by riot police amongst an explosion of violence, fire and destruction last year many asked, who were these people? Where did they come from? What forces had left so many New Zealanders this alienated and angry, and where would they turn next? This film is their origin story, finally answering that important question. During New Zealand's first COVID lockdown MAGA conspiracy theories arrived here with a roar, from the mind and broken phone of enigmatic musician and lay preacher Billy Te Kahika. Heavily influenced by Old Testament and Ratana prophesy, Billy forecast that End Times were coming soon, as the world's governments conspire to imprison and kill their own people. His Facebook "live-ies" spread like wildfire, resonating powerfully with many, especially young Maori, who found the idea of the government working to kill them all too believable and historically resonant. Meanwhile in Wellington, spectacularly disgraced professional politician Jami Lee Ross, poor boy made good, has been ejected from the National Party “cult” following an ugly public stoush with leader and former friend Simon Bridges. He's thoroughly in the wilderness, with no party, his name severely muddied, recovering from a serious mental health crisis, and unable to apply his trade. This profoundly unlikely duo suddenly need each other. But can their brotherhood possibly hold together through a torrid election campaign... and what are they actually building amongst their progressively angrier, more radicalised followers?

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT:

Billy and the Kid takes you inside the birth of the MAGA conspiracy movement in New Zealand, finally exposing where it came from and what draws people to it.... and none of it is what you think. Capturing remarkably frank insights into the leadership, and more importantly the followers of this rapidly alienating group, but while they were still willing to talk with vulnerability about their lives and journeys, and before the arrival of COVID vaccines in the country provided a simpler, less fundamentally true narrative to explain their fear and alienation. This will be a seriously important insight into our national future, told in an accessibly, empathic and highly story-driven form, about a group of people trying democracy, all the while being visibly ostracised and radicalised out of it. Where that takes us as a country is completely uncharted. I have been lucky to be present at some of New Zealand’s most important moments of political culture. This is the most important, because its a story which has only just begun.

LOOKING FOR: Broadcast/platform acquisition/commission, Distribution, Funding

TOTAL BUDGET (USD): about $1800,00 USD or $300,000 NZD

SECURED BUDGET (USD): Unreal Films and the Spinoff – Previous $NZ 100K NZOA funding has created the very successful 22 minute “Elements of Truth” released by The Spinoff in February 2023. This has allowed first-pass logging and technical preparation of all shot material to be completed.

DIRECTOR FILMOGRAPHY:

Helen Kelly - Together Director & Co-producer feature documentary, Campaign Director & Co-producer feature documentary; The Firefighters Director TV documentary plus more than three hundred TV current affairs and non-broadcast projects as director & producer over thirty years

TRAILER: https://vimeo.com/793155232/99ce2d2e5e (pw: He Whakaputanga)

CONTACT:

Tony Sutorius Annie Collins tony@unreal.co.nz annie@moa.co.nz

Wind and View

PROJECT TITLE: Wind and View

TYPE: Feature length or TV one-off (41 mins or longer)

STAGE: In Production

COUNTRY: Taiwan, Japan

LANGUAGE: Mandarin, Pinayuanan (Paiwan language), Taiwanese

RUNTIME: 80 minutes

PRESENTED BY: Ina Hon

DIRECTOR BIO:

Hsieh Sheng-Hung is a Taiwanese director, cinematographer, producer, photographer and worldtraveller. His idea of filmmaking focuses on the traveller’s visions, the artist’s thoughts and native cultures in the world. His documentary short Palisian was nominated for Best Student Documentary at Golden Harvest Awards and for Best Documentary at 2021 Filmzeit Kaufbeuren. In 2022, his first feature-length documentary Our time on the Grass world premiered at the Taipei Film Festival and was officially selected at 2022 Hong Kong Asian Film Festival.

PRODUCER BIO:

Ina is a German-Taiwanese film producer with extensive experience in production management for international co-productions such as Annette and Franky Five Star, worked for the Berlin International Film Festival and world sales company Mister Smith at the Cannes Film Market. She is the producer of En

Pleine Lulu, a short film produced for ARTE, following her training at Atelier Ludwigsburg-Paris, a Masterclass in International Co-Production at the Filmakademie in Germany and La Fémis in France.

PRODUCTION COMPANY: Moolin Films

LOGLINE:

A tiny grocery store in the Taiwanese mountains has been the centre stage of a love story between an indigenous princess and a Chinese soldier.

SYNOPSIS:

97-year-old Kang Chen-kuo was born in Northern China and spent his youth in the scourge of war. After he fought in the Korean War, he was brought to Taiwan as a prisoner of war by the U.S. military. Deep in the mountains of Taiwan Kang met and eventually married ’Eleng Pacekelj, a Paiwan princess. Since then, Kang has settled down in the tribal village and runs a grocery store called “Landscape Store” with his wife. It is open all year round and has been running for almost 50 years. There is always Chinese with a Huabei-accent and Pinayuanan, a Taiwanese indigenous tribal language, intertwining in the store. How do their children and grandchildren, who are proud of their indigenous heritage, view their grandfather? The film follows Kang’s grandson Kang Yuan-Jin (indigenous name: Ngerenger Pacekelj) on his weekend visit to see his grandparents, captures their multilayered conversations and shows how it forms their family bond, that travels across East Asia and informs about East Asian geopolitics and the link to modern Taiwanese history.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT:

“Landscape” in Chinese consists of the characters “wind and view”. When I stepped into the “Landscape Store” for the first time, I saw an antique Chinese map on the wall covered with little stickers. Kang uses stickers to mark his hometown and all the locations where he has been in battles as a soldier from Eurasia to the Korean Peninsula. The newest sticker is placed in the location of a small tribe in Southern Taiwan, where Kang has been staying for decades. I tried to re-imagine every memory underneath these stickers, trying to figure out what these stickers conceal, and the reason Kang resides in Southern Taiwan. Kang and his wife ’Eleng Pacekelj have been running the grocery store for over 60 years, even though they don’t speak the same language. I want to record this story of their encounter, because through them I can see the history in East Asia after World War 2. With their story I can show how geopolitics shaped relationships and how this kind of cultural exchange impacted Taiwan's modern history.

LOOKING FOR: Co-Producer, Broadcaster & Platform Acquisition, Distribution, International Funding, Sales Agent

TOTAL BUDGET (USD): $239,687

SECURED BUDGET (USD): 2021 New Taipei City Documentary Film Award $10000; National Culture and Arts Foundation $40,600; Self-financed-$22,000

DIRECTOR FILMOGRAPHY:

Our time on the Grass Director/ Producer Director of Photography feature documentary; Palisian Director/Director of Photography student documentary

TRAILER: https://youtu.be/uGMHTweYhl0

CONTACT:

Hsieh Sheng-Hung Ina Hon everflood@gmail.com ina@moolinfilms.com

Start Down

PROJECT TITLE: Start Down

TYPE: Feature length or TV one-off (41 mins or longer)

STAGE: Concept/In development

COUNTRY: New Zealand

LANGUAGE: English

RUNTIME: 50 minutes

PRESENTED BY: Mayank Malik

DIRECTOR BIO:

Valli Bandana

Once an advertising copywriter with Mudra, McCann Erickson and Foote Cone & Belding Ulka, Valli launched, among other brands, Tropicana, LML Bikes, Radisson, conceptualising, scripting and creating ad film campaigns for them. A few years in, she stepped into making films, both short, commercial and long-form. Among them her first documentary feature on water, energy and climate, Sun Ganges shook up some people and won a few good international awards before making it to Netflix in 2019. She is currently onto two short films on Hugelkultur and Hydroponics along with LEAF Fremont and Santa Clara Valley Water organisations.

PRODUCER BIO:

Mayank Malik

I like building things. I'm currently working with a great team on a system that will allow small communities to produce and share solar energy, reducing their reliance on fossil-based electricity. I enjoy gardening, playing board games, and cooking. I cook a mean Jambalaya and an even meaner Daal Bukhara (buttered lentils), but the credit for that goes to my mother. I'm passionate about sustainability, urban farming, and high-quality education for youth.

PRODUCTION COMPANY: All The Things Studio

LOGLINE:

StartDown is a documentary following three kids who fight food insecurity, inspiring their town and demonstrating how small actions can create a better future.

SYNOPSIS:

StartDown is a documentary film that follows the inspiring journey of three kids who decide to take action against food insecurity and climate change in their community. Motivated by a desire to make a difference, the trio sets out to build a greenhouse that will provide fresh produce to their community year-round. The film chronicles their progress as they face numerous challenges, including fundraising, finding the right location, and engaging with their community. As the greenhouse takes shape, the kids inspire their community to get involved in their mission, showing that small actions can make a big impact in the fight against climate change. Their dedication and hard work inspire local businesses, government officials, and volunteers to contribute to their cause. The film showcases how people can work together to create positive change. Through their project, the kids learn about the effects of climate change on local agriculture and food security, and the importance of sustainable food systems. The greenhouse not only provides fresh produce but also serves as an educational facility for the community to learn about sustainable agriculture. StartDown is a reminder that everyone can make a difference. The film captures the passion and determination of the young activists and shows how their work can inspire others to take action. By telling their story, StartDown offers a hopeful and inspiring message to audiences around the world that we can all play a part in creating a better future for our planet and its people.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT:

LOOKING FOR: Funding

TOTAL BUDGET (USD): $500,000

SECURED BUDGET (USD): $120,000

DIRECTOR FILMOGRAPHY:

Sun Ganges Director feature documentary

TRAILER: N/A

CONTACT:

Mayank Malik - malik.mayank@gmail.com

Valli Bandana - vallibindana@gmail.com

Matriarch: In A Woman's World

PROJECT TITLE: Matriarch: In A Woman's World

TYPE: Series

STAGE: In Production

COUNTRY: USA

LANGUAGE: Tamasheq, Mandarin, Mosuo, Minang, Indonesia, English

RUNTIME: 8x40 min

PRESENTED BY: Izzy Chan, Director & Producer

DIRECTOR BIO:

Director & Producer Izzy Chan is a storyteller curious about cultural trends poised to change life as we know it. Her award-winning documentary feature on breadwinner moms and at-home dads, The Big Flip Stories from the Modern Home Front , premiered at the Austin Film Festival and Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival. Chan is a Film Envoy for the American Film Showcase, the U.S. State Department’s film diplomacy program; through the program, Chan has travelled to Egypt, China, Ukraine, and Malaysia to speak and conduct workshops. Brought up in Hong Kong and Singapore, Chan’s creative process reflects her cross-cultural background.

PRODUCER BIO:

Consulting Producer Athena Kalkopoulou is a creative producer and consultant of documentaries based in San Francisco and Athens. She collaborates with the Sundance Documentary Fund and the Catapult

Film Fund. She produced A Growing Thing which broadcast on Deutsche Welle and will be on PBS World Channel. In addition, she co-produced These Are My Hours which had its world premiere at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival in 2018. Previously, she oversaw the San Francisco Film Society's documentary grants program. She has participated in grant reviews, panels, pitching forums, juries, and industry meetings in festivals such as Sundance, SXSW, Dok Leipzig, Camden International Film Festival, and others.

PRODUCTION COMPANY: The Big Flip, LLC

LOGLINE:

Matriarch reveals what it’s like to grow up and grow old in a woman’s world through the eyes of four women in four contemporary matriarchies worldwide.

SYNOPSIS:

Shot over three years, this eight-part documentary series follows four female protagonists at different life stages in four matriarchies. Ernarida, a lively 73-year-old Minangkabau grandmother in West Sumatra, Indonesia, raised her daughter "with her own ten fingers" after three short-lived marriages. When her son-in-law dies suddenly of a heart attack, Ernarida vows to stay by her widowed daughter until her young grandchildren are grown. (Confirmed character) Duma, a mother expecting her second child, moves back from the city to her ancestral home in a Mosuo village up in the mountains near Lugu Lake in China a region known as the Kingdom of Women. (Confirmed character) Khadija is a 16-yearold Tuareg teen whose nomadic Tuareg tribe roams the Sahel region south of Agadez in Niger. With no schools, medical facilities, or wells within any meaningful distance, Khadija's mother and the village chief are lobbying various organizations to build a well and provide regular medical aid in the region. (Confirmed character) Yasmin, a fearless 6-year-old Indian girl, runs free in her village in the lush hills of rainy Meghalaya in north-eastern India; she is a treasure in the indigenous Khasi community where the birth of each baby girl is celebrated, and a family with only sons is considered unlucky. (Hypothetical character based on the kind of character we'll be searching for.) To tie the characters and their storylines together, each episode will focus on a core theme, e.g., childbirth, coming of age, marriage, religion, death, etc.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT:

My grandmother was a refugee who fled China during the Communist Revolution, walking 600 miles to Hong Kong. I vividly remember shopping for shoes for her children's shoes that would look respectable on my grandmother's "lotus" feet. Her feet were bound when she was a little girl. Bound as in cut and broken. Such was the man's world she lived in. Hence my interest in gender equality. How would my grandmother's life be different in a world where girls were treasured? As for my filmmaking philosophy, I love this quote from Jane Goodall: "I don't believe that people change because they're bullied. I believe people change because they change from within." When Jane talks to people who test on animals, she doesn't chastise them. Instead, she tells stories and shows them photos of chimpanzees. I also want to tell stories that inspire dialogue and create understanding. I strive to create nonfiction stories that draw in audiences through an intriguing premise, enticing imagery, and captivating characters that draw viewers into their struggles.

LOOKING FOR: Partners, Funders, Distributer

TOTAL BUDGET (USD): $1,600,000

SECURED BUDGET (USD):

$50,000 Aaron Chaiclin (private funder, $48,000–Producer’s cash, $5,000 Winnie Chan (private funder)

DIRECTOR FILMOGRAPHY:

The Big Flip Stories From The Modern Home Front Director/Producer/Co-editor

TRAILER: https://vimeo.com/287224206 (pw: M@tr1archFr1end2023)

CONTACT:

Izzy Chan Athena Kalkopoulouizzy@izzychan.com akalkopoulou@gmail.com

Slashed

PROJECT TITLE: Slashed

TYPE: Feature length or TV one-off (41 mins or longer)

STAGE: Concept/In development

COUNTRY: New Zealand / USA

LANGUAGE: English

RUNTIME: 85 minutes

PRESENTED BY: Hunter Weeks

DIRECTOR BIO:

Hunter Weeks is a film/TV producer and director behind the films Outside the Valley, Where the Yellowstone Goes, Ride the Divide, WALTER: Lessons from the World’s Oldest People, 10 Yards, 10 MPH and producer of Reveal the Path and Inspired to Ride His positive outlook and love of adventure has inspired audiences worldwide. Hunter’s innovative approach to film earned him spots on NPR and CNN, major partnerships with Quiznos, Chipotle, SmartWool, CBS Sports, QBP, Simms Fishing, and Livestrong, with speaking engagements at major film events, including Sundance, SXSW, and Galway Film Fleadh. He recently became an Edmund Hillary Fellow.

PRODUCER BIO:

Haimona Ngata is a Video Content Producer based in New Zealand. Originally from Tolaga Bay (Uawa), he’s worked in the television and media industry for 20 years and studied television production in Christchurch at the New Zealand Film & Television School. After graduating film & television school he moved to Auckland to pursue a career in television, starting out as a MCR operator for a music television channel, and working his way through the television industry. His experience includes working for advertising agencies, production houses and all of the major broadcasting networks in New Zealand, including TVNZ, Mediaworks, and SKYTV.

PRODUCER BIO:

Sarah Hall is an award-winning American film/TV producer. Her work has been seen on Netflix, NBC Universal, Carbon TV, and PBS. She has produced and developed the series’ Out & Back with Alison Mariella Désir, Made There, and American Harvest as well as the feature documentaries Where the Yellowstone Goes and WALTER: Lessons from the World’s Oldest People. Sarah has also written, produced, and directed content in the non-profit and commercial realms for topics ranging from food and technology to Pride and reproductive rights. She is the co-founder of Red Popsicle, a production company specializing in ‘Thoughtful Adventure’

PRODUCTION COMPANY: Wanaka Films / Red Popsicle

LOGLINE:

Slash and logging debris have gutted a Māori community in Aotearoa leading to a new type of activism gaining interest around the world.

SYNOPSIS:

A series of historic storms amplified by climate change have brought light to an Aotearoa tragedy in the making. Slash, sediment, and woody debris from misshapen forestry practices and land management are destroying a way of life in the largest Maori-owned area of New Zealand. A group of Māori people have begun to take things into their own hands. After surviving the last couple centuries of unfair Pākehā (European and other settlers) actions that have stripped away most of their land and many of their customs, Māori now face the convergence of climate change and Western consumption. They’re left wondering “Can we survive the next 100 years?” Slashed is a story about communities like Tairāwhiti and a new type of activism. Underserved communities are banding together and using popular apps like Discord. They are combining indigenous wisdom with crowd-sourced legal, political, and scientific knowledge to help respond to a recent onslaught of climate events which are exposing inequities in infrastructure and government support to address underlying issues. These communities are learning from each other and banding together to raise awareness on the global stage for the climate injustices affecting regions once ignored. Slashed focuses on the response to the disaster in Tairāwhiti as the throughline, and our main characters connect us to a global story that will raise awareness while also inspiring similar communities all over the world to become active and create constructive steps to fight back against the slashing effects of climate change.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT:

My mother raised me to be a global citizen. Before I was born, she spent a few years working for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in an art van visiting Native American Reservations. As a boy in Arizona, the wisdom, creativity, and life balance of my Native American friends was strong– despite the systemic challenges they’d faced since colonization. Becoming an Edmund Hillary Fellow presented a full circle moment. I’ve learned about Māori principles and wisdom and realized there have been many similar systemic setbacks here since the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. While New Zealand is making inroads in recognizing the wrong doings, deep chasms remain. After visiting Uawa a few times, I met several Māori activists who are dealing with an environmental tragedy in the making. Their determination to take things into their own hands, face the problems directly, and hold the wrong-doers accountable is a story that must be told. Their mahi and mana are already getting attention from important influencers and communities worldwide and will help all of us right the waka we’re on.

LOOKING FOR: Broadcast/platform acquisition/commission, Distribution, Funding

TOTAL BUDGET (USD): $500,000 USD or $823,787 NZD

SECURED BUDGET (USD): None

DIRECTOR FILMOGRAPHY:

10 MPH, Director / Producer (2007) 10 Yards, Director / Producer (2008) Ride the Divide, Director / Producer (2010) Where the Yellowstone Goes, Director / Producer (2012) Reveal the Path, Producer (2012) Walter: Lessons from the Oldest People in the World (2013) Inspired to Ride, Producer (2015) American Harvest, 3 seasons, Director (2016-2018) Outside the Valley, Director / Producer (2023)

TRAILER: N/A

CONTACT:

Hunter Weeks

Sarah Hall hunter@redpopsicle.com sehall80@gmail.com

Untying the Knot

PROJECT TITLE: Untying the Knot

TYPE: Feature length and TV one-off (41 mins or longer)

STAGE: In pre-production

COUNTRY: Philippines

LANGUAGE: Filipino, English

RUNTIME: 80-90 minutes

PRESENTED BY: Chona M.

DIRECTOR BIO

Chona is a documentary filmmaker interested in compelling ways of portraying the human experience, particularly those that touch on social inequality and cultural identity. She was a Monbukagakusho Scholar and finished her studies in Japanese language and Photography in Tokyo.

Her short film IN SANTA ANA won Best Film at the Sorok Short Film Festival and was nominated for Best International Short at the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival in 2018. She was a selected participant at IDFAcademy, Docs by the Sea, Dok Leipzig's Short n’Sweet, AIDC, FIFDH's Impact Days, Dhaka Doc Lab, and the Scottish Documentary Institute’s Connecting Stories.

PRODUCER BIO:

Ramzy Haddad is a documentary producer and director. He produced the Emmy-nominated feature The Workers Cup which premiered on day one of the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. Following a hiatus from producing independent docs to prioritize his family, Ramzy returned to produce Becoming Iphigenia his latest feature, which is scheduled to make its debut in 2023. He is dedicated to producing and directing docs that put a human face on important social issues, exploring the experiences of those most affected. Ramzy's docs have been screened on the BBC, Al Jazeera English, CGTN, HBO, PBS, and Discovery.

PRODUCTION COMPANY: Mediadante

LOGLINE:

In the Philippines, the last country outside the Vatican where divorce is illegal, women in troubled and abusive marriages risk their lives for freedom.

SYNOPSIS:

Untying the Knot shows the fight to legalize divorce in the Philippines through the eyes of three women who are facing social and legal obstacles to break free from their abusive marriages.

GRACE suffered abuse from her husband for 21 years. At a point of desperation, she thought the only way out of her misery was to kill him. Her husband eventually died of natural causes; and now, she leads the biggest pro-divorce group in the country. We follow her as she faces harsh criticism due to her work and asks herself: is this crusade worth it? FAITH fled her husband after only five months of marriage. Thirteen years later, she asked for child support. Her husband ignored her requests, and instead, charged her with adultery. Adultery is still a crime in the Philippines a crime that can only be charged against women. Her case is ongoing and if found guilty, she could face six years of imprisonment.

MERCY'S husband is serving time for killing two men in roadside brawls. When she told him she would like to cut ties, it prompted a series of hand-written death threats from prison. With his upcoming release, Mercy's only wish is for her kids to be safe and for her farm not to end up with her murderous husband.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT:

I met Grace after the lower Congress approved a divorce bill. The bill didn't reach the finish line, but it was the furthest it had progressed after many failures in the past. Efforts to finally legalize divorce was gaining traction and Grace leads the biggest pro-divorce group in the Philippines. Some wonder why she is persistent with the campaign when her husband has already passed away and she is now “free.” But as she opens her life, what emerged is an intimate portrait of a woman who is finally physically safe from her husband but is still looking for peace after 21 years of abuse. Combining observational filming with testimonies, this film provides a raw window into the lasting consequences of the absence of divorce in the Philippines, and the fight to change it. My goal is to raise difficult questions and consider how we can better protect women in vulnerable situations moving forward. My hope is that by exposing the underground annulment market and the legal system that gave rise to it, the pressure to make changes will grow

LOOKING FOR: Broadcast/platform acquisition/commission, Funding

TOTAL BUDGET (USD): $464,740

SECURED BUDGET (USD):

Neustart Kultur Scholarship Grant, Germany ($5,000 USD), Scottish Documentary Institute Grant, UK ($1,750 USD)

DIRECTOR FILMOGRAPHY:

In Santa Ana Director, feature documentary

TRAILER: https://vimeo.com/804818802 (pw: UTK2025)

CONTACT:

Chona Mangalindan - chona.films@gmail.com

Love Crimes

PROJECT TITLE: Love Crimes

TYPE: Feature length or TV one-off (41 mins or longer)

STAGE: In Post

COUNTRY: Taiwan

LANGUAGE: Mandarin

RUNTIME: 90 minutes

PRESENTED BY: Elise Coker + Michael Garber

DIRECTOR BIO:

Elise Coker is a documentary filmmaker, writer, and artist based in New York, NY. Elise’s work takes a character-driven and anthropological approach to documentary, with a focus on examining where ideology, tradition, and human nature intersect with modern society. She has created award-winning documentaries for media outlets including Topic Studios, VICE Media, NBC News, Al Jazeera, PBS, CNN, The Guardian, The Atlantic, and The New York Times.

PRODUCER BIO:

Michael Saul Garber (Producer) is filmmaker and photographer based in Taipei, Taiwan, where he has lived and worked for 15 years. His filmmaking focuses on progressive legal reform in Taiwan and its effects on society. He has produced documentaries for NBC News, CNN, Discovery, VICE, NEXT Media, and The New York Times.

LOGLINE:

Love Crimes examines criminalized adultery in Taiwan, following private detectives who catch cheaters and those who hire them, exploring grey areas of morality, privacy, tradition, and the cost of revenge.

SYNOPSIS:

Tony and his wife were married for a year when he begins to suspect she’s cheating on him. So he calls Da Ai Detectives, one of the largest private detective firms in Taiwan to gather evidence of his wife’s adultery so he can press criminal charges. His case is given to Miss Jian, who became a detective after catching her own husband cheating on her years before. Adultery was a crime in Taiwan, carrying a penalty of prison, a fine, and a permanent criminal record. Surrounding the law is a sprawling industry of private detectives geared towards gathering the evidence needed to prosecute criminal adultery. The bar is high: the couple must be caught in the act, requiring elaborate busts involving the client, police, lawyers and detectives, all bursting in on an unsuspecting couple. They then leverage the threat of a criminal charge for money. We closely follow Tony’s case as it unfolds as he stakes out and ultimately busts his wife for adultery, through the court case and ensuing legal battle, revealing the complexities and contradictions of this law. Then, everything changes. While Tony’s case is ongoing, Taiwan’s government rules that adultery is decriminalized. This leaves the detective industry scrambling to save their businesses as charges are dropped, prisoners are released, and many jilted spouses seek new ways to satisfy their desire for revenge. Through the lens of criminal adultery, we tackle universal questions of love, marriage, and what constitutes a crime.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT:

As a filmmaker, I'm drawn to situations where the lines between right and wrong blur; that moral grey area is what I strive to examine. Being cheated on is a universal experience, and via the lens of one specific cultural manifestation, we inhabit that intersection of morality and legality, allowing actions and words to speak for themselves. Success to me is people entering a story with a set of assumptions, and leaving with newfound understanding of perspectives and nuance they hadn't previously considered. In the case of criminal adultery, it's a question of to what extent one wrong makes a right, and who gets to decide? Who benefits and suffers from a law like this? What drives people to seek and believe in these kinds of recourses for personal pain? I hope to de-stigmatize discussions of personal autonomy in relation to adultery by putting a nuanced spotlight on an issue that often gets sensationalized or mocked; we have an opportunity to broaden and deepen discussion around these subjects, both inside and outside of Taiwan.

LOOKING FOR: Broadcast/platform acquisition/commission, Distribution, Executive Producer, Funding

TOTAL BUDGET (USD): $483,330

SECURED BUDGET (USD):

TOPIC/FIRST LOOK MEDIA - $170,825; TAIWAN PLUS - $75,000

DIRECTOR FILMOGRAPHY:

Stallions Of Palestine Director (feature documentary

TRAILER: https://vimeo.com/787828300 (pw: biglove)

CONTACT:

Elise Coker coker.elise@gmail.com

Michael Saul Garber michaelsaulgarber@gmail.com

The Sound of Wind

PROJECT TITLE: Sound of Wind

TYPE: Feature length or TV one-off (41 mins or longer)

STAGE: In Post

COUNTRY: China

LANGUAGE: Chinese

RUNTIME: 90 minutes

PRESENTED BY: Nanhsi Yuen & Zhiying Deng

DIRECTOR BIO:

Director NanHsi Yuen, as a director and editor, has participated in the production of many feature films and documentaries for more than 10 years. As a video artist, she has had a long held interest in shooting acts of civilian rebellion. She filmed people playing ball on the street in Born with Nothing, nonprofessional fan clubs in Manchester, More than a Single Red and female racers in Speed Night.

PRODUCER BIO:

Zhiying Deng is an independent documentary filmmaker with strong interest in social inequalities and marginalized groups. After graduating from sociology school of LSE, Zhiying worked as a freelance documentary filmmaker in China. Her projects mainly cover ‘unseen’ marginalized groups, such as rural migrant children and female factory workers. She is particularly good at cross-cultural filming as she has filmed in more than 20 countries, and her work were released on various platform such as NHK and Tencent Video.

PRODUCTION COMPANY: 2020 Film Studio

LOGLINE:

Longing to be acknowledged by society, a deaf woman scales skyscrapers with her bare hands. Can she make her voice heard?

SYNOPSIS:

Just how does a physical disability affect a person's life? For Yangyang, a deaf girl, the hardest thing isn't her disorder itself, but how it causes her to be viewed and treated by society. Yangyang is quite a remarkable woman: she's deaf, an extreme sports enthusiast, and a lesbian. A headstrong woman, Yangyang refuses to be treated differently. She doesn't like making friends with deaf and mute people, attending their schools or doing the menial jobs they're typically assigned. She longs to be able to choose her career and define her life with the same freedom as the non-deaf. She longs for friends to confide in, a lifelong soulmate and supporting parents, but reality doesn't live up to her expectations. Therefore, she starts a lonely journey. Over the past ten years, she’s only grown more and more ambitious, accomplishing an escalating series of death-dying feats that would make most people’s stomachs churn. However, her success in this extreme sport doesn’t necessarily translate into a better life on the ground. There, the obstacles she faces — such as her dysfunctional family life, her sexual identity, and her precarious employment — are far more complex.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT:

Society tends to look at handicapped people with sympathy, but rarely do we realize how much of a burden "sympathy" can become. Five years ago, I was captivated by Yangyang's deftness and bravery. In the five years since then, we've gone from guarded strangers to good friends. Eventually, she invited me to film her exploits, and now, we regularly confide our troubles in one another. As queer people, we share the experience of trying to be accepted for who we are in spite of society's prejudices. I want to completely immerse the viewer in Yangyang’s world and allow her to tell her own story. How does this silent world distance her from the rest of society? And how does she fight to break down these barriers? Through the use of original creative techniques, I hope to provide non-deaf people with an authentic understanding of a deaf woman’s sensory experiences.

LOOKING FOR: Broadcast/platform acquisition/commission, Distribution, Executive Producer, Festival Selection, Funding, Sales Agent

TOTAL BUDGET (USD): $327,757

SECURED BUDGET (USD): CCDF IFG Fund-$6000, Self-financed-$74,309, Private investor-$7246

DIRECTOR FILMOGRAPHY:

Tiny Times 3 and Tiny Times 4 Editor cinema film; Manchester, Not Only One Kind of Red Executive Director and editor, Slam Dunk! My Bro Editor series; Ending Poverty Witnessed by Satellites in Space Editor of Xinhua News Agency documentary series ; Born With Nothing Editor of Documentary

TRAILER: https://youtu.be/JxvvdxEbP1s

CONTACT:

Zhiying Deng Nanshi Yuan hiyingfilm@gmail.com nanhsiyuen@gmail.com

Fair-Home Fairy-Tales

PROJECT TITLE: Fair-Home Fairy-Tales

TYPE: Feature length or TV one-off (41 mins or longer)

STAGE: In pre-production

COUNTRY: India

LANGUAGE: English-Bengali (subtitled into English)

RUNTIME: 90 minutes

PRESENTED BY: Sourav Sarangi

DIRECTOR BIO:

Sourav Sarangi is one of the most prominent filmmakers from South Asia. His debut film, 'The Tale of Tusu' is a lyrical observation on lives and culture of marginal people in Eastern India. Next he made "Bilal", a story of a kid living with blind parents. 'CHAR…the No-Man's Island' is another documentary depicting how the erosion of river Ganga makes thousands stateless at India-Bangladesh border. Shot in Iraq, Sourav’s 'Karbala Memoirs' witnesses the Arbaeen walk and offers a new perspective on peace and tolerance. His films received a huge response worldwide in festivals, theatres and TV stations winning many awards.

PRODUCER BIO:

Humaira Bilkis is a Dhaka-based independent filmmaker and producer. Visions Du Reel has worldpremiered her first feature creative documentary titled "Things I Could Never Tell My Mother". This film has also been shown in other prestigious festivals like Lussas Documentary Film Festival, Flahartina Documentary Film Festival (awarded) and is set to show in IDFA. Humaira attended Berlinale Talent Campus, European Film Market, Doc for Sale IDFA, Docdege Kolkata and Dhaka Doc Lab. She is also a guest lecturer in the Television, Film, and Photography Department at, the University of Dhaka.

PRODUCTION COMPANY:

Son et Lumiere, India / Zoo Films, Bangladesh

LOGLINE:

Rachael seesaws between her war-torn family past in Myanmar and the stressful present in India. With her puppets, she shares a family story of survival.

SYNOPSIS:

Rachael Macbean lives in Kolkata but her mind wanders to Maymyo, a hill town in Myanmar where her mother Fenella lived in the 1940s. Stories pop up as Rachael plans a puppet theatre about her family and starts making the puppets with her team. The fun days of Fenella enjoying horse-riding and dancing were cut short when Japan bombed Myanmar. WWII knocked on 'Fair-Home's doors, the villa they lived in. To escape the brutality, Fenella's family trekked 600 miles through Hukawng Valley. Wading through hilly ravines and thick jungles at night, only miracles helped them reach North-East India to be packed off to a train to Kolkata. Miracles continued. On a Kolkata Street, Fenella bumps into Harry Cheah, her suitor from China. Rachael was born to them in a refugee camp in Central India. Rachael wouldn't have known many things had her aunt, Lavinia, not written a diary during the deadly trek. She receives a digital copy from her cousin now settled in Australia. Missing dots of the past get connected. The puppets finally come alive after months of hard work. They are carved, painted, fitted with strings. Newly amended Indian citizenship law questions the past of non-Hindu individuals that puts her into dilemma. Will she be able to tell her story on stage ever? But we:already have the story, "Fair-Home Fairy-Tales"!

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT:

Over thirty million people died in Asia Pacific theatre in WWII, double the number of Europe. Yet the east-side stories remain grossly unrecorded and will be forgotten soon. Rachael, my protagonist is one of the few still alive who remembers stories of exodus and survival from Burma to Bengal, an unknown chapter of the exodus.I met Rachael accidentally to become friends long ago. After surviving a massive heart attack a few years back, she urged me to make the film since the story must not go to the grave. Rachael, the keeper of memories, showed me yellowing photographs, fountain pens, torn clothes, old coins, pendants, matchboxes. I touched the fragile pages of a diary written by her aunt while escaping the air raids, trekking through forests and starving for days. The film concept began rumbling inside my head begging to be told. I am excited by her puppetry form that adds a new narratology to my journey as a documentary storyteller. Living in the spectre of war today, I feel the compulsion to make this film for the world.

LOOKING FOR: Broadcast/platform acquisition/commission, Distribution, Executive Producer, Funding, Sales Agent

TOTAL BUDGET (USD): $41,538.00

SECURED BUDGET (USD):

IDFA Bertha Fund - €7500 ; Alter Cine Foundation - $3700 ; NHK Enterprises - $15000, Son et Lumiere$12000

DIRECTOR FILMOGRAPHY:

Karbala Memoirs Director-Producer; CHAR… the No-Man's Island Director-Producer; Bilal DirectorProducer ; Bhangon(Erosion) Director-Producer ; Thirst of God Director-Producer; TusuKatha(The Tale of Tusu) Director-Producer

TRAILER: https://vimeo.com/788686004

CONTACT:

Sourav Sarangi Humaira Bilkis souravsarangi@gmail.com bilkishumaira9@gmail.com

In Search of the Morning Star

PROJECT TITLE: In Search of the Morning Star

TYPE: Feature length

STAGE: In development

COUNTRY: India

LANGUAGE: Boro

RUNTIME: 90 minutes

PRESENTED BY: Pinky Brahma Choudhury, Director

DIRECTOR BIO:

Pinky Brahma Choudhury is an independent filmmaker. Her work engages with people on the margin, searching for their voices, exploring the themes of social justice. She co-founded SPS Community Media, a media house based in a remote village in central India, creating media content in close collaboration with the rural communities. A post-graduate in Film Direction from FTII, India, she has made several films, winning awards like the Magna Mater, the Grand Prix (Agrofilms); Water Award (Cine Eco). Her debut directorial film An Autumn Fable was the opening film in IFFI, India, 1999; screened in YIDFF, Japan (1999 and 2019).

PRODUCER BIO:

Shobhit Jain is an independent filmmaker, based out of a remote tribal village in central India. He cofounded SPS Community Media, based in a remote village in India to articulate the issues of people on the margin where he produced more than 200 films in collaboration with Films Division, Doordarshan. While these films are shared primarily within the community through mobile cinema, they have been showcased in more than 50 international film festivals, winning many awards, including the prestigious National film Award. A postgraduate in Film Editing from FTII (India) Shobhit has scripted, edited and directed several internationally acclaimed films.

PRODUCTION COMPANY: Rainmacher Images

LOGLINE:

The filmmaker contemplates on identity and violence, returning to her native land in north-east India, decades after the assassination of her father, seeking healing, reconciliation.

SYNOPSIS:

The film embarks on a personal journey through my ancestral land in Assam, a federal state in northeast India, unravelling the life and legacy of my father, Sri Samar Brahma Choudhury, three decades after his assassination. In a region where diverse ethnic communities coexist, my father, a revered poet and advocate for cultural harmony, stood firmly against the notion of privileging the identity of a single community. His unwavering voice against violence, the divisive politics of narrow interpretation of identity led to his assassination. The shock of the incident severed my ties with our homeland. My father had fought against hegemony, spearheading a cultural movement that celebrated regional languages, literature, theatre, music, to fortify ethnic identities. Nurtured within the embrace of a vibrant and diverse cultural tapestry, I had pursued a path in filmmaking, driven by a desire to present this rich heritage to the world, with the aim of fostering connections and dismantling hegemonic forces. As I delve into my father's poetic legacy and his underlying philosophy now, I encounter the indelible marks of deep wounds inflicted by decades of violence, both physical and mental. I encounter Maneswar, survivor of sixteen bullets, documenting the multifaceted nature of violence through his art; Amar, an educator who has withstood brutal attacks; many other victims, surrendered militants. Their stories serve as poignant reminders, beckoning the world to embrace the transformative power of empathy, dialogue, and nonviolence; provoke contemplation on the inherent contradiction between the politics of identity and the perpetuation of violence.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT:

My region, the north-east India is often referred to as ‘insurgent country’ because of the continued protests, arms movement over decades. Home of people of many ethnic origins, the area unfortunately has suffered profound neglect, which have led to the continuing fighting for rights, for identity; fighting against cultural hegemony. Sadly, many a times, one community has pitted its strength against others, leading to terrible ethnic strife; there has also been faction fights within the community; my father, an eminent poet, ambassador of peace too was killed by the insurgents in a faction war. The prolonged arms struggle has brought in counterinsurgency operations, adding to bloodshed, human rights violation and further displacements. Thousands have been rendered physically and mentally ill, still awaiting justice, peace and reconciliation. As the ethnic clashes continue in the entire region, I feel it is my responsibility to initiate dialogues through my film, bring the story of my father as the visionary leader, ambassador of peace, not only as a daughter but also as a filmmaker to raise the plight of the people, pose relevant questions.

LOOKING FOR: Funding

TOTAL BUDGET (USD): $142,044

SECURED BUDGET (USD): Producer Shobhit Jain: $3,734

DIRECTOR FILMOGRAPHY:

An Autumn Fable Director; Earthen Dam Director, Editor; Jowar Gatha Producer; Magical Forest (Jadui Jungal) Producer, Mentor & Concept Idea; Hailstorm Producer; P for Pyaz (Onion), P for Paisa (Money), P for Paani (Water) Producer/Mentor;

TRAILER: https://youtu.be/5Y-jZ5ie__Q

CONTACT:

Pinky Brahma Choudhury baokhunguri@gmail.com

Trona

PROJECT TITLE: Trona

TYPE: Feature length or TV one-off (41 mins or longer)

STAGE: Concept/In development

COUNTRY: Belgium

LANGUAGE: English

RUNTIME: 75 minutes

PRESENTED BY: Emanuele Mengotti

DIRECTOR BIO:

Emanuele Mengotti, born and raised in Italy, is currently working in the USA and Europe. He is working on his third documentary feature and is developing his directorial debut in fiction. His works have been selected at Biografilm, Vision du réel - Media library, IDFA - Italian delegation, and Hollywood Reel. Red Sky at Night is currently screening at festivals in Italy.

Producer Bio

Producers Kristian Van der Heyden from Belgium and Leonardo Barrile from Italy are honored as Emerging Producer by the Ji-Hlava film festival for 2022. Their focus is stories about society, our role in it, with a darker or environmental edge. Kristian produced A punk Daydream (2019) by Jimmy Hendrickx, a documentary on street punk in Indonesia, premiered at IFFR 2019, co-produced by CANVAS. Leonardo runs Samarcanda Film from Rome together with Francesco Favale. They produce Paolo Cognetti’s documentaries such as Big North (2020) and are now working on Fiore Mio, about the mountain region of Valle D’Aosta in Italy.

PRODUCTION COMPANY: Harald House (belgium) and Samarcanda Film (Italy)

LOGLINE:

What does it mean to grow up in a town that is so hostile where not even grass can grow?

SYNOPSIS:

A few miles from Death Valley, in the heart of the Mojave desert lies a small town called Trona, defined by many as “the worst place in the United States”. The sand-covered streets are in ruins and most of the houses are abandoned or burnt. The quality of life resembles that of poor nations - yet Trona is only thirty minutes away from the America that we all know, the America that is made of possibilities and comfort. The mining town of Trona used to reflect, even exceed, the standard of living in the United States. When the mine was shut down, the veil of illusion fell, revealing all the unease that remained hidden in the folds of this seemingly perfect American society. In a city where temperatures can exceed 50°C and where people rarely live outdoors, many dramas take place within the domestic walls of old houses. Addiction and abuse often go unnoticed. Trona High School is one of the last surviving institutions in the city. Our documentary captures the life and the dreams of Trona’s teens during their senior year. The desire to leave the city is very strong, but the thirty minute drive that separates Trona from the rest of the world is often longer than it seems.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT:

Trona is a documentary that, through its cinematic approach and its style, will take the audience to experience the real life of a small US town made up of struggles and successes, chasing what is left of the American dream despite the odds. An important film reference is "Hale County this morning, thisevening" by RaMell Ross This movie immerses the viewer in the life of a small town, so unencumbered and intimate that narrative structure becomes obsolete. Trona starts out similarly but eventually anchors to the “Homecoming” dance of the senior year of high school. Having endured such a complicated and dispiriting experience throughout their school life, only a few teens actually manage to make it to their senior-year. Most students fail to reach this point of their life, getting lost in the intrinsic trauma of living in this small town. This gives Trona’s Homecoming celebration an added significance, providing closure to the rites of passage of teen Tronians into adulthood.

LOOKING FOR: Broadcast/platform acquisition/commission, Funding

TOTAL BUDGET (USD): $300,000

SECURED BUDGET (USD): $100,000 in tax credit from Italy and Belgium subject to funding.

DIRECTOR FILMOGRAPHY:

Red sky at night Director feature documentary; West of Babylonia Director feature documentary; Friedkin uncut Director feature; Poveglia – Beyond the Myth Producer short documentary

TRAILER: link (pw) https://vimeo.com/user10798955/trona

CONTACT:

Kristian Van der Heyden Emanuele Mengotti office@haraldhouse.com emanuelemengotti@hotmail.com