News

TV Documentaries for 2012

11 August 2011

A new documentary series, Golden Mozzies, looking at seven Māori families living on Australia's Gold Coast, leads a wide range of New Zealand stories supported by NZ On Air in its latest funding round. The TV3 series will explore emigration from a Māori perspective and how Tikanga Māori supports them as they adapt to life in a new country.

"NZ On Air's August funding round is an important one because it helps shape the TV schedules for 2012" said chief executive Jane Wrightson. "More than 75 hours of local stories have been confirmed in the documentary decisions alone and we hope many different New Zealanders will find programmes to enjoy", she said.

The 13 NZ On Air documentary investments announced this week include First Crossings, an ambitious five-part series for TV One telling the story of great NZ explorers, from the West Coast to the Chathams, through the exploits of two modern day adventurers. Operation Hurricane, to screen on Prime, will tell the little-known story of the "splendidly named" New Zealander Gynes Ramsbottom-Isherwood who was awarded the Order of Lenin for his exploits in the Second World War.  
 
When A City Falls, a feature length project produced and written by Gerard Smyth about life amid the Christchurch quakes and aftermath has also been funded, in partnership with the NZ Film Commission.  It will be shown in cinemas and on TV3.

Current successful programmes haven't been overlooked in the round with renewed support given to new series of Country Calendar, What's Really In Our Food, The Politically Incorrect Guide To Grownups, Coasters, Beyond the Darklands, and Missing Pieces.

And more single documentaries and short series will be supported under the contestable banners of both the TV One Docs and Māori Television's Pakipumeka strands.

Funding allocations
Beyond The Darklands 5                Screentime                         $706,272              TV One
Blakey                                                 Sticky Pictures                  $85,000                TV One
Coasters 2                                         Fisheye Films                     $512,542              TV One
Country Calendar 2012                  TVNZ                                    $361,311              TV One
First Crossings                                 Eyeworks                            $591,268               TV One
Golden Mozzies                                Black Inc                             $419,408               TV3
Missing Pieces 4                              Eyeworks                            $813,748               TV3
Operation Hurricane                         Messenger Films              $146,850               Prime
Pakipumeka                                       various tbc                         $1,250,000            Māori TV
Politically Incorrect Guide to
Grown Ups                                          Razor Films                        $540,000              TV One
TV One Docs                                     various tbc                          $1,140,000           TV One
What's Really In Our Food 4           Top Shelf                            $623,324              TV3
When A City Falls                             Frank Film                          $115,000              TV3