NZ women will again lead the way, driving 11 television and online projects made about and by women to mark 125 years since New Zealand women won the right to vote.
To honour Suffrage 125 NZ On Air issued a special call for creative proposals looking at the role of women in its May funding round. Twenty funding proposals were received covering a broad range of topics.
NZ On Air is investing $2m in 11 remarkably diverse ideas for audiences on multiple platforms.
“It was exceptionally satisfying to see women in the lead roles for all these projects. Had we not reserved funds specifically for suffrage-based ideas, we suspect few if any of the projects would have reached our table. Content creators, and the many platforms supporting them, have responded magnificently,” said NZ On Air Chief Executive Jane Wrightson.
“We are about to release our latest diversity report that shows women are still knocking at the door in some key roles in screen production. All of these chosen projects show that the talents and experience exist – there is no reason for the door to be anything but wide open,” said Ms Wrightson.
The Suffrage 125 projects funded are:
Scripted content
The Funny Girls NZ Suffragette Special, 1 x 44 mins, MediaWorks TV for Three, up to $268,678 Sketches, interviews and stand-up comedy shedding a hilarious light on feminist issues and achievements.
Factual content
Secret Life Of Girls, 2 x 44 mins, Screentime New Zealand for TVNZ 1, up to $269,717 A hidden camera experiment exploring how young Kiwi girls see their place in society, and their own futures.
The Forgotten Wāhine, 1 x 52 mins, Villainesse Limited for Māori Television, up to $250,558 The stories of the Maori women who stood alongside suffragists in their own fight for equality.
All That Separates, 42 mins, Vanishing Point for Noted, up to $242,208 NZ’ers bring modern relevance to Kate Sheppard’s words through an interactive spoken word video.
What Women Want?, 1 x 120 mins, Diva Productions for Stuff.co.nz, up to $208,326 A Q&A show asking what needs to change for women to truly be equal with men in 21st century NZ.
Minimum, 10 x 4 mins, Notable Pictures for The Wireless, up to $158,472 Interviews and animations of NZ women of all ages, races and sexualities working minimum wage.
125 Years of Suffrage - The Three Waves Of Feminism, 3 x 20mins, White Paper Industries for Vice.com, up to $142,225 Exploring three waves of feminism, and their impact on NZ women today.
Conversations, 6 x 12 mins, Tawera Productions for E-Tangata, up to $139,640 Acknowledging the women of colour who are often ignored in suffragette celebrations.
Kiwi Women Who Changed The World, 12 x 3 mins, NZME for NZ Herald online, up to $115,168 A web-series celebrating the NZ women who – in major and small ways – changed the world.
Aren’t, Can’t, Don’t, 2 x 13 mins, Storybox for The Spinoff, up to $99,997 Exploring the stories of women who can’t, don’t and aren’t able to vote, and why that matters.
Daughters Of The Migration, 5 x 12 mins, Tikilounge Productions for TheCoconet.tv, up to $98,958 Contrasting the lives of five Pasifika women in NZ with their 1st generation migrant mothers and grandmothers.