Screen Canterbury NZ

05/06/2025

Doc Edge Festival is coming back to Ōtautahi Christchurch from the 16th – 27th July 2025 🎥

This year Doc Edge is celebrating 20 Years of documentary excellence. As an Oscar®-Qualifying Festival, Doc Edge is a global platform for bold and impactful storytelling with a diverse line up of films. Full programme and tickets are now available with 78 films and 12 immersive projects on offer! 🤩

Buy tickets now!

Doc Edge Festival 2025 celebrates a significant milestone - the 20th Anniversary. 78 films, 12 immersive projects, 4 days of industry events, and an Oscar-quali

21/05/2025

🎬 New Season, Fresh Perspectives: Stories from the South Returns! 🌿

At Screen CanterburyNZ, we champion storytelling that captures the heart and grit of our region — and few do it better than Frank Film. Their celebrated docuseries, Stories from the South, is back for Season 3, and it’s more powerful than ever.

Filmed right here in Waitaha Canterbury, this series shines a light on the people, places, and issues that shape our southern identity. From the bold to the understated, each short documentary is a window into the lives of New Zealanders living and working in the South — stories that deserve to be seen, shared, and celebrated.

Frank Film’s work is a testament to what’s possible when passionate storytellers have the platform to dig deep into real experiences.

📺 Watch Season 3 now: https://shorturl.at/XwtNi

09/05/2025

🎬 Know someone who lives and breathes Ōtautahi’s film scene?

48Hours is looking for a Christchurch City Manager for the 2025 competition. It's part-time, community-focused, and all about championing local storytellers 💥

Applications close June 1 — find out more and help spread the word
https://www.48hours.co.nz/news/seeking-a-new-christchurch-city-manager-vista/

Christchurch City Manager – Vista Foundation 48Hours 2025 Location: Christchurch, New Zealand Job Type: Contract / Part-time Duration: July – October 2025 Deadline for apllication: June 1 About Vista Foundation 48Hours The Vista Foundation 48Hours is Aotearoa’s largest and longest-...

07/05/2025

🎬🌍 An inspiring experience at the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES)!

📽️ Petrina D'Rozario, Head of Screen CanterburyNZ, proudly represented Waitaha Canterbury at the inaugural WAVES event in Mumbai, India — joining delegates from over 75 countries in a celebration of global screen industry collaboration.

🎞️ This was a fantastic opportunity to learn, exchange ideas, and forge international connections — all with the goal of showcasing Canterbury’s potential and opening doors to new screen opportunities.

We look forward to building on the momentum and continuing these global conversations.

06/05/2025

🎬 Calling Canterbury Screen Practitioners!

Screen CanterburyNZ is offering two scholarships to attend the Big Screen Symposium in Auckland, 4–5 July — a key event for NZ’s screen industry, hosted by Script to Screen.

Each scholarship includes:
🎟 Event ticket
💰 $300 travel/accommodation bursary

Eligibility:
✔️ Based in Canterbury
✔️ Working in or pursuing a screen career
✔️ Available to attend both days
❌ Not a recipient in the past 2 years

📅 Apply by Monday 19 May
📩 Send your bio + cover letter to [email protected]

A great opportunity to develop professionally and connect with the national screen industry.

29/04/2025

🎬 Inside Kiwi Animation with Fiona Copland & Vanessa Wells

Join filmmaker Vanessa Wells and acclaimed producer Fiona Copland (Kiri and Lou) for a chat on the magic of animation in Aotearoa.

From local challenges to global success, discover what makes NZ’s animation scene so special.

📅 A must-attend for storytellers, creatives, and fans of homegrown content.

Brought to you by Women in Film & Television New Zealand💡✨

BOOK YOUR SPOT 👉🏻https://tinyurl.com/2d7wkxvj

28/04/2025

🎬✨ Show Me Shorts’ Winter Season of Short Films is here!
A global celebration of storytelling with fresh perspectives, and unexpected delights🎥🌍

Italy. Germany. Turkey. Canada. South Africa.

At Screen CanterburyNZ, we love seeing international stories brought to life — and we can't wait to see how they inspire our local creatives too! 🌟

👉 Find out more here: https://www.showmeshorts.co.nz/winter-season

15/04/2025

🎬 Attracting screen production from India to Waitaha Canterbury

In partnership with University of Canterbury's Kōawa Studios, we’re proud to launch India New Zealand Screen Opportunity 2025. The paper explores the exciting opportunities and economic benefits of increasing Indian screen productions in our region — and across Aotearoa New Zealand.

🎥 See below a special message and reflection from Rakesh Roshan actor and director of Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai — a film that defined a generation, with scenes filmed in Ōtautahi Christchurch and Queenstown. Rakesh's message is a reminder of the beautiful creative synergy we can achieve when we come together.

📖 Read the full paper and discover how NZ and India can craft the next chapter in global storytelling, together.

13/04/2025

🎬 MASSIVE NEWS! 🌍✨

Screen CanterburyNZ has been named a finalist in THREE categories at the Screen International 2025 Global Production Awards:
🏆 Economic and Social Impact
🌟 Emerging Location Award
📍 Location of the Year

And in the company of truly iconic productions — including Wicked, Bridgerton, and Bridget Jones’s Diary 💫

What a win for the region! And for the amazing screen community helping make Canterbury a world-class film destination. 🎉

📣 Not to mention regional partners for helping build this momentum — your mahi makes it all possible.

📖 Read more: https://tinyurl.com/3rcej9z6

24/03/2025

Bariz Shah, Saba Afrasyabi, and Paua Productions are pleased to invite you to the official red carpet premiere of project fiftyone.

A Young Muslim couple, Bariz Shah (25) and Saba Afrasyabi (24), leave for their birth country Afghanistan to fund 51 microbusinesses to honour the 51 Muslims martyred on March 2019, in their hometown of Christchurch, New Zealand. They buy a camera and record as they work closely with their recipients, changing lives with only US$250. Bariz and Saba's own stories as Muslims living in the West weave through this story of making a powerful choice to meet hate with love.

This documentary is very special for us here at Screen CanterburyNZ, as it was one of the first projects to be greenlit under the SCNZ production grant. We are so proud to have supported this.

Join us for the premiere screening at the Christchurch Town Hall (James Hay Theatre) on 5th April 2025.

Tickets here: https://www.ticketmaster.co.nz/project-fiftyone-official-christchurch-premiere-christchurch-05-04-2025/event/24006272E6333217

17/03/2025

Did you know Ōtautahi Christchurch is a film set? 👀🎬

Our very own The Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora, Christchurch Town Hall & New Brighton Beach were among many set locations for Tinā The Film 😍🎥

To celebrate our streets being the backdrop for one of the top 10 films in Aotearoa - of all time!! We have two double passes to see the film to giveaway ✨

HOW TO ENTER:

- follow Tinā The Film & Screen Canterbury NZ
- like this post
- tag who you want to to the movies

That's it! Winners will be picked Friday, 21st March 🫶

10/03/2025

Calling all Canterbury Filmmakers! If you have a long-form script (feature film or TV series) that needs development and project support, get your team together to apply now for the Waitaha Screen Development Incubator.

With mentorship and opportunities to pitch directly to industry, this is an amazing chance to get your project to the next level, and to grow the creative talent in our region.

In association with Script to Screen and Te Puna Matarau - Canterbury Screen Industry Association with funding support from NZ On Air and NZ Film Commission.

Applications close 1pm 17 March 2025: https://script-to-screen.co.nz/waitaha-screen-development-incubator/

Follow Te Puna Matarau for updates.