Pirate Comedy Deserves Another Season
Cancelled after two season, Taika Waititi’s “silly comedy” Our Flag Means Death “deserves one more voyage”, according to Radio Times critic George White. “ was meant to be sacred ground, an untouchable…
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Punk Goes Down Under in Comedy Head South
Punk arrives in New Zealand, a little bit late, in Head South, the new dramedy from New Zealand director Jonathan Ogilvie (Lone Wolf, The Tender Hook) which opened this year’s International Film Festival Rotterdam…
Thomasin McKenzie Speaks About Eileen Role
William Oldroyd’s psychological thriller Eileen, based on the 2015 novel by Ottessa Moshfegh, is a challenging movie. But that’s exactly what drew in Thomasin McKenzie and Anne Hathaway. McKenzie, who plays a withdrawn young…
How Xena Became Sundance’s Hottest Director
The former Warrior Princess, New Zealander Lucy Lawless, tells Daily Beast’s Obsessed about her unlikely journey to directing the documentary Never Look Away, about fellow New Zealander, intrepid war correspondent, Margaret Moth. Moth spent years…
Cinematographer Dave Garbett wins Emmy
The second annual Children’s and Family Emmys took place in Los Angeles recently, and while Disney+ and Netflix tied with nine wins each, there was one New Zealander who stood out, the NZ Herald…
Looking Back at the Lord of the Rings Effect
“ absolutely put us on the map,” says Jasmine Millet, head of creative industries at Tātaki Auckland Unlimited and an advocate for the region’s filmmaking industry. “People started…
Thomasin McKenzie Gets the Accent Right in Eileen
Thomasin McKenzie takes it as a compliment when people don’t know she’s from New Zealand. The 23-year-old actor – who broke through with 2019’s Jojo Rabbit and 2021’s Last Night in Soho – regularly…
Chill Out with Taika Waititi’s Next Goal Wins
Taika Waititi has always seen cinema as something optimistic. Growing up in a poor area of New Zealand, where he was born to an Ashkenazi mother and Māori father, movie theatres offered the future…
LOTR Chainmail Production a Two-Year Odyssey
“There’s a lot of chainmail in Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” Men’s Journal journalist Griff Griffin writes. “Think of the hundreds of soldiers who wear it into battle, from Orcs…
Luminary Award Bestowed Upon Jane Campion
New Zealander Jane Campion has been honoured with Next Generation Indie Film’s 2023 Luminary Award. The director accepted the award at the third annual gala, which took place at the end of October in…
Mysterious Ways Set for N American Release
Specialty distributor Ariztical Entertainment has acquired the North American rights to New Zealand-set wholesome gay love story Mysterious Ways, with a multi-platform digital release in 2024, Patrick Frater reports for Variety. Written and directed by…
Setting the Scene in Our Flag Means Death
After starting the season with its lovable cast split in two, Our Flag Means Death concluded its second season with the entire crew of the Revenge sailing off together into the literal sunset –…
Amazing Race’s Phil Keoghan Not Slowing Down
Phil Keoghan, host of The Amazing Race, is a citizen of the world. This New Zealander may call California home at the moment. His stack of passports and ability to land shows that take…
M3GAN’s Universal Dance Thrills at Halloween
Universal and Blumhouse’s M3GAN, directed by New Zealander Gerard Johnstone, quickly became a cult classic as the killer AI doll twirled and kicked her way into our hearts after the film’s run earlier this…
Rose Matafeo’s Romcom Even Better than Ever
“ is no longer a will-they-won’t-they series. Instead, it focuses on the joys of friendship – and becomes more enjoyable, relatable and far more moving,” Rachel Aroesti writes in a…
Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne’s Star on the Rise
It’s been 10 years since her debut as Kahu in Taika Waititi’s Hunt for the Wilderpeople at age 13, and Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne’s career continues to soar, Eda Tang writes for Stuff. Named a “Rising…
Bumpa Love a Voice for Melbourne Drag Queens
Bumpa Love wears many hats – the New Zealander is a trailblazer in Melbourne’s drag scene, an activist queen, a “businesswomen queen”, and now a contestant on Season 3 of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down…
Rose Matafeo’s Starstruck Back for Third Run
With her smash hit Starstruck exploring fairytale romance and what happens next, New Zealander Rose Matafeo breathed new life into the sitcom. But, as the series returns for a third run, she’s now wondering…
Comic Cal Wilson Uncovers Who the Hell We Are
Australia’s Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) sat down with Melbourne-based New Zealand comedian Cal Wilson, 52, to talk about the barely known part of Australian history she uncovers in the SBS series, Who The Bloody…
Rachel House Stealing Every Scene on Australian TV
With her commanding presence and unmistakable New Zealand accent, Rachel House, 51, is a serial scene-stealer on Australian television and film. Whether it’s grossing out the sex-ed class as Principal “Woodsy” in Heartbreak High,…
Taika Waititi on the Cover of Hollywood Reporter
With sly and subversive humour, multihyphenate powerhouse Taika Waititi is redefining representation – “Comedy is a great way of pulling people in and going, ‘Hey, we’re all friends. Get comfortable. You’re racist’” – while…
Antony Starr Plays TV’s Most Intriguing Villain
Sitting down with Antony Starr, 47, who plays perhaps the most intriguing villain on current television as Homelander on The Boys, is disconcerting. Homelander is an Aryan super-sociopath, a gleaming Mr America with a…
Niki Caro Holds Reins Tight in The Mother
“The Mother is a mutha of an intimately scaled action film, a violent female-centric drama about a hardened combat veteran who has great difficulty adapting to being anything other than a…
Comedian Melanie Bracewell Living the Dream
Describing her work with Australian comic Tim McDonald on The Cheap Seats, Auckland-born Melanie Bracewell says with self-effacing charm, “Tim brings a lot of hard work, determination and vision; I bring vibes.” The 27-year-old…
Simone Kessell on Yellowjackets Season 2
Adult Lottie is described by a Yellowjackets showrunner as “kind of a cool Jesus” – she’s a charismatic cult leader-like figure who’s also a potential threat to her former teammates, and New Zealander Simone…
THR Puts Two Campion Films on Best of Century List
“Over the course of a few months, several Zoom meetings, and countless emails, six Hollywood Reporter (THR) film critics came together to hash out, and rank, what they consider the 50 greatest films since…
M3GAN Director Gerard Johnstone on Inspirations
With executive producer James Wan and producer Jason Blum already blue skying ideas for sequels, Syfy got on a Zoom with M3GAN director, New Zealander Gerard Johnstone, to ask about his horror sequel involvement,…
Sam Neill’s Memoir a Real Charmer
Over almost 50 years, since his big-screen feature debut in Landfall, made in New Zealand, the beloved New Zealand actor who became Sir Sam last year, has brought a charm to many of his…
Actor Simone Kessell Seeing Industry Change
Playing adult Lottie in the second season is a breakout moment for the New Zealand-born actor Simone Kessell – but like her accomplished co-stars, she’s been here all along, on shows like…
The Tattooist of Auschwitz Is Coming to TV
The Tattooist of Auschwitz, the bestselling novel by New Zealand-born, Melbourne-based writer Heather Morris is being turned into a six-part television series, Karl Quinn reports for The Sydney Morning Herald. The production is currently shooting…
The Examined Life of Melanie Lynskey
In series like Yellowjackets, New Plymouth-born actor Melanie Lynskey specialises in revealing the turbulent emotions of women who seem innocuous and mild on the surface, Alexis Soloski writes in a profile piece for The…
Cocaine Bear is Actually Allan Henry
The cocaine bear in Elizabeth Banks’ Cocaine Bear is an impressive feat of visual effects wizardry, but there was an actual person behind the 227-kilogram, drug-addicted beast, and that person was New Zealander Allan…
Melanie Lynskey Analyses Last of Us Character
When The Last of Us co-creator Craig Mazin pitched a role in the series to New Zealand-born actor Melanie Lynskey, he started with a bang: “He called me and said, ‘I would love for…
Thomasin McKenzie Burns Up the Screen in Eileen
“What a strange and spellbinding psychological thriller has woven out of Ottessa Moshfegh’s novel, Eileen,” Hollywood Reporter reviewer David Rooney writes. “Rippling with sly humour and a bold command of the tropes…
Simone Kessell Discusses Her Yellowjackets Role
In a Vanity Fair exclusive first look at adult Lottie Matthews (one of the Yellowjackets plane crash survivors), New Zealand-born actor Simone Kessell, 47, discusses where she’s been and asks, “How long can you…
Killer Doll Movie M3GAN Reviews Well in US
New Zealand director Gerard Johnstone’s latest film, the comedy horror M3GAN, is well reviewed in Variety, with critic Owen Gleiberman describing it as “creepy, preposterous and diverting”. “Gemma (Allison Williams), a robotics engineer, works for…
New Taika Waititi Film Stars Michael Fassbender
In 2001, the American Samoa football team were thrashed by Australia and recruited the services of a coach named Thomas Rongen in an attempt to reverse their on-the-field misfortunes. The story has now been…
Inside the Secretive Gloriavale Christian Community
Like many New Zealanders, Fergus Grady knew about the disturbing stories that were coming out of the Gloriavale Christian Community. This secretive group, located in one of the most isolated parts of the country,…
Alex Liu Receives MGM Film Script Deal
MGM and The Black List have named Auckland-based Alex Liu, 30, as the third recipient to receive a two-step Guild minimum open script deal as part of their two-year feature film script writing partnership,…
Emmy Haul for Peter Jackson’s Beatles Doco
The Beatles: Get Back producer-director New Zealander Peter Jackson has shared the Emmy for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction series with Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and fellow producers Yoko Ono Lennon, Olivia Harrison, Clare Olssen,…
Jane Campion Cinema Appeals for Autistic Cipher
“In the complex, full-formed characters of Jane Campion’s cinema, I found connections with my own recent autism diagnosis,” Lexie Corbett writes in an article published by bi-monthly magazine, Little White Lies. “I was looking for…
Melanie Lynskey Finds Light in the Dark
After nearly two decades of critically acclaimed performances, Yellowjackets star New Zealander Melanie Lynskey lands her first Emmy nod, Brooke Marine reports for W magazine. Ever since she starred in the psychological drama Heavenly Creatures…
Charlotte Rampling at Centre of Likeable Juniper
“Juniper is a drama with black comic edges about a fragmented family, and the unexpectedly life-affirming influence of its particularly tetchy matriarch. In the lead role is Charlotte Rampling, an actor blessed with an…
Sam Neill and Friends Return to Jurassic Park
Though nearly three decades have passed since New Zealander Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum starred in Steven Spielberg’s 1993 dinosaur epic, that series-starter still manages to resonate in impressive ways. Now, five…
Nude Tuesday Could Be New Zealand’s Next Big Hit
“Imagine writing a film. Rehearsing it in English and then performing it in gibberish. Then, you get someone else to write the subtitles, so even you don’t know how the film will end. Anything…
Amazing Hotels Host Monica Galetti Prefers Boutique
New Zealand chef and co-presenter of Amazing Hotels, Monica Galetti, tells The Sunday Times about her favourite places to stay, and how she brings back ingredients from her travels. “I always return with a suitcase…
Ghosts Rose McIver Stands Out in Ensemble Comedy
Rose McIver, the 33-year-old New Zealand native who began acting as a child, recently spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about her interest in finding the emotional relatability in flamboyant characters and situations and the…
What Makes Taika Waititi Run and Run and Run?
The Thor: Love and Thunder director, New Zealander Taika Waititi, can’t say no – to starring in Our Flag Means Death, making a soccer movie, writing a Star Wars idea, adapting Roald Dahl. For…
Studiocanal CEO Anna Marsh Awarded at CineEurope
Studiocanal CEO New Zealand-born Anna Marsh has been named International Distributor of the Year at CineEurope, the exhibition conference which took place in June, in Barcelona. Andrew Sunshine, president of CineEurope organiser Film Expo Group,…
Peter Jackson Talks Getting Back The Beatles
There can be no doubt that New Zealand director Jackson, after his intensive review of 130 hours of audio and 57 hours of long-hidden video of the band at their career hinge point of…
Taika Waititi on TIME’s 2022 Most Influential List
New Zealander Taika Waititi, 46, makes TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2022. American actor and screenwriter Sacha Baron Cohen explains why. “You can tell that a film was made by Taika Waititi the…
The Boys Star Karl Urban On New Superhero Status
Although Amazon’s The Boys is an ensemble show, Stuart Heritage writes for The Guardian, with a sprawling collection of superheroes and antihero vigilantes, New Zealander Karl Urban has emerged as the show’s lead. His…
New Doco Explores Jane Campion’s Filmography
Drawing upon interviews from throughout the New Zealander’s career, Julie Bertuccelli’s documentary Jane Campion: The Cinema Woman, which premiered at Cannes, explores the process and philosophy of the Power of the Dog helmer. Sheri…
Andrew Dominik’s Latest Nick Cave Doco Transcends
“In his 2016 film One More Time With Feeling, Dominik documented the creative process behind the Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds album Skeleton Tree, a record forged in the wake…
Jurassic Park’s Sam Neil Reunites with Co-Stars
Thirty years is nothing in terms of geologic eras, but it’s a large swath of a lifetime. In 1992, Laura Dern, Sam Neill, and Jeff Goldblum first gathered in Hawaii to make Steven Spielberg’s…
Life After Life’s Thomasin McKenzie is Otherworldly
At just 21, Thomasin McKenzie, who plays Ursula in the four-part BBC series Life After Life, already has a list of impressive credits including Leave No Trace and Last Night in Soho. BAFTA winning…
