Top of the Lake Season Two More Accessible
Critics loved Top of the Lake, New Zealander Jane Campion’s dark crime drama, starring Mad Men’s Elisabeth Moss as Robin Griffin, the police detective tasked with finding out why a…
News of New Zealanders via Global Media
Rose McIver on the Many Brains of IZombie
For the past two seasons of The CW series iZombie, star Rose McIver has managed to enjoy relative anonymity when the cameras stopped rolling. Thanks to the deathly pale zombie complexion and platinum wig…
First Thor: Ragnarok Trailer Released
The first trailer for Thor: Ragnarok, which was directed by Taika Waititi, has been released, as reported in an article in The Guardian. “Following on from the events of Avengers: Age…
Phil Keoghan’s LE RIDE Tours USA
Phil Keoghan, New Zealander extraordinaire, host of ten-time Emmy Award-winning show The Amazing Race, travels the U.S. in April to screen his critically-acclaimed documentary feature film LE RIDE. LE RIDE recently…
Riverdale Is a Guilt-Free Pleasure to Watch
“‘Archie got hot – he has abs now!’ An actual line in the pilot episode of Riverdale,” which is Toronto Star columnist Shinan Govani’s latest innocent viewing pleasure, he admits. The lead role of…
Ambition Got Niki Caro to Where She Is Today
Picturing yourself as a successful movie director – then getting there – is notoriously tough for a woman in the United States, the epicentre of the movie industry. For a young woman in New…
Nathalie Boltt Joins KJ Apa in Riverdale
Wellington-based actress Nathalie Boltt has been missing fish and chips on the beach with her husband and son. The Riverdale star (she plays Penelope Blossom) is originally from South Africa but its her adopted…
Deliberating on the Taika-Esqueness of Thor
Hunt for the Wilderpeople director Taika Waititi talks to the Guardian about joining the Marvel universe with his interpretation of Thor, which is due out in the United States in November. As far as whetting…
Meet The Rock’s Body Double Kelly Mcnaught
Kawerau chef Kelly Mcnaught was serving up food at a Gold Coast café when a customer asked if he could photograph him. “Then I got a Facebook message from an agent asking if I’d…
Clive James on Sam Neill’s Richly Sane Career
“Performers do best to do their best every time. By no paradox, it is easier to maintain this attitude if you are not being treated as a deity,” Australian broadcaster and critic Clive James…
Annie Goldson’s Film Unravels Dotcom Drama
Kim Dotcom’s personal story is Shakespearean in its ups and downs, says New Zealander Annie Goldson, the director behind a documentary that has just had its premiere in the United States. When flamboyant internet entrepreneur Dotcom…
Why Filmmaker Niki Caro Travels
Notions of “home” and “away” get blurry when you’re a citizen of the world. So what does it mean to travel? For Niki Caro, Wellington-born writer and the director of soon-to-be-released The Zookeeper’s Wife,…
It’s Time to Rethink Peter Jackson’s King Kong
“History has been too unkind to which should be remembered not as lumbering and mindless, but as majestic and mesmerising,” according to critic Chris Hartwell writing for…
Niki Caro in Warsaw for Holocaust Biopic
Hollywood stars, including New Zealand director Niki Caro, recently hit the red carpet in Warsaw for a gala screening of a film about a Polish couple who risked their lives to hide hundreds of…
KJ Apa Shines on the Big Screen
Currently starring as the lead in hit television series Riverdale, which features characters from the Archie comic-books series, teen sensation New Zealander KJ Apa makes his big-screen debut in the moving tale A Dog’s…
Warner’s Meg Helps Launch Kumeu Film Studio
New Zealand’s newest production facility, the Kumeu Film Studio is to launch thanks to a three-way partnership built around the China-Hollywood co-produced, action-adventure film Meg, according to an exclusive story in Variety. The studio facility…
John Gilbert and Dan Lemmon Win at Oscars
Two New Zealanders have won at the 89th Academy Awards: John Gilbert won Best Editing for his work on the WWII drama Hacksaw Ridge and Dan Lemmon won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects…
John Feeney’s Kenojuak Returns to Screen in US
Ngaruawahia-born John Feeney’s 1964 short film Eskimo Artist: Kenojuak, about Kenojuak Ashevak, the first Inuit woman involved with a printmaking co-operative in Cape Dorset, Canada, was recently shown at the Brunnier Art Museum in…
Connecting with Director Tusi Tamasese
A gripping film about redemption and the relationships that can ultimately lead to a fresh start, One Thousand Ropes left audiences eager to question Samoan New Zealand director Tusi Tamasese after its world premiere…
Taika Waititi named New Zealander of the Year
“Hunt for the Wilderpeople director Taika Waititi has been named as the 2017 New Zealander of the Year,” as reported on TV3.ie. “I just found out the news. Wow, amazing. Thank you so…
The Inland Road Makes for a Satisfying Debut
“In the stunned aftermath of a fatal road accident, a directionless 16-year-old half-Maori runaway drifts with unpredictable consequences into the lives of strangers in New Zealander Jackie van Beek’s assured first feature, The Inland…
Disney Coup for Director Niki Caro
The new live-action Mulan remake has secured Whale Rider director Niki Caro to helm. According to online women’s magazine, Bustle, “The Hollywood Reporter issued the reminder that Caro will be only Disney’s…
Celebrity Endorsements Around Every Corner
She lives in one of the most picturesque and exclusive areas in California – Montecito. But even media mogul Oprah Winfrey, 63, was blown away by New Zealand’s stunning views, while taking a break…
KJ Talks Candidly about the World of Archie
Welcome to the scandalous, abs-filled, hormonal world of Riverdale. The CW teen drama has taken a decidedly broodier and definitely sexier take on the Archie comics, and a lot of that has to do…
Phil Keoghan’s Le Ride Screens at US Festival
New Zealander Phil Keoghan, host of the popular television show The Amazing Race, will open the American Documentary Film Festival on 31 March with Le Ride, which had its world premiere at…
Michael Jackson Chimp Movie Attracts Taika Waititi
Thor: Ragnarok director New Zealander Taika Waititi has signed on to direct Bubbles, a stop-motion animated film about Michael Jackson’s pet chimpanzee, alongside Emmy Award-winning Mark Gustafson. “It’s an idea that fascinates me and one…
Frankie Adams the Unfindable Expanse Actress
The men behind adapting the popular Expanse novels to the screen faced a massive challenge in season two – finding the perfect actor to play beloved favourite, Bobbie Draper. And they found her, in…
One Thousand Ropes Premieres in Berlin
“Childbirth becomes a powerful vessel for renewal in this deeply felt drama about a Samoan former fighter atoning for the violence that divided his family and exiled him to solitude,” the Hollywood Reporter’s David…
Sundance Grand Jury Winner Stars Melanie Lynskey
The presciently titled I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore, starring New Plymouth-born actor Melanie Lynskey, pulled off a surprise victory at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival Awards ceremony taking the grand…
Taika Waititi Talks Thor: Ragnarok
“It came as a large surprise to many when Marvel announced that it would be handing Thor: Ragnarok’s directorial reigns over to New Zealand film director, actor and comedian Taika Waititi,” writes Tiny Diapana…
Mary Kills People Star Jay Ryan Takes the Risk
Auckland-born actor Jay Ryan, 35, best known for his roles as Jack Scully in the Australian soap opera Neighbours and Vincent Keller in the American television series Beauty & the Beast, now has a…
Melanie Lynskey Teams up with Elijah Wood
New Zealand-born actor Melanie Lynskey, 39, stars alongside Elijah Wood in crime thriller I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore, which premiered at this month’s Sundance Film Festival. Collider’s Matt Goldberg reviews…
KJ Apa’s Dark Take on Comic Book Archie
Star of American television show Riverdale, New Zealand actor KJ Apa’s take on the high school sophomore Archie goes far deeper than the inevitable love triangle situating him as the “good guy” between BFFs…
Trio of Films to Screen at Berlin Film Festival
Three New Zealand films will screen at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival. Poi E: The Story of Our Song and new-comer, The Inland Road, directed by Jackie van Beek, will both feature in the Generation…
Posters Inspired by Taika Waititi’s Hit Film
For Little White Lies’ latest creative brief, the film magazine asked its readers to design a wanted poster inspired by Taika Waititi’s “charming” 2016 comedy Hunt for the Wilderpeople. “We were blown away by the standard…
Long-Lasting Significance Of LOTR Trilogy
On the 15th anniversary of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, actors Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen and Viggo Mortensen reflect on the trilogy’s indelible impression. The film series was…
Jemaine Clement’s David Bowie-Ode Best in Moana
“He may appear in just one scene, but Tamatoa, the glam rock crustacean voiced by Flight of the Conchords’ Jemaine Clement, is quite possibly Moana’s most appealing character,” according to Slate’s Marissa Martinelli. “Now you…
Shortland Street’s KJ Apa Hits US TV Screens
Archie’s certainly not a kid anymore. Or at least not the same kid we knew from the old Archie comics, according to USA Today. He’s a hot, ripped 16-year-old, and a New Zealander –…
Hunt For The Wilderpeople Best Movie of 2016
Hunt for the Wilderpeople has topped Empire Magazine’s list of top movies (released in the UK) of 2016. “To say that Hunt For The Wilderpeople was a surprise is perhaps overstating it. Anyone…
Moana – A Magical Addition to Disney’s Collection
“Moana is both a revival of the Disney classic and a bold step away from their time honored tales,” writes Meredith Placko in a review for Comicbook.com. “While she may be the daughter…
Michala Banas Gets Her Bogan On
Acclaimed actor Wellington-born Michala Banas, 38, had never been to a speedway before being cast as foul-mouthed and tough as nails Amber in the hit ABC comedy Upper Middle Bogan. “That world was totally new…
Keisha Castle-Hughes in Negotiations for FBI Crime-Drama ‘Manifesto’
New Zealand actress Keisha Castle-Hughes is in negotiations for Discovery Channel’s high-profile FBI drama Manifesto, as reported in Deadline. Castle-Hughes “will play Tabby, a street agent who partners with FBI special agent Jim…
How Pacific Islanders Helped Moana Find Its Way
Fine attention to detail and constant feedback from John Musker and Ron Clements, the writer-director team behind Moana’s cultural advisory group The Oceanic Story Trust, has helped shape the Disney film on every level, Vanity…
Peter Jackson to Produce Sci-Fi Series Adaptation
Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson will produce an adaptation of British author Philip Reeve’s steampunk series Mortal Engines, the script which the New Zealander has also co-written. Another Academy Award winner, Christian Rivers, Jackson’s long-term collaborator…
New Ghost in The Shell Behind the Scenes Released
“Come 2017, Hollywood veteran Scarlett Johansson will be headlining Paramount’s lavish Ghost in the Shell movie as The Major, an elite cyborg enforcer who spearheads a task force known as Section 9,” writes Michael…
Melanie Lynskey Sticking to the Indies
Melanie Lynskey, star of the latest Duplass brothers film, Rainbow Time, talks to Metro US about indies, acting for friends and being chummy with the most evil people in the world: film critics. “I feel…
Filmmaker Gregory King’s UFO Wins in Toronto
New Zealand-born director Gregory King has won Best Short Drama for his 2014 film UFO at this year’s imagineNATIVE Film and Media Arts Festival held in Toronto. King said from Berlin, where he lives, that the…
Lucy Lawless on the Evolution of Fake Blood
New Zealand-born Lucy Lawless of Spartacus, Battlestar Galactica and Xena: Warrior Princess fame says she has noted major advances in props and fake blood since she began her career. “The technology now is so good….
Sam Neill: From Heartthrob To Vintner
Sam Neill of New Zealand’s Central Otago winery Two Paddocks, who is better known as an actor told the Financial Times’ Jancis Robinson that he “puts all his energy “into making beautiful…
Top of the Lake – Series With Star Location
“Across the globe and across generations”, there are stories with “settings as important as any character with dialogue,” according to an article in IndieWire. New Zealand’s Top of the Lake is one…
The Rehearsal Adaptation a Team Effort
The spirit of collaboration runs deep in Alison Maclean’s The Rehearsal, the Canadian filmmaker’s often ambitious and hearteningly daring big screen adaptation of Man Booker Prize-winning author New Zealander Eleanor Catton’s first novel of…
No Caller ID Makes Hollywood’s Screamfest Lineup
Slasher film No Caller I.D., which was shot in one night and on a three-figure budget, has been accepted into Hollywood’s prestigious Screamfest Horror Film Festival. Best friends Guy Pigden and Harley Neville shot the…
What We Do In The Shadows – Mockumentary You Need to Watch
Kiwi mockumentary What We Do In The Shadows has been included in a list of mockumentaries you will need to watch in an article on Vice. What We Do in the Shadows, directed,…
World-Class Creative Peter Jackson Says Dream
Seventeen-time Oscar winning director Peter Jackson spent some time recently with Forbes correspondent Brian Rashid to share his ideas about creativity, his processes, and mindset around being a world-class creative. “Jackson admittedly, does not consider…
Stunning NZ Films You Should Know About
“New Zealand certainly brings a fair few ‘bests’ to the table. Aside from being one of the most beautiful countries in the world, responsible for some of the greatest exploratory and scientific minds,…
NZ Selects ‘A Flickering Truth’ for Foreign-Language Category
New Zealand has selected Afghanistan-set documentary A Flickering Truth, which was produced and directed by Pietra Bretkelly, for the best foreign-language film category for the 2017 Academy Awards, as reported in The…
