The NZ Film Commission has announced the recipients of the first year of Te Whai Ao. Te Whai Ao is a documentary development fund for emerging or experimental documentary makers.

Through this fund we aim to support documentary filmmakers to explore one-off documentary ideas. The fund complements the New Zealand Film Commission and NZ On Air Joint Documentary Fund. Successful applicants may use the grant to develop their projects to a stage where it is eligible to be considered for other funding (production or post-production investment or finishing grant).

The recipients for 2013 are:

• Young and Hapu – director Juliette Veber, producer Vicky Pope
• The Tuhoe Building – director Sarah Grohnert, producer Alex Behse
• Nga Reo O Te Whenua: Voices of the Land – director Paul Wolffram, producers Paul Wolffram and Catherine Fitzgerald
• Untitled CUTCUTCUT Films Project – directors Errol Wright and Abi King-Jones, producer Errol Wright
• On An Unknown Beach – directors/producers Adam Luxton and Summer Agnew

We'd like to thank the Documentary New Zealand Trust for their input and help in processing this year's applications.

Congratulations to all the successful applicants.

Media Release: NZ Film Commission

21/08/2013