Research into NZ's Independent Documentary Sector
Long-standing partners of the Screen Innovation Production Fund, Creative New Zealand and the New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC) commissioned research into the state of the independent documentary sector in September 2007.
The research has two objectives. Firstly, we wanted to identify and analyse barriers and opportunities affecting documentary makers in this country. We also wanted the findings to help us determine the future roles of both our organisations in documentary filmmaking in New Zealand.
A key trigger prompting this research is the increasingly competitive nature of the Screen Innovation Production Fund, where approximately only one in every six funding applications is supported in each funding round.
As a consequence Creative New Zealand and the NZFC have considered how projects are funded through the Screen Innovation Production Fund. Changes to the criteria will be announced in November 2008 to be launched in June 2009 funding round.
The NZFC launched a guide on “How to Market Your Documentary” on the NZFC website in November 2008. You can download it from here.
Along with the barriers, this research identifies a range of opportunities and possibilities. We hope it will spark informed discussion among documentary makers, industry organisations, exhibitors and distributors, funders and broadcasters, providing a useful stepping stone towards meeting the challenges that the sector faces.
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