The New Zealand Film Commission is pleased to announce a three year programme, commencing in 2013/14, to help new and existing screen sector businesses grow to the next stage. The NZFC is allocating a million dollars each year to the scheme over the three year period.
“We want to keep growing the screen sector and ensure New Zealand stories can continue to be told,” says NZFC Chief Executive Graeme Mason. “We need to foster the development of businesses with the scale and connections to attract more private and overseas investment to New Zealand projects - this scheme could be a game-changer.”
Earlier this year, the NZFC received an innovative proposal from Libertine Pictures seeking funding assistance for a three year business plan encompassing film, television and cross-media projects. Libertine is the brain-child of Richard Fletcher, Neil Cross and Paul Davis.
“We were impressed by the Libertine proposal, which met the eligibility and assessment criteria we had in mind for the new scheme,” says Graeme Mason. “It has therefore been selected as one of the recipients of funding under the scheme. The NZFC wants to congratulate Libertine Pictures and extend the opportunity to other screen companies.”
The scheme builds on past devolved development and overhead schemes that have supported such businesses as South Pacific Pictures, Gibson Group and Wingnut among others. It extends the NZFC’s support for screen sector businesses by funding their development as well as the development of the film content they produce. It is not limited to film projects.
The NZFC will publish further details of the scheme in September and will call for applications. The NZFC aims to fund up to two more three-year proposals in February 2014.
You can read more about Libertine Pictures here.