February 28, 2017 Loading Docs

LOADING DOCS 2017 SHORTS: DIVERSITY
The Fuse is Lit!

ANNOUNCING TEN BRAND NEW DOCUMENTARIES READY TO GET BOOSTED ON THEIR LOADING DOCS JOURNEY

Press Release: Tuesday 28th February 2017

The team behind New Zealand’s preeminent documentary initiative LOADING DOCS is extremely excited to announce the selection of ten brand new short documentaries about to embark on their Loading Docs journey with a month of crowdfunding on Boosted.

The theme for this year’s documentaries is Diversity. We asked filmmakers to submit proposals for 3-minute shorts, which reflect that theme. Specifically we were interested in films that address diversity of identity, culture, community and place.

Following a rigorous selection process, the final ten films were chosen and we couldn’t be more enthusiastic about the broad interpretations on the theme. Our stories address diverse perspectives on sexual identity, life and death, ethnic diversity, exploration of our environment and cultural representation.

As in previous years, the Loading Docs initiative, with the support of principal funder NZ On Air, along with the New Zealand Film Commission and new partner Te Māngai Pāho – will help fund, create and distribute these ten films. With views so far exceeding 1.5 million across the previous years’ collections, the teams have the potential for their documentaries to be seen by hundreds of thousands of viewers both at home and all around the world across platforms online, on broadcast television, the big screen and in-flight.

The next step for these teams is to begin crowdfunding. Each documentary is required to crowdfund $2000 towards their production budget in order to receive an additional $4000 from the Loading Docs initiative and a post-production package provided by Toybox and Post Production Sound. Crowdfunding is a crucial promotional tool for the documentary teams and paves the way for the future success of their short docs. All ten teams will launch their campaigns on crowdfunding website Boosted on the 1st of March 2017 and will have one month to achieve their goal.

Loading Docs is proud to once again be supporting the New Zealand documentary community and promoting diversity, not just on screen but also within the filmmaking industry. Loading Docs founders Julia Parnell and Anna Jackson say that each year the standard is getting higher and they couldn’t be happier to be bringing a variety of story telling voices to the fore. “We really hope that people will get behind these documentaries and filmmakers and prove that diversity is something that we as a country are interested in and supportive of.” – Julia Parnell.

Announcing the 2017 LOADING DOCS: DIVERSITY teams and projects.

East Meets East

Dir/Co Prod: Julie Zhu

Prod: Tema Pua

Location: Auckland

A Chinese grandmother searches for a sense of home on her bus trips to the Asian supermarket.

Boosted link: https://www.boosted.org.nz/projects/east-meets-east


Luckie Strike

Dir: Melissa Nickerson

Prod: Craig Gainsborough

Location: Waitomo, Central North Island

Pushing beyond primal fear, two caving friends struggle together in a dark, confined, muddy tunnel, determined to find a new entrance to a spectacular cave.

Boosted link: https://www.boosted.org.nz/projects/luckie-strike

 

Welcome to Graft

Dir: Ursula Williams

Location: Auckland

Travel inside a surreal world where artist Jon Radford becomes alter-ego Real Estate agent Ron Jadford – he’s got a deal for you!

Boosted link: https://www.boosted.org.nz/projects/welcome-to-graft

 

He Awa Mutunga Kore – A Takatāpui Journey

Dir: Kathleen Winter

Producer: Jaimee Poipoi

Te Reo Māori advisor: Beatrice Joblin

Location: Wellington

Two worlds collide at Wellington’s biggest ever LGBTIQ pride celebration where a takatāpui (queer Māori) activist seeks self-acceptance.

Boosted link: https://www.boosted.org.nz/projects/he-awa

 

Asian Men Talk About Sex

Dir: Chye-Ling Huang

Prod: Kelly Gilbride

Co-Prod: Ruby Reihana-Wilson

Location: Auckland

Asian men dig deep and bare all to explore the awkward, wild, intimate and unifying experience of sex.

Boosted link: https://www.boosted.org.nz/projects/asian-men-talk-sex

 

Coffin Club

Dir: Briar March

Prod: Kim Harrop

Location: Rotorua

The Coffin Club is a musical documentary about the celebration of life and death, and the ability to laugh at the prospect of mortality.

Boosted link: https://www.boosted.org.nz/projects/the-coffin-club

 

My Dog Ajax

Dir: Michael Weatherall

Prod: Cecilia Shand

Location: Kahurangi National Park, South Island

A passionate conservationist journeys into the heart of remote New Zealand with his K9 companion, the world’s only kea conservation dog, as they fight together to save the Kea.

Boosted link: https://www.boosted.org.nz/projects/my-dog-ajax

 

Kotuku Rerenga Rua

Dir: Tim Worrall

Prod: Aaron Smart

Te Reo advisor: Kotuku Tibble

Location: Rotorua

A larger-than-life Maori entertainer returns from the dead with a mission from his ancestors to make peace with his loved ones.

Boosted link: https://www.boosted.org.nz/projects/kotuku-rerenga-rua

 

#Losing

Dir: Stjohn Milgrew

Co-Dir: Damian Golfinopoulos

Prod: James Kerr

Location: Auckland

While preparing for a live performance, a poet reflects on his losing battle with a degenerative bone disease.

Boosted link: https://www.boosted.org.nz/projects/losing

 

Union

Dir: Jerry Rock-Archer

Prod: Joshua Rollo

Location: Japan

A Māori rugby player in Japan tackles cultural isolation and discovers strength amongst strangers.

Boosted link: https://www.boosted.org.nz/projects/union

 

 

 

About Loading Docs

Loading Docs is a unique New Zealand documentary initiative established in 2014 that aims to captivate and inspire audiences as well as develop and promote New Zealand filmmaking talent.

Through a competitive selection process, Loading Docs selects ten short documentary proposals, which are then supported from development through to distribution. Working with local and international mentors, Loading Docs filmmakers expand their skills in a range of areas including story development, outreach, publicity and marketing and distribution. Since its inception Loading Docs has achieved over 1.5 million views across the collection and is supported by TVNZ OnDemand, Air New Zealand in-flight and hosted on such high profile websites as The Atlantic, The Daily Mail, Huffington Post, The Guardian, Great Big Story and Short of the Week to name but a few.
Loading Docs is a Notable Pictures initiative, founded by Julia Parnell and Anna Jackson and is funded by NZ On Air’s Digital Media Fund and made with support from the New Zealand Film Commission and Te Māngai Pāho.
For more information visit and watch the previous years collections on: www.loadingdocs.net

Loading Docs shorts are also available to watch on TVNZ OnDemand: https://www.tvnz.co.nz/ondemand/loading-docs

 

Boosted Website: www.boosted.org.nz

 

Contact:

 

All media enquiries

Julie Warmington

Publicist

Email: [email protected]

Ph: 021 879 886

 

General email: [email protected]

Nia Phipps
Producer/Project Manager
Email: [email protected]

Sandy Wijetunge

Production Manager

Email: [email protected]

Ph: 09 303 1061