A suburban picture palace on the brink of extinction, strangers dancing in the dark, a ‘headcase’ turned world leader, a woman who talks to animals, a freestyling busker and a kiwi pro wrestler – these are some of the characters Kiwis will be introduced to thanks to the outstanding selection of Loading Docs documentaries set to be made in 2015.
After a selection process with an unprecedented high calibre of entries the Loading Docs team is pleased to announce the line-up of ten 3-minute documentary shorts to be produced and released in 2015 under the ground-breaking New Zealand film initiative.
Loading Docs Project Manager Nia Phipps says, “The range of docos selected couldn’t be more diverse, but each explores aspects of ‘connect’, the theme for Loading Docs 2015.”
The filmmakers behind the selected ten comprise an outstanding line-up of filmmaking talent, some of whom have already produced award-winning short films.
“Although the docos are only three-minutes long, that’s enough to spark the audience’s imagination and to provoke a powerful response… but it really pushes a filmmaker’s skills to the limit,” says Loading Docs EP Anna Jackson.
Executive Producers Julia Parnell and Anna Jackson set up Loading Docs to fill a gap for audiences hungry for quality local documentaries and to offer documentary makers a unique creative challenge.
The filmmakers are provided with mentoring from industry leaders to further their skills in development, crowdfunding, marketing and online distribution. The initiative is designed to support filmmakers to take their filmmaking craft to the next level and promote creative documentary making of the highest standard both locally and internationally.
Loading Docs launched in May 2014. The first series of short docos (all freely available to view and share online here: www.loadingdocs.net/2014films ) were an immediate success, featuring on high profile local and international websites, screening on Air New Zealand’s inflight entertainment and New Zealand Television (3News, Seven Sharp, 20/20, Te Kaea, Iti Pounamu, the Rialto Channel) and selected for local and international film festivals (Show Me Shorts (NZ), Out Takes (NZ), ImagineNATIVE (Canada), New Zealand Short Film Festival (Aus) and the 2015 Banff World Tour (US).
“Loading Docs has touched audiences all over the world with an outstanding selection of unique New Zealand stories. Given the success of our inaugural round of documentaries last year, we are looking forward to supporting another talented group through the process” says Loading Docs EP Julia Parnell.
The project is supported by the New Zealand Film Commission and NZ On Air’s Digital Media Fund. Each documentary will crowd fund via the website
Boosted http://www.boosted.org.nz to raise $2000, which is then matched
by Loading Docs. The crowd funding phase will take place from the first week of March 2015 when the filmmakers have a month to raise the cash and reach out to audiences before production begins.
LOADING DOCS 2015: www.loadingdocs.net/2015films
The Crystal Palace
No Lights, No Lycra
Fantasy Cave
H20 Below
Killer App
Kusuda
Madness Made Me
The Pet Whisperer
Tihei
Wilbur Force
Reaction from this year’s successful applicants on being involved with Loading Docs:
Justin Hawkes & Ian Hart LOADING DOCS Filmmakers 2015 (The Pet Whisperer)
Rowena Baines LOADING DOCS Filmmaker 2015 (No Lights, No Lycra)
Three of last years filmmakers on Loading Docs:
Joel Kefali, LOADING DOCS Filmmaker (Baba) See the doco here.
“I like the one to one relationship a filmmaker can have with their audience when sharing their work online. The LOADING DOCS format and crowd-funding approach brings this relationship full circle and allows me to share a particularly personal story within the online community.”
Alex Sutherland, LOADING DOCS Filmmaker (The Jump) See the doco here.
“When I heard about Loading Doc’s short documentary initiative, I immediately thought this would be a great way to jump-start Chris’s story to life and get it out into the world. The discipline of having to distil a story like this down to three minutes forces you to think about what is absolutely necessary to tell the story and what is really driving it.”
Prisca Bouchet and Nick Mayow, LOADING DOCS Filmmakers (Today) See the doco here.
www.loadingdocs.net/2014/today
“As directors, being part of LOADING DOCS has given us an opportunity to challenge ourselves, at the same time learning about and participating in the bold, dynamic world of online storytelling.”