News / Events

Twenty-one New Zealand feature film producers have been selected to attend a five-day Film Business School next month, with tutors including four top producers from Europe. The intensive residential course, to begin on Easter Monday April 12, will focus on feature film financing and legal structures, with emphasis on creating a financial plan for individual projects.

This will be the first time that the course has been held in the Southern Hemisphere.

From its beginnings in 1993, the School has been run twice a year in Spain by the prestigious Media Business School with support from the European Union's Media Plus programme.

The New Zealand School has been organized by the New Zealand Film Commission in partnership with SPADA the Screen Producers and Development Association and the Screen Council, who have assisted with selection of participants.

It is designed to accelerate the careers of participating producers. It is project based and offers the chance to develop script-to-screen strategies under the guidance of experienced industry professionals working in seminars, workshops and tutorials.

The international tutors will be led by Hugo Lasarte, director of the Media Business School, and New Zealander Margaret Nicoll, head of the Madrid production company New Zeal and former managing director of Sogepaq, the distribution arm of Canal + Spain.

Four leading European producers will be tutors at the School:

Austrian-born Karl Baumgartner, whose German production company co-produced WHALE RIDER, and who distributed AN ANGEL AT MY TABLE and THE PIANO in Germany. He has produced more than 20 features including two by Emir Kusterica: UNDERGROUND (1995) and BLACK CAT, WHITE CAT (1998) which won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival.

Spanish-born British producer Rosa Bosch, who was associate producer of BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB (1999), and who is a former co-director of the London Film Festival.

British producer Judy Counihan whose seven features include BEFORE THE RAIN (1994), the Academy Award-winning ANTONIA'S LINE (1995) and the Academy Award nominee NO MAN'S LAND (2001).

Bertrand Faivre, producer of 12 international features including RATCATCHER (Scotland 1999) and NIGHT SHIFT (France 2001).

Other tutors will include Wouter Barendecht, an international sales agent based in Hong Kong who specializes in Asian cinema, and New Zealanders Bob Hayward of Summit Entertainment, a film financing and sales company based in Los Angeles, Mark Gooder, head of Icon Distribution in Sydney, and Paul Davis, formerly President of Marketing with Intermedia in London.

The five-day Film Business School is the first major initiative supported by the recently-established Screen Council.

Brent Harman, chair of the Screen Council, said the Business School matched one of its key objectives: upgrading the skill base of the production industry.

Ruth Harley, chief executive of the Film Commission, noted that the School was one of the most important upskilling events in the ongoing programme supported by the Commission.

She expressed pleasure at the high caliber of the international participants.

Penelope Borland, chief executive of SPADA, said the School represented a partnership which could be expected to lead to new international investment for New Zealand films, "at a time when everyone is interested in us thanks to Whale Rider and The Lord Of The Rings."

Support for the School has also come from three co-sponsors: Simpson Grierson Partners, film production accountants Moneypenny Services, and completion guarantor Film Finances.

The Film Business School is to be based in the Wairarapa town of Martinborough.

It begins on April 12 and continues till April 16.

As well as the 21 New Zealand producers already selected to participate, two more places for New Zealanders are yet to be announced, plus participation from two Australian producers, with support from the Australian Film Commission.

Lindsay Shelton
Tel 021 382 768