Activity: a 3-stage programme that finds new voices in remote regions and isolated situations to give inexperienced aspiring filmmakers the tools to develop a captivating story for screen. The most distinctive projects progress to the next stage: Stage 1 is a series of online learning for self-directed completion, teaching how to find and structure an engaging story for short film and web series formats; Stage 2 provides a mentor to hone their vision and refine project documents; Stage 3 is a 3-day intensive residential lab to develop the project further. Teams leave Stage 3 with a short film or web series project ready for funding and production, and new connections.

Outcome: There were 110 registrations from all over New Zealand as well as Fiji, the Cook Islands and Vanuatu for Stage 1 of Paerangi Project. Nine teams applied for Stage 2 with six-week mentorships for 14 participants, and five teams moved on to Stage 3 which had to be moved online due to the pandemic. To make up for the lost opportunity for everyone to meet at the residential workshop, Script to Screen rescheduled their air tickets to bring them to Auckland for Big Screen Symposium in July 2022. “The Cultural Fund enabled us to deliver this unique programme that reached out to aspiring filmmakers from the regions. We now have an asset of video tutorials that will continue to benefit aspiring filmmakers from anywhere in Aotearoa for years to come.” – Eloise Amelia Veber