Jonno Woodford-Robinson

Born in Waihōpai Invercargill, Jonno Woodford-Robinson has built a diverse career spanning visual effects spectacles, indie comedies, dramas and documentaries, with many of the films he has worked on screening at international film festivals and earning multiple awards.

Woodford-Robinson's English father was a sculptor and art teacher and his mother, who was from Ireland, taught English to high school students. An avid pianist and drummer from an early age, Woodford-Robinson played in the high school band and spent a lot of time in the music room. His early understanding of rhythm would prove to be an unexpected asset for his future career — starting with his first editorial project, a music video for his band, when he was 17.

After a summer job at a local radio station, Woodford-Robinson moved to Ōtautahi Christchurch to study radio and television broadcasting, with an early focus on drama editing. After graduation, he moved to Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington, where he worked in post-production and soon began editing commercials, short films and occasional music videos. During this period, he met Oscar-nominated editor Michael Horton. He operated Lightworks and Avid NLEs for Horton, acquiring story editing techniques and honing his technical skills.

Woodford-Robinson's first foray into feature film editing was the kung fu parody Tongan Ninja (2002), which the crew "worked on for ages over weekends". This was soon followed by psychological drama Fracture (2004); pioneering Rotuman feature film Pear ta Ma 'on Maf (aka The Land Has Eyes, 2004) and Taika Waititi's debut feature Eagle vs Shark (2007), both of which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival; and the award-winning short film Closer (2004), the story of a deaf teenage boy coming to terms with the death of his sister. Closer was in competition for the Short Film Palme d'Or at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival, and won Best Short Film and Best Performance in a Short at the New Zealand Screen Awards.

Although primarily an editor, Woodford-Robinson gained an extensive Visual Effects skill set while working in the motion capture department of Wētā Digital (now Wētā FX)  in 2005 and 2006. His experience with industry software such as Avid Media Composer and DaVinci Resolve Fusion allowed an easy transition to 3D and VFX-driven productions.

Woodford-Robinson went on to cut the tele-feature Rage (2011), Tom Scott's dramatisation of the protests against the 1981 Springbok tour of New Zealand, and Dame Gaylene Preston's mini-series Hope and Wire (2014), about the 2010–11 Christchurch earthquakes — both of which involved the integration of archival media with shot footage. He also edited Peter Young's The Last Ocean (2012), on which he was an associate producer. This feature documentary advocated for the protection of one of the last pristine ecosystems on Earth, the Ross Sea, and directly influenced the creation of the largest marine protected area in the world. It screened at multiple international festivals and won several awards.

Years after first meeting Michael Horton, Woodford-Robinson co-edited Lee Tamahori's acclaimed drama Mahana with him and together they won Best Editor at the 2017 New Zealand Film Awards.

Woodford-Robinson's extensive feature film editing credits include the sci-fi epic Mortal Engines (2018), Alison Maclean's The Rehearsal (2016), Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement's mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows (2014), and comedy remake Pork Pie (2017). He worked with Chelsie Preston Crayford on her 2026 feature debut, Caterpillar, a drama about three generations of women navigating a life-changing situation.

His television credits include Joseph Gordon-Levitt's dramedy series Mr. Corman, Wayne Blair's Australian sci-fi drama Cleverman, and Aotearoa detective drama One Lane Bridge, directed by Rob Sarkies. Woodford-Robinson was also lead editor on Apple TV's Emmy-nominated fantasy adventure series Time Bandits, which he describes as a challenge to integrate the unpredictability of improvisation with the more regimented visual effects process — "albeit a fun challenge which I really enjoyed".

Woodford-Robinson currently lives in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington with his wife Rieko, who is an artist.

Profile written by Amanda Newth, published on 24 April 2026