Vicky Pope

Vicky Pope’s passion for storytelling began at high school in Wellington, but it wasn’t until her late 20s that she decided to pursue filmmaking as a career. She joined Wellington commercials company Black Stump; the role "gave me a lot of opportunities quite quickly — I stepped up from runner to producer in a year and a half. It also gave me a good foundation in pitching and salesmanship.”

Pope soon realised that she wanted to work on something more substantial, so she applied to join the development team at the NZ Film Commission. Pope was passionate, if inexperienced. “When I applied for the job, they asked me to do a script assessment. I hadn’t read a feature film script. So I went to the library and got out three books on screenwriting and script development, and read them all really quickly. I guess Katherine Butler saw enough in me to give me the job.”

The Film Commission provided a valuable opportunity to educate herself about the screen industry, partly through dealing with "the best writers, directors and producers in the country". She also witnessed firsthand how developing films incorporates creativity, commerce and cultural values. 

After a few years at the commission, and a short stint in London at film development organisation Arista, Pope was keen for a more hands-on approach. She joined Krafthaus Films, where she produced commercials and corporate videos. On the side Pope was developing a run of acclaimed short films. She produced The Graffiti of Mr Tupaia (2008) and Choice Night (2010) for director Chris Dudman and writer Paul Stanley Ward; Graffiti was named Best Short at the Qantas Film and Television Awards, while Choice Night's run of festival invites included prestigious festival Clermont-Ferrand.

The Film Commission then funded Pope and Rob Sarkies to commission and mentor teams to make five short films. The results included Meathead (which was invited to the Cannes Film Festival), 43,000 Feet (Tribeca) and Cold Snap (Venice).

Pope was also collaborating with Jemaine Clement and animator Guy Capper on The Pen, a series of stop-motion animated shorts. “Jemaine and Guy had produced the first episode by themselves, and I loved it. I approached them and said ‘Why don’t we try and get funding to make some more?’” Work on these shorts took place during the height of Flight of the Conchords’ popularity, and Pope was recruited by director Hannah Clark to produce Flight of the Conchords: On Air. The documentary on the duo's rise was picked up by HBO in the United States.

During this time, director Juliette Veber was seeking feedback on a rough cut of her feature documentary Trouble is My Business (2008), which was shot at Auckland school Aorere College. “I remember watching it, and in the back of my head going, ‘God, I wish I was the producer’. I thought it was such a fantastic piece of documentary making. It showed cultural and social barriers in the education system that I hadn’t previously understood.” Veber and Pope worked closely on the project. As well as producing, Pope also managed the film’s distribution, targeting the film to teachers and the local community via special screenings in South Auckland. After debuting at the 208 NZ Film Festival the film got nationwide release.

Two Little Boys (aka Deano and Nige's Best Last Day Ever) marked Pope's first dramatic feature. She produced the movie with Tim White. Rob Sarkie's dark comedy was set in Invercargill and the Caitlins, and the unpredictable Southland environment provided challenges — especially with a rowdy cast of wildlife. “It's a producer’s worst nightmare — 50 people standing on a beach waiting for a bunch of wild animals to turn up!”

Pope returned to documentary with Gardening with Soul (2016). Pope had suggested to director Jess Feast that they look for a short film to collaborate on. Feast came back with the story of 90-year gardening nun Loyola Galvin. In the hands of Feast and editor Annie Collins, it soon became evident that it warranted a full-length feature. Gardening with Soul won Best Documentary at the 2013 NZ Film Awards. Again Pope handled the film's distribution; it became one of the most successful local documentary releases to that date.

In 2015, writer Paul Stanley Ward invited Pope to collaborate again — this time on a opportunity opened up by NZ On Air’s new Digital Media Fund. Wild Eyes is a web-based project aimed at getting Kiwi kids back into nature through real life activities. The website was rewarded with a Social Good Best Design Award in 2017.

Around the same time Juliette Veber came to Pope with a documentary concept that also became a web-based project that also evolved into a web-based production. Veber had ventured out to film what would become Conversations with Teen Mums. To make the material more accessible and enduring, they restructured it into a website, featuring vignettes of the teenage mothers.

Savage (2019) marked Pope’s first solo dramatic feature. She had tracked Sam Kelly’s winning streak of short films, and knew he was ready for a feature. Although a request for development funding from the NZ Film Commission was denied at the second draft stage, Kelly reworked the script and Pope pitched it to international sales agents to prove the film’s potential, helping win the commission back on-board. At the Cannes Film Festival, Pope and Kelly pitched the film to Fabien Westerhoff from German company Film Constellation .

"Fabien had read the script and sat down with us in Cannes and said, “Let’s go!” So Sam had this magical experience as a filmmaker, where he got to walk into a meeting and be told that the film was wanted.” The film did respectably at the local box office, earning more than $1.5 million. 

In 2024 Pope collaborated with Australian production company Causeway Films for Went Up the Hill (2024), a ghost story set in the cold heart of Canterbury. The Film Commission introduced Pope to Kiwi-born director Samuel Van Grinsven in the early stages of the project, and she was impressed by his work. “Went Up the Hill was an exciting proposition for a film. It also extended on aspects of Samuel's earlier films in the way it mixed human vulnerabilities with thriller elements." The film was invited to multiple festivals across the world, after premiering as a Special Presentation in Toronto. 

Pope’s next feature was Pike River (2025), based on the 2010 mine tragedy and ensuing battle by families for accountability. Documentarian Tony Sutorius connected director Rob Sarkies to Anna Osborne and Sonya Rockhouse, key figures of the Stand with Pike advocacy group, who would become the focus of the story. Developing the screenplay involved an extensive process of interviews with the Pike community, especially with Anna and Sonya. The duo were sent drafts of the script, and had input into the edit and distribution.

“Pike River was an incredibly challenging film to finance and make," says Pope. "But Rob and I made a commitment to the community, and to Anna and Sonya, to tell their story. We knew we had to do everything in our power to put the film up there on-screen."

Fiona Samuels did extensive interviews with the local community while writing the script, especially with Osborne and Rockhouse. The duo commented on drafts of the script and the edit, and were present during filming. Local families and community members also participated as extras, and behind the scenes.

Alongside her producing work, Pope is also active in the Kiwi creative community. In partnership with Toi Pōneke Art Centre, she and Rob Sarkies run the Write Room Wellington Screenwriter Residency Programme which provides a grant, office space and mentors to up-and-coming scriptwriters and producers.

In 2025 Pope produced Paloma Schneiderman's debut feature Big Girls Don't Cry, after spotting her talent via the Write Room. "Paloma submitted the first 15 pages of her script to the programme, and I knew the minute I read her beautiful writing that it had to be a film." The duo collaborated over five years on the screenplay and on Paloma's burgeoning career, which saw her invited to participate in Jane Campion's training initiative A Wave in the Ocean.

Pope was a founding member of the New Zealand Film Producers Alliance, a network of independent film producers fostering networking and advocacy on local film policies and practices.

Profile written by Nina Johnston; published on 10 October 2025

Sources include
Vicky Pope
Two Little Boys press kit
Paul Stanley Ward, 'Wild Eyes gets kids outdoors' Stuff website. Loaded 3 June 2017. Accessed 10 October 2025