Jonathan Ogilvie
Christchurch-born Jonathan Ogilvie has made dozens of music videos including the iconic clip She Speeds, for the Straitjacket Fits song. Based in Australia since the 90s, the AFTRS graduate has since had two shorts in competition at Cannes — one of them a Tropfest winner — shot a feature on Super 8 film, and in 2008 released 1920s gangster romance The Tender Hook, starring Hugo Weaving and Rose Byrne.
Robin Greenberg
Philadelphia-born, but long calling Aotearoa her home base, Robin Greenberg has directed films about Māori weaving, the Tibetan Government in exile, and educational videos for the United Nations — plus three documentaries inspired by her Christchurch t’ai chi teacher, Huloo. All three won a place in the NZ International Film Festival; the last, 2015's Return of the Free China Junk, continues the story of an old sailing junk which Huloo and friends sailed from Taiwan to the US. Inspired by Aotearoa's first Tibetan emigre, Greenberg's film Team Tibet - Home Away from Home was invited to the NZ Film Festival in 2017.
Peter McCauley
A journeyman actor for many years, Peter McCauley is a familiar face on both sides of the Tasman, with a long string of roles in film and television. His gruff, craggy image belies a capacity for sensitivity, and his rich sonorous voice has flattered many a script over the years.
Anna Cottrell
Christchurch-raised Anna Cottrell is a prolific documentary maker, with a keen interest in the stories that people tell. Her work ranges widely, from documentaries on immigrants (An Immigrant Nation) and family (Other People's Children), to five seasons of the bite-sized Great War Stories. Cottrell launched her company AC Productions in 2001.
Barry Barclay
Barry Barclay — director of landmark TV series Tangata Whenua and feature film Ngati — was a longtime campaigner for the right of indigenous people to tell their own stories, to their own people. In 2004 he was made an Arts Foundation Laureate, and in 2007 a Member of the NZ Order of Merit. Barclay passed away on 19 February 2008, after publishing his acclaimed book Mana Tuturu.
Chris Dudman
Kiwi Chris Dudman studied film at Ilam and London’s Royal College of Art; his graduation short was nominated for a student Oscar. After working on arts documentaries in the UK, Dudman returned to NZ in 1995. Since then he has directed drama shows (the high-rating Harry), documentaries (The Day that Changed My Life), attention-grabbing shorts (Choice Night), and a number of high profile ads for his company Robber’s Dog.
Paul Oremland
Paul Oremland began directing a run of documentaries — and two feature films — during almost three decades based in London. Since returning home to New Zealand in 2009, he has continued to work as an editor and director, including on his 2017 autobiographical documentary 100 Men.
Matthew Metcalfe
After learning the ropes making short films and music videos, ex-soldier Matthew Metcalfe has made films in Antarctica and Iraq, and produced movies and TV movies with partners in Canada (Nemesis Game), England (Dean Spanley) and France (Capital in the 21st Century). His projects range from tutus (ballet feature Giselle) to war (animated film 25 April).
Bruce Mason
For three decades, playwright and critic Bruce Mason played intelligent, impassioned witness to many key developments in Kiwi theatre and culture; a number of them his own. His play The Pohutukawa Tree has spawned more than 180 productions, and was watched by 20 million after being adapted for the BBC. The End of the Golden Weather is both a classic solo play, and movie.
Kirsty Cameron
Kirsty Cameron started in short film and art installation, before costume designing the first of around 20 feature films — including the acclaimed Whale Rider, Slow West, and No. 2. Her list of awards also includes The Orator and TV movie Jean, about aviator Jean Batten. Cameron's third short as writer/ director, teen fable The Lethal Innocents, was invited to festivals in Sweden, Germany and the USA.