New Zealand Writers Guild is pleased to congratulate the recipients of the first round of Seed and Seed Advanced for 2022. Seed is one of the most competitive writer-only grants for draft feature film scripts in New Zealand. We want to take this opportunity to thank the writing community for continuing to write with spirit, originality and most importantly with resilience! The age-old saying “You gotta be in it, to win it” is so true for this grant. The judges cannot award grants to writers who do not apply.Top applicants in this round demonstrated an ability to present the idea and voice of their story through the crafting of their treatments and script pages. Many of the top applications in the Seed and Seed Advanced pathways had entered the same project previously, and showed growth, development and perseverance in their works.This round received 94 Seed and 27 Seed Advanced eligible applications.Seed is judged through a blind-read process. The judges assess each application on three key criteria: 1. Idea – is it compelling/engaging? Does it have an audience?2. Craft – is the writer able to execute the screenplay on a high enough level to deliver on the promise of the idea?3. Voice – is the writer’s voice original and clear?A point to note about the blind-read process, the assessors do not have access to any identifying details of the writers applying to Seed and Seed Advanced, the works are judged solely on their application materials. NZWG Staff and Board do not have any input on the judging process.NZWG would like to thank the New Zealand Film Commission for continuing to support the screenwriters of Aotearoa through the Seed and Seed Advanced grants.Seed Grant RecipientsRound 1, 2022Ankita Singh – Bindu Patel and the Lost Spirit When a lonely teenager befriends a lost spirit, she strikes a deal to help him find his body if he helps her win the affection of her unrequited love.Jordan Windsor, Angella Dravid & Tim Fletcher – Yaya Says Nah A compulsive people pleaser gets dragged ever-deeper into the local criminal underworld in search of her brother’s emotional support cat, until she heroically stops giving a shit.Nacoya Anderson – MoonripeWhen an unsettling murder takes place at a remote rest home for dementia patients, the only witnesses to the crime are those whose memories cannot be trusted…Erica Kent – I am DaliI am Dali is a magical realist drama about an art teacher who must help a troubled young boy that presents himself as Salvador Dali, the greatest Surrealist artist in history.Ghazaleh Golbakhsh & Mia Maramara – The Ordeal Stuck in a hotel quarantine, a desperate writer attempts to finish her screenplay to save her career and marriage but soon becomes mad with mysterious visions that she must solve in order to save her life.Will Agnew – The Casket & The CrossWhen the wreck of a convict ship is discovered on the shores of pre-colonial New Zealand, the inhabitants of a missionary settlement become gripped by paranoia as they suspect that its ungodly survivors are secretly living among them. Seed Advanced Grant RecipientsRound 1, 2022Sophie Henderson & Curtis Vowell – The Resort Returning to her island, Avaiki, Tui finds whole beaches have disappeared. Piecing together the cause of the devastation, Tui decolonises herself and her island, rehoming locals in the luxury resort built upon her family’s land.Himiona Grace & Patricia Grace – Tū, God of War When a keen young man goes to war he finds the enemy is his own flesh and blood. ABOUT THE JUDGESShuchi KothariWriter, producer, advocate. Victor RodgerVictor is an award-winning writer and producer of Samoan (Iva) and Scottish (Dundee) descent. His plays include the internationally acclaimed BLACK FAGGOT while his screen work includes SHORTLAND STREET, THIS IS PIKI, SIS and TEINE SA: THE ANCIENT ONES. Briar Grace-Smith (Ngāti Hau and Ngāpuhi iwi) Briar is a filmmaker and writer of award-winning plays, screenplays, short fiction, and television scripts. Briar was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2018 for her contribution to theatre, television and screen. Marina Alofagia McCartney (Pitonu’ū, Satupa’itea and Vailoa, Palauli – Savai’i, Samoa / Newcastle – England / Romani – England) Marina is an award-winning filmmaker with films featured in numerous festivals, including Palm Springs, NZIFF, ImagineNATIVE, Hawai’i International Film Festival. Marina is currently a PhD candidate exploring Moana Pasifika film.
Congratulations to this round of Seedlings!
