Presenters: Rachael Penman – general manager and festival producer at Doc Edge and Sue May – film publicist (Avatar, Loimata: The Sweetest Tears, Poi E: The Story of Our Song) and interim komiti (committee) member, serving as kaiwhakahaere (executive director), at Aotearoa Screen Publicists Collective.

Description: Discoverability is the current buzzword. Publicity is key to helping your audiences discover your film. Rachael and Sue will give you ideas on knowing and finding your audiences – all the elements that intrigue and enable discovery:  film title, trailer, images, poster, tagline, synopsis, story angles – valuable assets every film festival needs you to provide with your film.

The Art of the Interview

“Understand your purpose and what you wish to accomplish, but be clear in your mind of your intention.”

Presenter: Neil Waka – broadcaster, journalist, communications professional, presenter of news interview show Te Ao Tapatahi at Whakaata Māori (Māori Television).

Description: Throughout his broadcasting career, Neil Waka has interviewed hundreds of people from all walks of life including movie stars, sports personalities, musicians, documentary makers, leaders of industry, world leaders and gang members. “Understand your purpose and what you wish to accomplish, but be clear in your mind of your intention.”

Neil will share his interviewing techniques, experience and expertise, including how to prepare yourself and your interview subjects, how to keep them engaged and avoid disadvantaging them.

Different Types of Rights and Licences in Monetising Your Film

Presenter: Emma Madison – head of commercial and industry services at Screenrights.

Description: Emma has 20+ years’ industry experience across royalty management and exhibition. During her time at Screenrights she has overseen payment of more than $300 million in royalties to companies and screen practitioners around the world, and in her current role she enjoys working at the intersection between screen business and technology.

With so many ways your film or project can be distributed throughout the world, Emma will guide you through all the different types of rights and licences that can be sold in film & TV content, and how these may play out in terms of the money that flows back to you over time.

Presenters: Natasha Gallace – director, legal counsel and Arran Birchenough – director of production at Getty Images.

Description: Knowing what content requires copyright clearance, release or special licensing is imperative for any producer. So how do you what’s allowed and where can you go to check?

Natasha and Arran are experts in copyright law and content licensing. During this session they will share practical guidance on clearing copyright for video and stills that you are sourcing for your documentary. They will also explore release considerations for IP in visuals, production vs. trailers and on-air promo usage.

How To Make Short Documentaries That Matter

Presenter: Charlie Phillips – film commissioner, programmer, producer, consultant and head of stories at Lyfta, former deputy director of Sheffield Doc/Fest and head of video at The Guardian.

Description: Charlie has been instrumental in commissioning award-winning documentaries including the 2021 Academy Award-winning short, Colette.

Charlie will talk about the world of short documentaries, how to tell a great story in a short time, what works best, and who is out there supporting them. He will also share his insights from Lyfta’s work with digital learning on how to engage young people in documentaries.