New Zealand announces new development fund

New Zealand has announced a new International Co-Development Fund (ICF) that will help its domestic producers co-develop features and TV series for global audiences.

The ICF will be launched – and applications accepted – by the New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC) from July as an extension of the existing Co-Production Development Fund.

A fund of NZ$400,000 will be available to help New Zealand producers through the process of co-developing projects with international partners.

The NZFC wants to help build on the success of recent international success stories including Top of the Lake and The Dead Lands.

“Developing film and series projects and taking them to market is an expensive and complex process,” said Annabelle Sheehan, CEO of the NZFC, in a statement.

“NZFC’s International Co-Development Fund responds directly to this by giving experienced producers a flexible, matched development finance that’s available as and when needed.”

New Zealand remains a popular international production location, although recent government figures revealed that spending on post-production work in the country – often on projects not shot in New Zealand – outperformed physical filming in 2018.

James Cameron’s Avatar sequels are set to be the highest-profile productions to shoot in New Zealand this year. A specific schedule for the big-budget sci-fi films is uncertain, with the first sequel recently delayed once more, this time to late 2021.

See KFTV's production guide for more on filming in New Zealand.

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