News

Set to hit production at the start of October, Fly By Ms Magpie promises to kickstart local young director Stevie’s next chapter in their filmmaking career.
Born and raised in Hawke’s Bay, Stevie moved to Wellington after finishing high school to begin their journey in the film industry. They have taken a range of on-set roles since moving to the big smoke. But now it’s time to step into the director’s chair again and launch their next short with the goal of taking it to major festivals in 2027.

A scholarship, a locally made feature film and a national screen skills programme all came together at one of Aotearoa’s most important screen industry gatherings.
The Big Screen Symposium 2026, presented by Script to Screen, brought together filmmakers, producers, writers, funders, industry leaders and emerging practitioners from across Aotearoa for two days of kōrero, connection, learning and debate.

The challenge was fast. The filmmaking was fierce. And Hawke’s Bay has once again shown what can happen when creative people get together and make something happen. The cameras have stopped, the edits are locked and the films have hit the big screen. The Vista Foundation 48HOURS heats have taken place in Hawke’s Bay, bringing together filmmakers, actors, crew, friends, whānau and supporters for two packed screenings at the Globe Theatrette in Napier.

A new production guide is putting Hawke’s Bay on the map as one of Aotearoa’s most exciting emerging screen destinations showcasing the locations, people, infrastructure and regional relationships ready to support productions of all scales. There is a simple message behind the new Screen Hawke’s Bay Production Guide: Bring your next production to Hawke’s Bay.

A sell-out The Profit Unleashed event gave Hawke’s Bay business leaders a rare insight into the world of film production and a clear message about the economic opportunity sitting right here in the region.
When Emma Slade took to the stage at The Profit Unleashed in Hastings on 13 August, the conversation quickly moved beyond filmmaking.

If you are crew, we need you! Hawke’s Bay’s screen industry is growing and Screen Hawke’s Bay wants to know who is ready to be part of it. There is a shift happening in Hawke’s Bay. More producers are talking to us about bringing film and television productions to the region. More projects are looking at our locations, our people and our ability to support productions from development through to delivery. And as those conversations grow, one thing has become increasingly clear:
We need to know where our crew are.

Screen Hawke’s Bay is blazed-as to support this screening of one of the funniest (and slightly bloodiest) New Zealand films to hit the international film festival circuit, Weed Eaters. We’d love to see you cram Focal Point Cinema Havelock North…

Screen Hawke’s Bay Hosting Five Films For Freedom British Council Special Screenings In partnership with the British Council, BFI Flare and London’s LGBTQIA+ Film Festival, join local queer filmmaker and

Toi Mai recently attended a special graduation ceremony in celebration of 28 graduates who completed the National Screen Skills Training Programme, Kahurangi Toi Ātea.

Kahurangi Toi Ātea is a NZQA-approved National Screen Industry Training Programme for below-the-line crew in Aotearoa

A Hawke’s Bay shot and locally-produced feature film, What Lies Between, rolls on to the big screen this month.

Shot almost entirely in a remote cottage on a Patoka forest block, the eerie psychological thriller was crafted by Hastings-based writer and director James Cleary.

Hawke’s Bay is an ideal location for all things screen. It has some of the most unfilmed locations, great wine and food, high sunshine hours and all is located in a reasonable distance from each other. It seems hard to believe that filming has not continued to thrive since ‘Utu’ was filmed in parts of Hawke’s Bay in 1983.