TE WHAKAIRO
- Ngā Kī o Te Tai Ao
The Carvings Carry the Stories of the World
Two talented carvers from each end of Aotearoa take their whakairo (carving) to Antarctica in response to New Zealand's kaitiakitanga (guardianship) of the world’s largest marine protected area - The Ross Sea.
TE WHAKAIRO premiered at Show Me Shorts 2019 (NZ), and has played at the Polar Film Festival (New York and Christchurch), FIFO (Tahiti), CSFF (China), Melbourne Documentary Film Festival and is continuing its festival run worldwide in 2020/21.
LIVING FLOWERWALL
In collaboration with Vanishing Point Studios, Vanessa directed the film content for an interactive website - THE LIVING FLOWERWALL. A “flower wall” sprang up almost organically outside the Botanic Gardens in Christchurch following the terrorist attacks on the city’s two mosques in March 2019. Five people intimately connected with the Flower Wall are interviewed in poignant and touching short films within the website. The website is a digital memorial to those killed.
Made with support from NZ On Air and Radio New Zealand.
GIVE KATE A VOICE
"On 19 September 1893, New Zealand became the first country in the world to give women the right to vote. Suffrage movement leader Kate Sheppard’s words were lost over the years. But 125 years later, eight champions of equality are bringing them back to life."
Vanessa co-directed an interactive spoken word video, and directed the behind the scenes interviews with 8 seriously impressive leaders in our community and the world. GIVE KATE A VOICE was made in association with New Zealand On Air and Noted.co.nz.
GIVE KATE A VOICE was an official honouree at the International Webby Awards 2019, won Silver at the Best Design NZ Awards and Best Costume Design at the NZTV Awards 2019.
SESAME STREET
Over the last 3 seasons, Elanti Media has created 6 short films for the iconic SESAME STREET. Some are written and developed specifically for Sesame Street by Elanti, and some are produced on commission with their scripts.
Number 4 in Antarctica, T is for Tools, B is for Bugs, D is for Dentist, Kiwifruit, and Zucchini (for Cookie Monster’s Foodie Truck).
A further two films are in development for season 53 of Sesame Street.
EAST TO EAST
Feature Documentary - 2018
A group of at-risk teenagers from Aranui High School, in East Christchurch, New Zealand, are offered the opportunity to compete in the iconic Coast To Coast multisport race in tandem with three legends of the sport.
EAST TO EAST premiered its world cinema release at NZIFF 2018 to sell out houses, and was officially selected for FIFO 2019 festival and the Nelson Summer Film Festival.
For more information on the film, order DVDs, or download via Vimeo On Demand - visit the EAST TO EAST website.
BRAVEHEART CHRISTCHURCH
Vanessa directed 22 episodes of the local social media profile series BRAVEHEART CHRISTCHURCH which celebrates those who've gone out on a limb to make our community (and our world) a better place.
BRAVEHEART lives primarily on Facebook, receiving hundreds of thousands of views, and its website is www.braveheartchch.org