NZFC adds Australia’s Lantern Pictures to international prodco placements initiative

The New Zealand Film Commission has extended its international production company placements initiative to include Australia-based Lantern Pictures.

Ainsley Gardiner

The Lantern Pictures International Placement scheme offers a six-month role designed for an experienced New Zealand writer with an interest in television development. The successful applicant will gain hands-on experience working across Lantern’s slate, with a focus on developing TV drama from concept to execution.

“Our International Placements initiative gives New Zealand creatives the chance to step into different industry contexts, build meaningful relationships, and bring fresh perspectives back to our local screen industry,” said NZFC head of funding Ainsley Gardiner.

The NZFC has also announced that See-Saw Films and showrunner Samantha Strauss’s joint-venture Picking Scabs has appointed Dana Leaming as creative producer for a six month tenure in Sydney, under the placement initiative.

Leaming is an award-winning wāhine Māori filmmaker with her first television series, Not Even, premiering on Sky New Zealand in early 2023 for two seasons. Her local writing credits include Madam, Warren’s Vortex and Ahikāroa.

Shay Spencer, executive producer at SeeSaw Films/Picking Scabs, said: “Great writing is at the heart of everything we do, and Dana is a compelling writer with a distinctive voice who we are excited to support as she works across our international development slate. We’re grateful to the New Zealand Film Commission for backing initiatives like this that support the next generation of Kiwi storytellers to hone their craft and set them up to create work that stands alongside the best in the world.”