Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland
City Managers
Your Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland City Manager is Alix Whittaker and Esaú Allemora.
Alix Whittaker
Producer of ambitious and award-winning music videos, short films and feature films, Alix boasts a notable portfolio that includes Alien Pregnant by THUNDERLIPS, Daniel by Claire van Beek, Stray by Dustin Feneley, and Mega Time Squad by Tim van Dammen. Through her company Candlelit Pictures, Alix is immersed in developing and financing a diverse slate of feature films. Drawing from her experiences as a Producer Intern on Taika Waititi’s Hunt For The Wilderpeople, attending Ted Hope’s Producing Masterclass, Sue Maslin’s Producing Course, and Louise Gough’s Story Development Workshop, Alix has an unwavering commitment to infusing unique perspectives into the cinematic landscape.
Esaú Allemora
Media agnostic actor / writer / director / producer of boldy irreverent plays, television, short-film, and stand-up comedy. Esaú's work is inspired from his experiences as a queer first-generation Mexican-American expat. His aesthetics are influenced by his work in New York and training with SITI Company, Elevator Repair Service, The Mad Ones, the Actor Apprenticeship at Actors Theatre of Louisville, and BFA acting program at Oregon Center for the Arts at SOU. In Aotearoa, Esaú has cut his teeth working in film production for BSAG Productions, Candlelit Pictures, GFC Films, & Piki Films. In addition, he adapted/directed DADDY UBU (from Ubu Roi) for the Youth Company at ATC, created/produced/performed CHOLO FUGUE at Basement Theatre, and has received funding to create a television series. He is currently producing HOLY GHOST a short-film by Hannah Lynch for Day One Shorts and the play WINK by Jen Silverman. Esaú is committed to creating diverse work, free from virtue signalling, intent on challenging audiences. Esaú is assisting Alix in Auckland this year.
Contacts
Auckland city managers emails:
Alix@48hours.co.nz
Esau@48hours.co.nz
Call Alix 027 600 6565
The team are available for calls 7am - 10pm over the shoot weekend but please text outside those hours.
Filming guidelines for Tāmaki Mākaurau
Download the Auckland filming guidelines from the team at Screen Auckland.
Live Launch - L'affare Newmarket from 5.30pm
The action kicks off on 17th May - Friday night from 5.30pm at L’affare Newmarket with a live launch event for the Auckland Teams. They will be serving up free filter coffee for the teams and discounted espresso over the shoot weekend.
L’affare is pulling out all the stops with a film-themed menu, so you can grab and go snacks on Friday night and over the shoot weekend. They will also be giving away spot prizes from the cafe.
Heats
All heats in 2024 will be screened online so teams can watch all entries.
Auckland City Finals
Date / time - Saturday 29th June, 7pm
Venue - SkyCity Theatre, Corner Hobson and Wellesley Streets, Auckland CBD
Judges
Gin Loane
Gin Loane is the incredible cinematographer behind NZ feature films The Convert (in cinemas now), The Justice of Bunny King, The Breaker Upperers, Mahana, and more. Gin began attracting award nominations in 2006 with short film Fog by Peter Salmon, one of many short films they have shot that have made a mark overseas. In 2013 Gin won a Moa Award for family drama, Shopping, the debut feature from Louis Sutherland and Mark Albiston. Loane went on to win two awards from the NZ Cinematographers Society for Mahana (2016), Lee Tamahori’s first Kiwi feature since Once Were Warriors. They are a prolific cinematographer, coming from a lighting background, and an advocate for young up-and-coming talent in the camera department. You can check their work out here.
John Gilbert
Film editor John Gilbert won an Academy Award and a BAFTA for Best Film Editing for his work on Mel Gibson's 2016 war drama Hacksaw Ridge. A native of New Zealand, Gilbert has edited 23 feature films including Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, which garnered him the Satellite Award for Best Editing, and nominations for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award and an ACE Eddie Award. He also edited Director Alison Maclean's Crush, which was nominated for the Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or award. In addition, Gilbert edited Simon Kinberg's 2022 film 355, 2018's Adrift for Director Baltasar Kormakur, and Director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo's Damsel for Netflix.
Elz Carrad
Elz Carrad, proudly representing Te Whakatōhea and Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, is an actor whose journey in the industry so far has been marked by moments of recognition and shared success with remarkable collaborators.
In 2021, Elz was nominated for Best Actor at the NZ TV Awards, a testament to his dedication to the craft & commitment to storytelling. His portrayal in the groundbreaking series Rūrangi not only earned him critical acclaim but also contributed to the show's monumental success, culminating in an international Emmy win.
Elz has also made appearances on other Kiwi shows such as The Brokenwood Mysteries &
Creamerie, but most recently, he took on the role of Tom in the series After The Party, working alongside the legendary Robyn Malcom, who leads the show. His passion for acting is evident, as he continually seeks roles that challenge and enrich his artistic journey.
Grant Major
Grant Major, a renowned Production Designer born in Palmerston North most recently worked on Jane Campion’s film, "THE POWER OF THE DOG," earning a 2022 Academy Award nomination. His longstanding portfolio includes Disney’s "MULAN," "MEG" for Warner Brothers, and "X Men: Apocalypse", "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", "Mister Pip", "Heavenly Creatures" and "Whale Rider". Major was previously nominated for Academy and BAFTA Awards for "King Kong" and garnered numerous accolades for "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, including an Academy Award for "The Return of the King." With a career spanning from TV telefilms to World Expos and Common Wealth Games Ceremonies, Major's contributions to film and design are widely recognised. Major received an honorary doctorate from his alma mata The Auckland University of Technology and has become an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit. IMDB
Angela Cudd
Angela Cudd is an award-winning screen producer with a deep passion for story and craft excellence and story-telling through a NZ and indigenous lens. Coming from a background in fashion and beauty event and business management, Angela began working in the screen industry in the early 2010s. Angela initially worked across a range of fields including narrative film, documentary, reality-challenge TV, OB live events & studio shows before settling in the narrative and documentary space. She went on to produce the sitcoms SEXTORTION (NZ Webfest Best Show 2020) and GOOD GRIEF, fluent reo Māori kids show PŌTAE PAI and co-produced the anthology feature film WE ARE STILL HERE, which interweaves eight stories of indigenous struggle and triumph and premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2022.
In 2019, Angela founded Caravan Carpark Films (CCF), a production house focussed on screen and indigenous excellence as well as capacity building of emerging screen innovators. Most recently, under the umbrella of CCF, Angela produced the feature film UPROAR and the documentary series WHEN BOB CAME. Uproar starred Julian Dennison, Minnie Driver and Rhys Darby, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2023 and released globally in early 2024 to critical acclaim. When Bob Came explored the impact of Bob Marley's only concert in NZ and was awarded Best Factual Series at the NZ TV Awards 2023. CCF is also currently supporting several emerging filmmakers to make their first or second film with the production of the dramedy PĪTITI, about a Koro and kid who are warring neighbours, the horror FLAGFALL about a haunted taxi and LEMONS, a quiet story about navigating the confusing and often bizarre scenarios you find yourself in when you're bi-cultural. Angela hopes CCF will showcase NZ screen excellence on the world stage and contribute to the growth and flourishing of the NZ screen industry in the long-term.
Awa Puna
Te Awarangi (Awa) Te Roera Puna is a whakawahine and takatāpui director, writer and actor of Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairoa and Tūhoe descent. At 18, Awa directed 'Death Blade Tiger Five,' a film that took home the 'Best School Team Award' as part of the 48hr Film Festival 2017.
In her final year of Toi Whakaari studying for her Bachelor of Performing Arts, Awa wrote and directed TŪĪ, a short film about a whakawahine teen discovering her identity whilst dealing with the grief of her mother’s passing. It was selected as a finalist for Best Short Film and won Creative New Zealand’s “Best Emerging Talent Award" at NZIFF 2021.
Awa was nominated for Queer Maori Representative of the Year for her activism in the trans community at New Zealand’s LGBT awards. Her most recent work includes acting in Shortland Street, Ahikāroa, The Boy The Queen and Everything In Between, and Whina, as well as writing for Rūrangi, Testify, and Better The Blood.