George Suter
On the 7th of May 2009, Senior Constables Len Snee, Grant Diver and Bruce Miller arrived at 41 Chaucer Rd in Napier to serve a search warrant on Jan Molenaar for the growing of cannabis. This was just a routine warrant, something they had done countless times. What was meant to be an ordinary procedure turned into three of New Zealand’s darkest days and ended with one police officer dead, two officers critically injured and a member of the public fighting for his life. In some fifty hours Jan Molenaar made a permanent and devastating imprint upon the national psyche of New Zealand as he changed the lives of individuals, families, a police community, and a city. The siege was one of the worst and unexpected cases of violence both Napier and New Zealand had witnessed and it was all the more shocking because of its ordinary suburban backdrop.
Sheridan
Safe House is the story of a struggle for survival in an unfamiliar and threatening world, based on the true life experience of a woman in the early days of the witness protection programme in New Zealand. TV Movie
Jim
Adapted from Renee's 1995 novel Does This Make Sense to You?, the TV movie lays bare the pain caused by forced adoptions inflicted on unwed and teenage mothers in 1950s and 60s Aotearoa
Transportation Secretary
An outbreak of avian flu mutates into a virus that becomes transmittable from human to human.
Red Skelton
MOW about the life of Lucille Ball, focusing on the loving yet tumultuous relationship with Desi Arnaz.
John Wakefield
Her Majesty is a coming-of-age film about a young girl who realizes her lifelong dream when Queen Elizabeth II comes to visit her small hometown.
James McCaffery
A 14-year-old girl who works at a racetrack trains a talking racehorse with issues, transforming him into a winner.
Happy Larry
Two quirky bush critters cut to the chase in a roadkill race around New Zealand. The game is fast, the stakes are high, the prize is a juicy dead possum.
Karl Stead
Based on the autobiographical work of New Zealand writer Janet Frame, this production depicts the author at various stage of her life. Afflicted with mental and emotional issues, Frame grows up in an impoverished family and experiences numerous tragedies while still in her youth, including the deaths of two of her siblings. Portrayed as an adult by Kerry Fox, Frame finds acclaim for her writing while still in a mental institution, and her success helps her move on with her life.
