Presented by Wānaka.

Peter Burger is as iconic to the New Zealand film scene as L&P is to a dairy on the side of the road. In 2002, Peter’s first drama Fish Skin Suit won Best Drama in the 2002 NZ Film and Television Awards, while his other short film Turangawaewae was selected for Critic's Week at Cannes in the same year. Since then, he’s shot several award-winning television series dramas and features including supernatural thriller The Tattooist, gritty cop show Harry, World War One drama When We Go To War, Bloodlines, Resolve, Field Punishment #1, Māori supernatural fantasy show The Dead Lands, and spooky crime dramas One Lane Bridge and The Gone. The guy sure does know his stuff when it comes to the wonderful world of film. He’s also just a really nice guy, and despite his impressive portfolio certainly not the kind that barks at interns to fetch him a coffee and clean his lenses so you’re in safe, wise hands if you’ve submitted your film.

What’s your earliest memory of cinema and what effect did it have?

The first film I ever went to was Star Wars. I was six years old. As you can imagine, it blew my little mind. Even more so when, as part of a promotion, Darth Vader himself walked into a kids’ restaurant our family were dining in. Movies were real and they were overwhelming! Goodies could save the universe and baddies could burst in on you when you’re having dinner. Although I’ve made documentary as well as drama, it’s the creation of fantastical scenarios that’s still my first love.

What was the first film you ever made (VHS, Super8?), and what did you learn from that experience that is still valuable today?

The first piece of screen material that I made (I don’t think you could call it a film), was making trippy shapes by plugging my neighbour’s VHS camera feed into his tv screen, and then pointing the camera at it to get visual feedback. I thought I was making the most incredible art. I guess I hadn’t seen the opening credits to Doctor Who yet. I learned that with some simple tools you can create something that feels very much like magic. 

Who were your filmmaking heroes growing up, and who do you look to now for inspiration?

I was a child of the eighties, Spielberg tops the list for my early years. He and Lucas changed world cinema, especially for kids. Although I now think the journey they started has wound up in cinema monoculture, which is pretty sad. I still look to Hollywood greats like Spielberg and Ron Howard, both for the movies they make, but also their leadership style. But as cinema has become increasingly monocultural, I more often look to streaming shows for inspiration. 

What should a good film do?

Entertain, inspire, and educate. 

In your opinion, what is film’s highest calling?

Film has the power to change society, and it’s been doing it since its creation. It’s powerful and dangerous, since it spreads its messages under the guise of entertainment. The fact that films are expensive means it needs to be driven at least partly by commercial imperatives. But when that’s all that’s driving a movie, we get product that’s is not only vacuous, but actually harmful. The best films can entertain and still advance society’s journey toward social equity. 

Have you ever walked out of a movie, and if so, what movie and why?

The only movies I’ve ever walked out of are my own! Watching your own film again and again at film festivals can be excruciating. When I discovered that after introducing your movie, not only are you allowed to slip out the back, but actually most filmmakers do, I was overjoyed! 

This year’s theme is Regeneration. How would you approach it if you were entering a film in the comp?

So many options! Two thoughts immediately come to mind: Something around restoring lost sight with computer-interpreted imagery: The fact that the eye is not just a camera but actually part of the brain has lots of story potential. And on a completely different tack, my marae on Banks Peninsula had its centenary recently. From a period in the 1960s and 1970s when it was pretty much closed for business, to the vivacious and celebratory weekend we just had, full of hundreds of people, celebrations and life, there’s some cool stories to tell in that world too.

What will you be looking for in judging the competition?

I’ll be looking for a combination of creative, coherent thought in the ideas of the film, and a level of craft proficiency in the storytelling. 

What advice do you have for young flimmakers?

Start making, and keep making! Get networking and find collaborators, which means getting involved in competitions like this one, and any social and networking events that are going. If you find collaborators who you enjoy working with at the beginning of your career, you might find those relationships can last a lifetime.

This year’s winner will receive $10K cash, $10K worth of Sony hardware, and an all-expenses-paid trip and production budget to shoot a short film in beautiful Wānaka, New Zealand. Call for submissions is open now. It closes on May 14th, 2023. ENTER HERE.