New book—New Zealand Film and Television: Institution, Industry and Cultural Change

A major new publication exploring the creative achievements and cultural influence of the New Zealand film and television industries will be launched on Thursday.

"Despite the challenges of limited population size and the difficulty of obtaining adequate funding, film and television in New Zealand have been the source of significant creative achievement and cultural influence," says Victoria University’s Dr Trisha Dunleavy, the book’s lead author.

New Zealand Film and Television: Institution, Industry and Cultural Change, published by Intellect, was written by Dr Dunleavy, Senior Lecturer in Victoria’s Media Studies programme and Australian-based New Zealander Dr Hester Joyce, a Senior Lecturer in Cinema Studies at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia.

"One of the unusual features of this book is its focus on New Zealand film and television as production industries. The book charts the emergence and progression of New Zealand film and television over five decades of development," says Dr Dunleavy.

This is also the first book, she says, to combine an exploration of New Zealand film and television. "Using feature films and TV dramas as its case study forms, this book explores how these two screen production industries have been shaped by cultural concerns, institutional objectives, policy directives, and industry practices."