Shuchi Kothari Photo: supplied
Taratoa Stappard Photo: supplied
The movie business, famously, is a lottery. Quality alone has never been a guarantee a film would get the green light.
Hence Hollywood's famous Black List - drawing movie producers' attention to the many amazing screenplays that for one reason or another weren't getting made.
Since the annual publishing of Black Lists began in 2005, over 400 scripts got turned into movies, including Oscar winners like Jojo Rabbit, Slumdog Milljonaire and The King's speech.
Now Black List members are being matched up with six Kiwi screenwriters, to improve the chances of their scripts finding a home with feature filmmakers.
Just six artists were selected from almost 180 scripts by the New Zealand Film Commission for the Black List New Zealand Project (BLNZP).
As well as working with mentors, the six screenwriters will take part in a professional development workshop, and receive up to 25-thousand dollars each to finish the next draft of their scripts.
Lynn Freeman speaks to two of them.
Taratoa Stappard's MĀRAMA is a horror story about a young Māori woman who's sent a ticket to North Yorkshire where she discovers a dreadful secret.
Indian-born Shuchi Kothari is a filmmaker and academic who's long fought for the rights of under-represented Asian film makers. Her script NAVRATRI/NINE NIGHTS takes place during an Indian Festival where people are encouraged to dance with abandon.
