THE NEW ZEALAND FILM COMMISSION IS ALLOCATING $800,000 TOWARDS A DOCUMENTARY ON THE ‘LEADERSHIP’ OF FORMER PRIME MINISTER JACINDA ARDERN, AMIDST THE CONTEXT OF ‘RISING VIOLENT EXTREMISM’ AND ONLINE HATE IN NEW ZEALAND.
According to a report in state news outlet RNZ, the documentary is not authorised by Ardern and involves no editorial input from her. It aims to document an important era in the country’s history rather than serve as a biopic.
Produced by Emma Slade of Firefly Films, with Pietra Brettkelly and Justin Pemberton as writer-directors, the project looks into Ardern’s leadership period as a backdrop to the developing social issues.
Titled Jacindamania during its presentation at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2023, the film, with a total budget of $3.2 million, has attracted local and international investment.
The documentary is set to begin production in 2024, with an anticipated release in August 2025.
The decision to provide taxpayer funds for the project has sparked controversy in various quarters. Critics argue that such a significant sum of public funding could be better spent on a wider range of cultural projects that reflect the diverse fabric of New Zealand society. The prevailing sentiment on social media was also negative, with accusations the grant not only prioritises a political figure over other pressing narratives and voices within the country but also raises questions about the objectivity and breadth of the Commission’s support for the arts.
Others fear it may glorify Ardern’s tenure, which ended in her resignation against a backdrop of significant public dissatisfaction with the way her administration was leading the country.
The funding decision also faced accusations of cronyism, with current NZ Film Commission chair Alistair Carruthers also being chair of legacy broadcaster TVNZ, appointed by Labour Minister of Culture and Arts Willie Jackson in July 2022. A condition of the funding is that the project have a broadcaster to screen it. Carruthers is said to have had a close personal relationship with Ardern, and can influence both the funding and broadcasting decisions because of his roles. Calls for Carruthers’ removal from both boards and a reassessment of the Commission’s governance highlights ongoing concerns about corruption and the influence of personal relationships on public funding and project approval processes, a situation described by popular Twitter account @2ETEKA as ‘matey matey’.
