John Barnett. Photo / Richard Robinson
One of New Zealand's most successful independent producers has sharply criticised the New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC).
John Barnett, the head of South Pacific Pictures, which has produced the film Whale Rider and TV series Shortland Street and Outrageous Fortune, said the NZFC treated the local industry "like
mushrooms, keeping them in the dark and feeding them on bullshit", The Australian newspaper reported.
His comments were sparked by a debate within the film industry about NZFC funding for the British film Dean Spanley, which stars Peter O'Toole but is directed by New Zealander Toa Fraser.
"There will be some who will say the timing of this article is due to the departure of the chief executive, [Ruth Harley]", Mr Barnett wrote in the screen magazine Onfilm.
"It's not. I've expressed these views to politicians and NZFC board members over the past seven to eight years." Mr Barnett said he had found complacency and a "mistaken belief that all is well".
- NZPA
