Update on comedy gig: tickets for Friday and Saturday are on offer.
- Welcome to the SFFANZ news site. If you have any material you would like included, contact press@sffanz.org.nz
Category Archives: Information
WHO, ME. in Auckland for NZ Comedy Fest…just this week!
‘WHO, ME.’ Is on at the NZ Comedy Festival (Auckland) this week at The Basement on Greys Ave at 8:30pm from Tuesday 7th to Saturday the 11th.
WHO, ME is about Rob Lloyd’s obsession with the TV show Dr Who and The Doctor is put on trial to see whether he has enhanced or ruined his life.
The link to the NZ Comedy Festival page is here.
Rob has offered 7 FREE doubles passes for Opening Night on Tuesday May 7th and 5 FREE double passes for Wednesday May 8th. Email me at press@sffanz.org.nz with the day you are interested in.
Please circulate round your networks.
DUFF Race voting is now open
The DUFF race is now on. There are two candidates for the Down Under Fan Fund this year, so please download the PDF form and vote.
Founded in 1972, and supported by contributions from all over the world, DUFF sends a delegate from North America to Australia/New Zealand, or the other way in alternating years, attending the World Science Fiction Convention if it is on the receiving side or otherwise at least one national convention. This year, the winning down-under delegate will travel to the 71st World Science Fiction convention which will be LoneStarCon 3, to be held in San Antonio, Texas.
Note that there is a cost to vote. This money is a donation to the fund to help cover the cost of the travel.
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Posted in Information, People
Phillip Mann
Radio New Zealand has interviewed Phillip Mann about his writing life, science fiction, and his new novel The Disestablishment Of Paradise. You can download the interview as a podcast from:
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/artsonsunday/20130324
You can also read a review of the novel at:
http://www.sffanz.org.nz/reviews/reviewdocs/disestablishment.shtml
ARA – An SF Movie – Crowdfunding request
SFFANZ received the following info about a crowdfunded project. We don’t know anything more about the project other than what is on the web site links below. But it is worth having a look to at least check out the pictures of what they are up to.
“ARA, a sci-fi thriller set in Auckland New Zealand, locally made for international audiences is currently in production. This is an independent film and the ARA team are fundraising via indiegogo to support their film. Have a look at their fundraiser page, please contribute if you can, all contributors get perks.
Check out their fundraiser page: www.indiegogo.com/projects/ara-sci-fi-movie
Check out their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ARAMOVIE“
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Posted in Information
DUFF Nominations now open for LoneStarCon trip
Hot on the heels of the FFANZ nomination announcement comes news that DUFF Nominations are also open!
DUFF is the Down Under Fan Fund which transports science fiction fans from North America to Australasia, and vice versa. Nominations are now open for the 2013 race, which will be a northbound race, to transport a fan (or fans) from Australian or New Zealand to LoneStarCon 3, the 71st World Science Fiction Convention, to be held in San Antonio, Texas, in the USA, from August 29th to September 2, 2013.
The winner may also wish to attend other conventions, and meet other fans, from North America, as they are able. The winner will also be required to take over the administration of the fund for the next northbound and southbound races.
If you wish to stand, please contact us at the postal or email address below. You will then need three Australasian nominators, and two North American nominators (who will each need to confirm their nominations), a 100-word platform to appear on the ballot, and a bond of £15/€20/AU$25 guaranteeing to attend the 2013 Worldcon if you win. If you are interested in running for DUFF, but either need help with some aspect of your nomination, or simply wish to learn more about DUFF and what is required of delegates and administrators, please feel free to contact the current Australasian DUFF administrator, David Cake, with any questions.
Nominations are open until March 31. The winner will be announced as soon as practical after that.
Nominations should be sent to David Cake, via email at dave@difference.com.au or by post at David Cake, 6 Florence Road, Nedlands, Western Australia 6009.
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Posted in Information, Other Conventions
FFANZ Race in 2013
Nominations are now open for the 2013 Fan Fund of Australia and New Zealand (FFANZ). FFANZ in 2013 will send one New Zealand science fiction fan from New Zealand to the 2013 Australian Natcon, Conflux 9 in Canberra from 25-28 April.
Prospective candidates will have until February 10th 2013 to file the documents required to have one’s name placed in nomination and added to the ballot.
The ballots will be published and distributed in late February, and voting will run from February 28th – March 12.
Candidates should file the following documents:
- A brief letter stating one’s intent to run for FFANZ 2013.
- A nominator and a seconder, preferably a nominator from New Zealand and a seconder from Australia.
- A 100 word or less platform statement specifying the candidate’s reasons for running and qualifications for becoming the 2013 FFANZ delegate.
The duties of the winning candidate will be as follows:
- Travel to Australia and attend Conflux 9, the 52nd Australian Natcon, in Canberra from 25-28 April.
- Visit and get to know as many Australian Science Fiction fans as time will permit.
- Become the New Zealand FFANZ administrator until a replacement administrator is found, normally this happens when the administrator role is handed over to the succeeding Aussie-bound delegate (in 2015 if a race is run every year).
- Raise funds and maintain an account to be used by the next NZ delegate(s) in 2015.
- Promote connections between Australian and New Zealand fandom by a trip report or other means.
Send required documents to;
janlb@orcon.net.nz for New Zealand fans
celestialcobbler@hotmail.com for Australian fans
More information about being a fan fund delegate can be found at http://ffanz.sf.org.nz/qanda.htm or http://ozfanfunds.com/
Phoenix SF Society – January Calendar
Phoenix is a Wellington based SF/F/H club catering to fans of all fandom persuasions. The main meetings are held monthly on the second Wednesday of the month. Other regular events also happen during the month.
Main Meeting – 9th January, 6.30pm – “Mayan Culture, Predictive Behaviour and Dinner”. Or alternatively, it is time for the annual Phoenix “pub meeting”. Come along the the Thistle Inn (3 Mulgrave st) and have join in the social chit chat over a meal or a drink.
Special Interest Groups:
- Biblio – 14th Jan, 5.30pm – Discussion group for readers – D4, Featherston Street
- Writers – 19th Jan, 1.30pm – Writers support group – Johnsonville
- Board Gaming – 19th Jan, 6.30pm – Upper Hutt
- PIG – 26th Jan, 7.30pm – Regular monthly social gathering – Kelson
- Video – 1st Feb 7.30pm – Tawa
Note that some events are held at the homes of Phoenix members. For privacy reasons, these are not shown in full here. If you wish to attend these events or simply find out more about Phoenix, please email enquiries@phoenix.sf.org.nz.
A Memory Of Light
There are seven spokes on the wheel of time. The winners of the competition to receive a copy of A Memory Of Light (the last volume of the Wheel of Time series) are:
Belinda Whitehead
Kory Valley
Kieran Reilly
Congratulations to the winners. Enjoy your new book.
Epic Giveaway for NZ & Australian Readers
Courtesy of Hachette NZ, Helen Lowe has three copies of A Memory of Light, the fourteenth and final novel in Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time series, to give away to NZ & Australian readers. Click on A Memory of Light Giveaway to enter.
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Posted in Information, Miscellaneous
Win a copy of the last volume in the Wheel of Time series
A Memory Of Light, the final volume in the Wheel Of Time series will be published on January 8th 2013. We have three copies to give away. To enter the competition to win a copy, just answer the question:
How many spokes does the wheel of time have?
Send your answers to: enquiries@sffanz.org.nz. All correct answers will go into a hat and the winners will be drawn and announced on January 8th 2013. All entries must be received on or before midnight on January 7th 2013.
Beginner’s Guide To Screenwriting
Busting to write for the big screen? Beginner’s Guide is an intensive two day workshop that demystifies the basics of screenwriting and gets your idea up and running.
Tutor Kathryn Burnett takes participants through the how and why of writing for film including premise, plot, story structure, formatting, dialogue, character and the visual grammar of screenplays. NB: This is the last workshop of the year!
Kathryn is a screenwriter, playwright, lecturer and script consultant who has worked in the film and television industry for over 17 years. She has designed this course specifically for beginners and industry professionals looking to up skill.
When: November 3 & 4th 2012
Where: St Columba Centre, 40 Vermont St, Ponsonby, Auckland
Cost: $245.00 (gst incl) – bookings absolutely essential. Numbers limited.
Bookings or further info contact: kathryn@kathryn-burnett.com
Concatenation now available
The autumnal edition of the ‘Science Fact and Fiction Concatenation‘ is now up with news of SF across the world and especially Europe. See here.
There are a few odds and ends of interest to NZ SF/Fantasy book readers, not least that many of the forthcoming season’s books from British publishers will also soon be distributed in NZ.
Of particular likely interest to NZ fans is one from an NZ author, David Hair, here. Also up in the autumnal edition is a stand-alone conrep of NZ’s natcon, unCNventional.
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Posted in Information, National Convention
Tagged author, books, conventions, trudi canavan, unconventional
New SciFi N Synths Show
SciFi N Synths is described as Science Fiction and Synthesized Music from Wellington NZ; The perfect equation for fantastic fantasies. They have broadcast another show, this time featuring a Retrospectives on THE WALKING DEAD and the slightly more cute RATCHET AND CLANK.
You can download this show as a podcast from their facebook page at www.facebook.com/pages/Scifinsynths/280941558617842.
Sir Julius Vogel Award Results – 2012
The results of the Sir Julius Vogel Awards for 2012 are now available. Please click on this link.
Iron Sky movie premieres in New Zealand
A science fiction film called Iron Sky which is based on the novel by Charles Stross, is coming to New Zealand.
You can find more information about the film at www.ironsky.net
For more information about screening times in New Zealand, contact:
Hoyts Distribution NZ Ltd
c/o Hoyts Sylvia Park,
286 Mt Wellington Highway
P.O Box 132011,
Sylvia Park,
Auckland 1644
Ph: 09 573 9068
Fax: 09 573 9070
SciFi N Synths
A new “SciFi N Synths” show on Wellington Access Radio 783AM. This time featuring RETROSPECTIVES on RED DWARF and ROBOCOP. The podcast download can be obtained directly from here.
SciFi N Synths is described as Science Fiction with synthesized music from Wellington; the perfect equation for fantastic fantasies. Join Craig to explore Sci Fi; anything of the lasers, little green men, magic wand and spookernatural ilk.
FFANZ Race now on
The ballot for the 2012 FFANZ race is now available so you can vote to send an Aussie fan to unCONventional. Find all the details on the PDF ballot form here.
Blog Tour for “The Gathering of the Lost”
Helen Lowe has been out and about taking a tour to promote the launch of her latest book “The Gathering of the Lost”. The tour in question is an electronic one, going around the blog world. Check out the following destinations:
On the Harper Voyager Site announcing the launch.
Chatting on Plains FM – this is an audio download.
On Trent Jamiesons Blog – Helen Lowe on Romance vs Reality: War & Conflict in Epic Fantasy and “The Gathering of the Lost”.
On the Orbit site – Celebrating “The Gathering of the Lost” & The Power of Environment.
On John Scalzi’s Whatever – The Big Idea & “The Gathering of the Lost”.
And finally on SF Signal – Celebrating Epic Fantasy (PLUS: Giveaway for “The Gathering of the Lost”!)
Ray Guns & Rocket Ships
In early December 2010, Fred Fastier, inaugural Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Otago, donated a 1200 strong collection of Science Fiction titles (magazines and books) to the Special Collections, University of Otago. This collection forms the basis of the exhibition ‘Ray Guns & Rocket Ships. The Fred Fastier Science Fiction Collection’, which begins in the de Beer Gallery, Special Collections, University of Otago, on 23 March 2012 and runs through to 15th June 2012. Hours: 8.30 to 5.00 pm Monday to Friday
