Nadia: telling NZ stories to global audiences

Film producer Nadia Maxwell on telling NZ stories from her Canterbury base

From documentary roots to feature films and digital-first projects, Christchurch producer Nadia Maxwell has spent more than 25 years building a career in the screen industry. Through her company Overactive Imagination, she has championed stories with a distinctly New Zealand perspective while helping grow Canterbury’s screen sector along the way.

We spoke to Nadia about storytelling, screen production and the future of the industry in Canterbury.

What drew you into screen production, and what keeps you excited about it today?

I was always going to be a lawyer until I got to university and realised first-year law just wasn’t for me.

Growing up, I’d always been involved in speech and drama, so storytelling was something I loved. After a brief panic about what to do instead, I discovered a one-year film and television production course in Christchurch. That was back in 1997, and I’ve been part of the industry ever since.

I started as a production runner and production assistant and, over the past 25 years, worked my way through the ranks to become a producer.

What keeps me excited is that no two projects are the same. Every production builds your skills while presenting new challenges. The industry isn’t always easy, but the people who stay are incredibly passionate about what they do, and that energy is infectious.

What are you passionate about when it comes to the screen industry in Canterbury?

First and foremost, I’m here because I love living here.

When my husband and I returned from London, I assumed we’d eventually have to move to Wellington or Auckland for me to build a screen career, but we never had to.

These days, being based in Canterbury feels like a strength. I’m proud to be a South Island producer, and I love the collaborative culture here. Because the industry is smaller, people know each other, pitch in and help make things happen. Canterbury crews are generous, practical and deeply committed to getting the job done.

How have you seen the Christchurch and Canterbury screen sector evolve over the years?

When I first started, Christchurch was largely known for documentary and children’s television. While productions came through the region and employed local crews, there were relatively few drama and film projects being developed and led from Canterbury. Human Traces the first NZFC-funded feature I produced, was the first locally led feature film in a very long time (outside of self-funded projects).

A real turning point was the Screen Production Grant. For the first time, there was genuine momentum around drama production, with crews able to move from one project to the next. The grant helped offset some of the additional costs of producing in Canterbury and made the region an attractive option for local and visiting productions.

Just as importantly, it gave the industry confidence. It showed what can happen when targeted support is put in place, and we're now seeing encouraging signs, including larger drama productions being made here. Canterbury has the talent, crews and locations to support ambitious productions, and I think there's real potential to build on that momentum.

What advice would you give to people in Canterbury hoping to build a screen career or tell their own stories?

For anyone with a story they want to tell, my advice is to start small. If your goal is a feature film or television series, look for a smaller version of that idea that speaks to the genre, tone and style, that you can make now; for example a short film that speaks to a feature. Every project helps build trust, skills and momentum for the next one.

Think long-term, how does each piece fit into the bigger picture? How can you help people see the connections between your work? And be tenacious. The screen industry is incredibly competitive, and rejection is part of the job. You can pour your heart and soul into a project and still get knocked back, so you have to keep going.

It's also important to be realistic about the pathway. You're not going to walk out of film school and immediately become a producer or director. Learn the craft, build experience and work your way up.

Most careers in this industry are built one step at a time. Bring everything you've got to every opportunity, keep learning, and keep creating.

Tell me about Overactive Imagination and the projects you're most proud of.

My mother always used to say I had an overactive imagination. Not sure it was necessarily meant as a compliment, but it turns out it’s been pretty useful.

The company grew out of a turning point in my life when I had my first child. I started focusing less on bread-and-butter work and only took on select projects that could work around my family, projects I genuinely cared about. One of those was Here Be Monsters, a short film I made with writer/director Nic Gorman. Its success eventually led us to making Human Traces together, and as I moved further into producing and developing projects, establishing a production company became the natural next step.

Human Traces which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, will always be special. It was made largely with Christchurch crew, shot across Canterbury and the lower South Island, and it was Nic’s and my debut feature.

More broadly, I’m interested in stories that offer a lens on society or human nature, stories that stay with audiences and make them see the world a little differently. New Zealand has a unique culture and perspective, and I think it's important that we tell our own stories because nobody else is going to do it for us.

You've recently worked on the documentary series Under the Influence. What was the experience like, and what did it teach you?

Under the Influence was a fascinating project. We partnered with the New Zealand Herald because we wanted to reach parents where they already were, and the series reached more than 700,000 views in the first month. It also reinforced how much the documentary landscape has changed. When I started, documentaries were largely one-hour television programmes. Now, producers need to think carefully about where audiences are and how they consume content.

The series is led by Gen Z voices. Listening to them, one of the biggest lessons from the series was there is a knowledge gap between what young people are encountering online and what we as parents and adults think they’re navigating. From AI companion bots to the manosphere, the series seeks to bridge this gap to drive more conversation.

Young people aren’t necessarily seeking out harmful content. Their legitimate needs for belonging and connection are being hijacked and commodified through sticky persuasive design, by the most powerful companies in human history. But clarity equals courage.

The horse has not bolted and the series also seeks to offer hope. Ultimately to drive change we need collective solutions, and for the sake of the next generation and we need them now.