Firefly Films Rebrands As Velvet Moss, Ushering In A New Chapter For Acclaimed New Zealand Production Company
Founded in 2014 by producer Emma Slade, Firefly Films has steadily built a reputation for bold, emotionally resonant storytelling with international reach. The rebrand to Velvet Moss marks the company's evolution, ambition, and enduring commitment to excellence and creative integrity.
'As we step into our second decade, Velvet Moss embraces the bold, collaborative and creatively mature company we've become,' says Slade. 'The name captures both the elegance and resilience at the heart of our kaupapa (guiding principles). Over the years, we've built strong local and international relationships with quality partners who value integrity and excellence - and we're excited to keep growing that network as we enter this new chapter. We're very grateful to everyone who has supported Firefly along the way, and we look forward to making more fabulous work as Velvet Moss.'
The female-led production company produces high-quality local content and international co-productions. Velvet Moss is currently in post-production on New Zealand-Canadian co-production Holy Days, directed by Natalie Boltt and starring Judy Davis, Jacki Weaver and Miriam Margolyes. The film is based on beloved author Dame Joy Cowley's novel of the same name.
Other recent film credits include Bookworm, directed by Ant Timpson and starring Elijah Wood, Nell Fisher and Michael Smiley - which opened the Fantasia International Film Festival in 2024 and won the Audience Award for Best International Feature. They are also behind Uproar, directed by Paul Middleditch and Hamish Bennett and starring Julian Dennison, Minnie Driver and Rhys Darby - which premiered at TIFF in 2023 to critical acclaim. And Mister Organ, the David Farrier-directed documentary that became New Zealand's highest-grossing doco of 2022, later picked up by Netflix and named a New York Times Critic's Pick.
Currently in pre-production is God Bless You, Mr Kopu, directed by Alex Liu. The company is also developing a slate of upcoming features, including New Zealand/Australian co-production Spinners (written by Anthony McCarten and directed by John Sheedy), Web (directed by Christian Rivers), Here At the End of the World We Learn to Dance (directors Stuart McKenzie and Miranda Harcourt), The Salamander Lives Twice (directed by Ant Timpson) and Upham (directed by John Gilbert). As well as television projects, Nocturnal and Miss Benson's Beetle.
Velvet Moss continues to work closely with long-standing collaborators including Kahurangi Toi Atea, and the creative community that shaped its early years under the Firefly Films banner.
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