Julia Parnell

Julia Parnell is a New Zealand film and television producer, and director of documentary films. She is head of the production company Notable Pictures.

Early life and education Julia Parnell was born in Nairobi, Kenya, to a British father and New Zealand mother. The family moved to New Zealand when Parnell was 10.

In 1997 she studied at South Seas Film and Television School in Auckland. After graduating from film school, she worked at several local production companies. in which ten second-generation New Zealanders share their experiences of either living a cultural clash or enjoying the best of both worlds, and a one-hour documentary on Māori restorative justice.

Parnell expanded into producing drama with two short films Hitch Hike and Friday Tigers, and a third film, Dive (2014, written and directed by Matthew J. Saville ), all three funded by the New Zealand Film Commission.

Parnell produced and directed a documentary funded by Māori Television and New Zealand On Air, Rethinking Rehab, which aimed to provide an insight into the New Zealand Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Court. She also worked on Loading Docs, a 2013 initiative in collaboration with the New Zealand Film Commission and NZ On Air. The project provides a launchpad for New Zealand documentary shorts, starting with ten three-minute films in 2014 based on the theme of home. Wilbur: The King in the Ring, is a feature documentary co-directed with Jan Oliver Lucks that premiered at Doc Edge in 2017, after starting life as a short film in 2015 for Loading Docs. It tells the story of former pro wrestler Wilbur McDougall, as he battles addiction and undergoes gastric sleeve surgery.

Recognition and awards In 2010, Parnell won Great Southern Television's Woman to Watch Award. Friday Tigers, written and directed by Aidee Walker, won the New Zealand International Film Festival's Best New Zealand Short Film for 2013.

Personal life Parnell holds both New Zealand and British citizenship.

Filmography

Title Series Funder/Broadcaster & Date Series Description Producer Rising Dust New Zealand Film Commission 2013 Short Film Producer/Director Rethinking Rehab Māori Television 2013–14 Documentary Executive Producer Loading Docs New Zealand On Air 2013–14 Documentary Producer/Director Both Worlds Series 2 TV3 (New Zealand) 2013 Ten-part documentary series Producer Dive New Zealand Film Commission 2012 Short Film Producer Friday Tigers New Zealand Film Commission 2012 Short Film Producer Restoring Hope Māori Television 2012 52-minute documentary Producer Both Worlds TV3 2012 Ten-part documentary series Producer Hitch Hike New Zealand Film Commission 2011 Short Film Producer Henare O’Keefe Māori Television 2011 52-minute documentary on Henare O'Keefe Producer Bring Your Boots, Oz Series 1 & 2 Māori Television 2011 Thirteen-part factual entertainment series Producer O Whakaaro Māori Television 2010 Twenty six-part talk show Producer Hauora an iwi Whanganui Māori Television 2010 Thirteen part observational documentary Producer / Director Minority Voices TVNZ TV ONE 2009 Ten-part factual documentary series Producer Riki Ellison: The Defender Māori Television 2009 60 min documentary Producer / Post Director Ngāti NRL Series 1 – 10 Māori Television Thirteen-part sports entertainment series 2004–09 Producer Wayne Anderson: Singer of Songs, Series 1 & 2 TVNZ TV2 & Prime (New Zealand TV channel) 2006 & 2008 Seven-part comedy series Producer / Post Director Relocated Mountains NHK (Japan), Link TV (U.S.), Māori Television 2008 60 min documentary Line Producer Rockin' RowlesTVNZ TV3 2008 60 min Inside the life on John Rowles New Zealand documentary Producer / Director Kaihoe Wāhine Māori Television 2008 Seven-part documentary series Line Producer Hauora Ngāti Porou Māori Television 2006 & 2007 Series 1 & 2 Thirteen-part observational documentary series Producer / Director Mātātahi Māori Television 2007 Seven-part youth magazine series Producer / Writer Hauora Hokianga, Series 1 & 2 Māori Television 2004 & 2005 Thirteen-part observational documentary Producer / Director Te Haerenga series 1, 2 & 3 Māori Television 2004 & 2005 Thirteen part youth documentary seriesProduction coordinatorHow's Life?TVNZ 1 (TV ONE), 2002Talk show series by Greenstone TV