photo: Alistair Guthrie
Deer Heart Films is an independent production company founded by Chris Pryor and Miriam Smith, that specialises in the cinematic, observational documentary form. The creative team successfully produced the critically acclaimed and award-winning feature documentary films HOW FAR IS HEAVEN and THE GROUND WE WON - hailed by critics as “Social commentary gold” and among “the most powerfully cinematic New Zealand movies ever”. Both films screened at numerous top tier film festivals around the world, and continue to screen on multiple online platforms.
Deer Heart Films also produces documentary content for bespoke online projects - including most recently, the celebrated documentary web series HOME EDUCATION for The Spinoff, which has so far received over 1.1 million views and exceptional audience engagement.
The creative team have also had extensive experience mentoring and consulting on a range of documentary projects - from working with primary school children through to established filmmakers.
In an era increasingly shaped by artificial content, Deer Heart Films remains devoted to the unique power of cinema - wholeheartedly pursuing documentary stories that are creatively singular, deeply human, and and alive to the world around us.
Chris Pryor - Director/Cinematographer/Editor
(he/him), (Pākeha/Ngāpuhi),
Chris Pryor is the director, cinematographer and editor of the award-winning feature documentaries THE GROUND WE WON and HOW FAR IS HEAVEN. Both films screened to considerable critical acclaim in New Zealand and abroad - with THE GROUND WE WON being hailed “an instant national classic”. As well as receiving nominations across all categories for documentary (including directing and editing) at the NZ Film Awards, Chris has twice received awards for Best Documentary Cinematography and won Best Documentary for THE GROUND WE WON.
Over the past 20+ years, Chris has collaborated on countless projects for both the big and small screen, including shooting more than 50 episodes of the much loved Maori TV arts series KETE ARONUI. Chris has also contributed as cinematographer and editor for Florian Habicht’s early features, including cult classics WOODENHEAD and KAIKOHE DEMOLITION.
Chris has acted as a story advisor and mentor to both new and established filmmakers through a range of talent development programmes, including The Spinoff’s Documentary Anthology series 1 & 2 and Jane Campion’s pop-up film school A Wave in the Ocean. Chris has also been a recipient of the prestigious Harriet Friedlander Residency in New York, from The Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi.
Miriam Smith - Creative Producer
(she/her), (Pākeha)
Miriam Smith co-created and produced the critically acclaimed, award-winning feature documentaries HOW FAR IS HEAVEN and THE GROUND WE WON. Both films had successful nationwide cinema releases in New Zealand and screened at many celebrated film festivals around the world, including Locarno Semaine de la Critique, MIFF, Warsaw FF, Moscow International Documentary Festival, Big Sky and Full Frame Documentary Film Festival.
THE GROUND WE WON was awarded ‘Best Documentary' and ‘Best Documentary Cinematography’ at the NZ Film Awards, the ‘Special Jury Prize’ at FIFO Tahiti, and the ‘Best Sound’ award at the Moscow International Documentary Festival, and earned Miriam a nomination for a WIFT ‘Achievement in Film’ award. HOW FAR IS HEAVEN was nominated for all of the documentary awards at the NZ Film Awards (winning ‘Best Documentary Cinematography’), as well as being nominated for ‘Best Documentary' at the Asia Pacific Film Awards.
Miriam has also produced a range of short-form documentary projects, including the recent web series HOME EDUCATION for The Spinoff. Miriam has also worked in a range of film industry roles, including as a mentor for documentary development initiatives run by the NZFC, Script to Screen and The Spinoff. Miriam is alumni of the prestigious Binger Filmlab in Amsterdam and was a recipient of the Harriet Friedlander Residency in New York from The Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi. Miriam has a BA in English and Film (Senior English Prize Winner) and a Masters in Creative and Performing Arts, from the University of Auckland.
