Madison Wells Producing Documentary on New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (EXCLUSIVE)
Madison Wells will produce a documentary focusing on the public and private life of Jacinda Ardern, the trailblazing Prime Minister of New Zealand who helped introduce strict gun laws following the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings. She also led her country through the Covid pandemic and grappled with issues such as child poverty and climate change.
The feature-length film is currently untitled. It follows Ardern from the moment she receives the Labour Party nomination to the birth of her child to her resignation in 2023, when she was at the height of her power and popularity. The filmmakers are promising a movie that provides a “very raw and personal point of view of politics in our time,” as well as a feature that comes with Arden’s support. It’s Madison Wells’ first feature documentary.
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Commented Madison Wells CEO and the film’s producer Gigi Pritzker, “We are so proud that our first doc chronicles the life of the extraordinary Jacinda Ardern. Her uniquely empathetic and inclusive leadership style has been and continues to be an inspiration to people everywhere, including me. This is exactly the kind of empowering, moving and boundary-pushing story we tell here at Madison Wells.”
Rachel Shane, Madison Wells head of film and TV, as well as a producer on the film, added, “We have assembled a dream team of renowned filmmakers to tell Jacinda’s trailblazing story. Bringing these creators together in the service of sharing one woman’s exceptional journey is only the first step in this exciting project, and we can’t wait to share it with the world.”
The film is in production with an eye to release in 2025. CAA Media Finance is handling rights.
Madison Wells’ current slate includes “Genius: MLK/X,” “My Spy The Eternal City,” “Nonnas” and “Miss You, Love You.” Madison Wells Live, the company’s theatre division, has produced the likes of “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding,” “Hadestown” and the upcoming productions of “Swept Away” and “We Live In Cairo.” Previously, Madison Wells produced the Oscar-winning “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” and Oscar-nominated “Hell or High Water.”
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