Caterina De Nave

Caterina De Nave ONZM (died 17 August 2014) was a New Zealand television and film producer, director, and media executive. She was the first woman to head a department at Television New Zealand (TVNZ) and one of the creators of New Zealand's longest-running soap, Shortland Street.[1]

Biography

De Nave grew up in Wellington; her father had emigrated to New Zealand from Stromboli, Italy as a teenager.[2]

De Nave's first role in television was in Auckland in the early 1970s, as a script editor on the children's programme Play School.[1] The show moved to Dunedin in 1975 and De Nave relocated there and began to produce and direct the programme.[2]

In 1988, De Nave was appointed head of entertainment at TVNZ, becoming the first woman to head a department there. She then became head of development at South Pacific Pictures, TVNZ's production company. In this role, De Nave worked with Bettina Hollings to develop and produce Shortland Street. De Nave spent time in Australia, consulting soap experts at Grundy Television, in preparation for launching the show.[2]

In 2000, De Nave moved to TV3 to take up the role of head of drama and comedy. There she produced Outrageous Fortune, bro'Town, The Jaquie Brown Diaries, and A Thousand Apologies.[2]

As a director, De Nave directed episodes of Immigrant Nation, Shortland Street, Country GP, Close to Home, and The Topp Twins Election Coverage in 1996. She also chaired the International Comedy Festival from 1995 to 2000.[2]

De Nave also worked on feature films. In the 1980s she produced Trial Run with director Melanie Rodriga. In 1994 De Nave worked with director Christine Parker to produce a short film based on a short story by Keri Hulme: Hinekaro Goes on a Picnic and Blows Up Another Obelisk. Parker and De Nave also collaborated on Peach, featuring Lucy Lawless, before producing their first feature Channelling Baby (1999). The following year she executive produced the Michael Hurst-directed Jubilee.[2]

In 2009 De Nave moved to Sydney, Australia to a position at public broadcaster SBS, where she produced the drug-smuggling tale Better Man, and the comedy series Legally Brown.[2]

Awards and recognition

In the 2006 Queen's Birthday Honours, she was named an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for her work in television and film. In 2009 she received the Great Southern Film & Television Award for Outstanding Contribution to the New Zealand Screen Industry at the Women in Film and Television New Zealand Awards.

In 2008, De Nave was named Industry Champion at the 2008 SPADA Screen Industry Awards (Screen Production and Development Association, New Zealand).[3]

Death

De Nave lived with leukemia for 15 years.[4] She died of the disease at Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney on 17 August 2014, aged 67.[1][5]

On her death, many prominent New Zealanders paid tribute to her, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, who described De Nave as a "major force in [the] New Zealand screen industry for decades".[5]

References
  1. "Tributes for Trailblazing Producer Caterina De Nave - News, Obituaries, Society". NZEDGE. 2014-08-19. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
  2. NZ On Screen. "Caterina De Nave | NZ On Screen". www.nzonscreen.com. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
  3. Screen, NZ On. "Caterina De Nave | NZ On Screen". www.nzonscreen.com. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
  4. "A tribute to Caterina De Nave". www.nzonair.govt.nz. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
  5. "Stars pay tribute to trailblazer". NZ Herald. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
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