https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se_Mi8o8mbw
STORIES WITH HEART,
By award winning producer and director
Julia Parnell
Julia Parnell is a seasoned documentary Producer and Director with over 20 years’ experience delivering premium factual series and feature documentaries for New Zealand and international broadcasters and platforms.
As a producer, she has led large-scale productions from development through delivery, combining creative ambition with disciplined execution. As a director, she is known for crafting ambitious, human-centred films with scale and visual precision, moving fluidly between intimate character access and larger cultural narratives — from global music figures to individuals navigating moments of public scrutiny and profound change.
Julia’s work blends sharp storytelling with ethical clarity, creating documentaries that are compelling and contemporary while remaining grounded in care and responsibility.
SIX60: Till the Lights Go Out
— Feature Film
New Zealand’s biggest band reveal their untold story of ambition and creative vulnerability. Top 10 Highest-Grossing NZ Documentaries.
The Chills: The Triumph and Tragedy of Martin Phillipps
— Feature Film
Faced with a deadly diagnosis, an illustrious musician begins a life-affirming battle, between fear of failure and the jarring reality of his own mortality. SXSW World Premiere.
Wilbur the King in the Ring
— Feature Film
Fighting fat and losing friends along the way. A man, his dream, and his friend’s determination to make a documentary about it. Directed by J. Ollie Lucks and Julia Parnell.
Documentary / Series / Shorts / Podcast
— Factual Productions
From entertaining primetime series to award-winning documentary shorts, factual productions are curious, diverse, and evocatively reflect on the human condition.
Short Film
— LOADING DOCS
Loading Docs empowers filmmakers to create bold, creative, and unforgettable documentary shorts. The platform has produced over 80 films viewed by millions worldwide.
Highlights
Julia’s work has earned acclaim at festivals like Cannes Docs, SXSW, and the Sydney International Film Festival, and has been featured on platforms including TVNZ, NHK, Al Jazeera, SBS, and Prime.
A prolific creator of factual content, she has collaborated with notable figures such as Lorde, All Blacks Head Coach Scott Robertson, Zane Lowe, and Neil Finn, with projects filmed across the US, UK, Australia, Japan, and Iraq.
Waiata Anthems
Director Julia Parnell
Personal stories of disconnection, reclamation, vulnerability and the power of te reo Māori.
Personal stories of disconnection, reclamation, vulnerability and the power of te reo Māori.
Drug Court: Rethinking Rehab
Director Julia Parnell
A raw observation on the work of Aotearoa's newest response to recidivist crime.
Elephant in the Bedroom
Sex. Love. Race.
Podcast shining light on both overt and covert racism.
Podcast shining light on both overt and covert racism.