Forging Stronger Bonds: New Zealand's VFX Industry Shines in "Forgive Us All"
The upcoming release of "Forgive Us All" underscores the robust collaborations within New Zealand's visual effects (VFX) sector. OHUfx led the VFX supervision for this post-apocalyptic horror film and once again, partnered with local vendors such as Masters of Reality (MoR) and 808 Ltd. Additionally, renowned matte painter Dave Gibbons joined the team contributing his expertise to the project.
Producer Jared Connon has been a long term collaborator with OHUfx. He previously bought Ti West's "X" trilogy to the team and returned again with his latest feature "Forgive Us All".
Fathom, OHUfx's longest standing collaborator on many projects over 15 years, provided all 3D assets for both "X" and "Pearl" as well as "Forgive Us All". This means all three features completed - pre-production, production and post-production - in Aotearoa.
"We are proud to have to completed another successful project, with the assistance of our teams at MoR and 808 Ltd here in New Zealand. Over the years we have established and continue to refine a pipeline that provides valuable efficiencies for our vendors as well as our clients,” said Kara Vandeleur of OHUfx.
Having a well established pipeline provides valuable efficiencies assisting delivery of 450 vfx shots for the trilogy finale "Maxxxine" within a tight turnaround, and again 70 plus shots for "Forgive Us All" in a few months.
808 Ltd. was thrilled to collaborate with OHUfx on Forgive Us All. "Having Frank and Kara as our hub, they were instrumental in providing a smooth workflow both in production and supervision. This working relationship enabled us to spin up a show quickly, and as an added benefit, collaborating alongside other boutique VFX studios in our New Zealand community was a pleasure we hope to do more of," said Scott Chambers of 808 Ltd.
Caleb Thompson of Masters of Reality echoed the sentiment: "For the team at Masters of Reality, this was a no-brainer ... zombie pun intended! We had a lot of fun collaborating with our friends at OHUfx on this suspenseful New Zealand horror, neo-Western. MoR was tasked with creating stunning photoreal environments, zombie virus looks, and CG weapons. This is our third New Zealand production working with Frank and Kara, and it's always such a seamless, fun, and easy experience—we can't wait for the next!"
A dark, surreal aesthetic and subtle VFX woven deep into the narrative fabric, Forgive Us All is another outstanding example of what Kiwi-led teams can accomplish when brought in as true creative partners—not just vendors.
Forgive Us All is slated for release in New Zealand cinemas on May 8, 2025. The film's production showcases the exceptional talent and cooperative nature of New Zealand's VFX community, reinforcing its reputation as a hub for high-quality visual effects work.