According to Yahoo! New Zealand, at the Big Screen Symposium, New Zealand producers Richard Fletcher and Paul Davis unveiled details of Libertine Pictures, a new film and television production company with ambitious plans for the country’s screen production sector.

Fletcher and Davis, who are joint managing directors, formed the company with New Zealand-based writer Neil Cross, who will be Libertine’s creative director. Cross is the creator of the crime thriller Luther for the BBC whose writing credits also include Doctor Who, Universal’s box office hit Mama and NBC’s upcoming historical action-adventure series Crossbones.

The company will work across film and television generating New Zealand originated projects as well as co-producing and servicing inward production, added the report. Libertine will commence operations from September 1, 2013.

New Zealand Film Commission CEO Graeme Mason confirmed Libertine as the first recipient of funding, details of which he announced at the event. This funding provides Libertine with the security of a devolved contribution towards its first three years of development and overhead financing, according to the report.

According to the report, Libertine has formed non-exclusive filmmaking partnerships with a cross-section of New Zealand’s emerging and established talent: Cliff Curtis, Ainsley Gardiner of Whenua Film, Trevor Haysom of T.H.E. Film, Thomas Robins and David Stubbs of KHF Media, Taika Waititi and Chelsea Winstanley of Defender Films and David White of White Balance Pictures.