DESRAY ARMSTRONG
COMPANY DIRECTOR & PRODUCER

Photo Credit: Tammy Williams
Desray Armstrong (Te Aitanga-ā-Hauiti, Ngāti Porou, Pākehā) is a film and television producer based in Aotearoa New Zealand with over two decades of experience across documentary, factual, studio, short and long-form drama.
Her first feature producing credit was Dustin Feneley’s STRAY, which premiered in competition at the Moscow International Film Festival and was a sell-out success at the Whānau Mārama New Zealand International Film Festival. During the challenges of the Covid era, Armstrong produced and released three feature films in a single year: James Ashcroft’s COMING HOME IN THE DARK (Sundance, NZIFF, MIFF); Matthew J Saville’s JUNIPER starring Charlotte Rampling (Bari, Tallinn Black Nights, EIFF, PSIFF); and Michelle Savill’s MILLIE LIES LOW (Berlin, SXSW, SIFF, MIFF, EIFF). Her recent credits include Alice Englert’s BAD BEHAVIOUR starring Jennifer Connelly, Alice Englert and Ben Whishaw (Sundance, SIFF, MIFF), Rachel House's THE MOUNTAIN (SIFF, TIFF, HIFF, PSIFF) and Chelsea Winstanley's feature documentary TOITŪ VISUAL SOVEREIGNTY (NZIFF, SBIFF). She is currently in post production with Jennifer Peedom's TENZING in association with See Saw Films and James Ashcroft's WHEN DARKNESS LOVES US.
She has produced numerous short films by local filmmakers and worked extensively in physical production on both international and local projects, including MULAN, MORTAL ENGINES, A WRINKLE IN TIME, HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE, WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS, SLOW WEST, and WELLINGTON PARANORMAL.
In recognition of her contributions to the screen industry, Armstrong has received multiple awards and was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Art and Sciences in 2023. Through her production company, Sandy Lane Productions, she is active in creating pathways for NZ stories to be told globally and continues to champion bold storytelling and amplify female and indigenous voices, particularly those with Māori women at the helm.
AWARDS
2024 WIFT South Pacific Pictures Award for Achievement in Film
2023 Member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
2022 WIFT Mana Wahine Award
2021 New Zealand Film Commission’s Te Aupounamu Māori Screen Excellence Award
2019 Ngā Aho Whakaari (Māori in Screen) Te Kai Ngakahi Melissa Wikaire Award
2018 SPADA Independent Producer of the Year
2016 WIFT Woman to Watch
