NZ International Film Festival - NZ’s Best Short Film Winners Announced

Congratulations to the winners of the fifth annual New Zealand’s Best short film competition. The winning shorts were announced on stage at the Civic Theatre in Auckland on Saturday night. The Madman Entertainment Jury Prize for the Best New Zealand Short Film at NZIFF 2016 was awarded to Wait, directed and written by Yamin Tun. The jury noted in their citation that they were particularly impressed with the film’s authorial vision and use of visual language to carry the emotional story. Writer and Director Yamin Tun receives a cash prize of $5,000. Wait was also selected as the recipient for Wallace Friends of the Civic Award. The finalists for this award were assessed by Sir James Wallace and ​Associate ​Producer/Director Grae Burton. The filmmaker receives a cash prize of $3,000 and is the recipient of the re-introduced Golden Elephant, formerly a tradition when receiving the Friends of the Civic Award at the Festival. The 2016 Audience Award, which will take home 25% of the box office takings from screenings in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin, was awarded to The King. In 2015 the prize was valued at $4,800. Carthew Neal, producer, Emily Perkins, author, and Buffy McKinnon, representative for donor, Madman Entertainment, judged the six short films selected by Lee Tamahori. The six short films in the competition were Spring Jam (dir: Ned Wenlock), Cradle (dir: Damon Duncan), Wait (dir: Yamin Tun), Shmeat (dir: Matasila Freshwater), Judgment Tavern (dir: Dean Hewison), and The King (dir: Ursula Grace Williams). The New Zealand’s Best 2016 shorts programme will screen around the country with NZIFF. NZ films at NZIFF are proudly supported by Resene. Read more about the jury's notes on our website.