New Zealand's Best 2020 

This film is screening in select cinemas and venues across the country. See here for details.

For this year’s New Zealand’s Best short film competition, Festival Director Marten Rabarts, Head of Programming Michael McDonnell, and Paris-based Programmer Sandra Reid viewed 78 submissions to make a shortlist of 12, from which renowned director Tusi Tamasese selected these six finalists. A jury of three will select the winners of the $4,000 Creative New Zealand Jury Prize and the $2,000 Madman Entertainment Emerging Talent Award, while the winner of an audience vote takes away the Audience Choice Award, consisting of 25 percent of the online box office from this year’s screenings.

“Overall, these films illustrate and reveal a range of human experiences and emotions. They all had characters and stories I felt were different, unique and entrancing, and that I connected with because they explored aspects of humanity from interesting perspectives. From trapped minds and bodies to how people choose to live with the consequences of their choices, they deal with defining moments that weren’t always predictable.” — Tusi Tamasese