A highlight selection of the best short films from Ngā Whanaunga: Aotearoa New Zealand's Best 2025, including all award winners, will screen in the regions.
Ngā Whanaunga: Aotearoa New Zealand's Best 2025 Highlights
| Aug 30 |
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The votes have been counted and the jury has deliberated, the best shorts of the year have been selected and will screen throughout the country.
Womb 2024
A young filly struggles to break from the stable in this absurd and wildly original fable, starkly reminding us of the past dehumanisation of Indigenous whānau. — LK
Winner of Umbrella Entertainment Best Short Film Award
Growing Still 2025
An elderly woman wilting away in a retirement home longs to commune with the vibrant natural world outside. This magical short offers a positive spin on our impending mortality. — MM
Winner of Auckland Live Spirit of the Civic Award
Stage Challenge 2024
Shy Ali joins a group of zealous schoolgirls creating a stage challenge concept that will both wow audiences and distract the girls from their concerns for the future. — HH
Winner of Wellington UNESCO Creative City of Film Emerging Talent Award
Mirumiru 2025
In this captivating animation, a koro leads a desperate chase after the mirumiru (bubbles) of memories that escape his deteriorating wife before they’re gone forever. — HH
Co-Winner of Letterboxd Award for Māori Pasifika Talent
Picking Crew 2025
A subtle and poignant exploration of Pasifika masculinity and its queer-tinged boundaries. — LK
Co-Winner of Letterboxd Award for Māori Pasifika Talent
Let’s Settle This 2025
Two kung fu masters meet in a Chinese diner via a dating app and turn to the art to settle scores. — CG
Winner of the Ngā Whanaunga: Aotearoa New Zealand's Best Audience Award 2025