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The winners of our 11th annual New Zealand’s Best short film competition’s jury-awarded prizes were announced this evening, with the accolades presented live following a sold-out screening of the five finalists’ films at ASB Waterfront in Tāmaki Makaurau.

Director Bala Murali Shingade’s film Perianayaki earned him both the Flicks Award for Best Short Film (a cash prize of $7500) and the Creative New Zealand Emerging Talent Award (a cash prize of $4000), an award presented to a fresh voice: filmmaking that gives life to stories of those less often represented in film, or that speaks to new or existing audiences in different ways. Perianayaki actor Jeyagowri Sivakumaran’s performance also earned a Special Mention.

The Auckland Live Spirit of The Civic Award (a cash-prize of $4000), awarded to a filmmaker whose work indicates the possibility of a feature made by them being of the stature and quality to open a Festival at Auckland’s The Civic in the future, was awarded to Trees directors Ben Bryan and Tom Scott. 

The awards were judged by a three-member jury featuring filmmaker and writer Tim Wong, filmmaker and past Best Short Film award-winner Chelsie Preston-Crayford and Flicks.co.nz editor Steve Newall. 

“As a jury, we acknowledge

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Tickets for NZIFF 2022 in Hamilton are NOW on sale!

Find all the details on how to book your tickets HERE. We recommend you book early.

Ticketing links can be found on the film pages or on the schedule page.

Here's the news you've been waiting for ... we're delighted to announce the full programme for NZIFF 2022 with the festival making its highly anticipated return to Hamilton’s Lido Cinema from 18 August.

“We couldn’t be prouder of our 2022 programme – as well as having an outstanding collection of films from Aotearoa, our international selection is packed with award-winning, critically acclaimed films from all around the world. We look forward to presenting our programme to audiences around the country and we thank New Zealanders for their continued support of the festival,” says NZIFF General Manager Sally Woodfield.

Twenty-five films will feature in Hamilton screening from 18-31 August with American filmmaker Sara Dosa’s astonishing documentary Fire of Love opening the festival. Dosa’s portrait of two intrepid French volcanologists, skilfully constructed from amazing archival footage collected from ground-breaking volcanic expeditions, comes to the festival following the film making a major splash at Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. Swedish director Ruben Östlund’s Palme d'Or-winning Triangle of Sadness will bookend the festival programme.

The programme in Hamilton will also include Q&A sessions with filmmakers from Punch and When The Cows Come Home.

Printed programmes will be available from Lido Cinemas from Wednesday 13

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We're excited to announce this year's Ngā Whanaunga Māori Pasifika Shorts finalists.

Congratulations to: A Morning with Aroha (dir: Nicholas Riini), Burning of the Gods (dir: Karin Williams), Perfect Storm (dir: Morag Brownlie), Raids (dir: Jade Jackson), Smog (dir: Alex Liu), and The Difference Between Pipi & Pūpū (dir: Tajim Mohammed-Kapa).

These six short films from Aotearoa and the Pacific were selected by Leo Koziol (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Rakaipaaka), Director of the Wairoa Māori Film Festival, and Craig Fasi (Niue), Director of the Pollywood Film Festival and will screen during NZIFF in all festival locations.

The filmmakers will compete for the Wellington UNESCO City of Film award for Best Film ($3000 cash prize), as judged by a jury. This award will be presented at the final Wellington screening of Ngā Whanaunga Māori Pasifika Shorts on Saturday 13 August at The Roxy Cinema. Audience members at Tāmaki Makaurau and Te Whanganui-a-Tara screenings will vote for their favourite short to win the Letterboxd Audience Award, a cash prize of $1000, and this will be announced at the Closing Night of NZIFF in Wellington.

On selecting the films, Koziol said, “Every year the Ngā Whanaunga Māori Pasifika collection of short films showcases both emerging

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On the eve of Matariki, we are pleased to announce that new action-drama film Muru will open NZIFF 2022 in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin, with a special screening in Whakatāne. The film will have its World Premiere on Thursday 28 July at Auckland’s The Civic.

From award-winning writer and director Tearepa Kahi (Poi E: The Story of our Song, Mt. Zion), world renowned actor Cliff Curtis and artist Tame Iti, the film is a response to the 2007 Tūhoe raids. Muru is a Māori concept for reconciliation and forgiveness.

Filmed in Te Urewera and Rūātoki, Muru stars Cliff Curtis (The Dark Horse, Avatar 2), Jay Ryan (IT Chapter Two, The Furnace), Manu Bennett (The Hobbit trilogy) and Simone Kessell (Obi-Wan Kenobi). Support cast includes Ria Te Uira Paki (The Dead Lands), Roimata Fox (Waru), Poroaki Merritt-McDonald (Savage) and Tame Iti as himself.

To read more about Muru and view the trailer, click here