NZIFF Announces Guest Selector for Short Film Competition

NZIFF Announces Guest Selector for Short Film Competition

Jane Campion will be the Guest Selector for the New Zealand International Film Festival’s (NZIFF) only competition strand, the New Zealand’s Best short film competition.  

Six selected New Zealand shorts will premiere in Auckland, Wellington, Dunedin and Christchurch where audiences in Auckland and Wellington are encouraged to vote for their favourite short from Campion’s shortlist. Previous Guest Selectors have included Leon Narbey (2018), Gaylene Preston (2017), Lee Tamahori (2016), Christine Jeffs (2015), Andrew Adamson (2014), Alison Maclean (2013) and Roger Donaldson (2012).  

New Zealand director, producer and screenwriter Jane Campion is the only female director to receive the Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival (1993) and the second of four women ever to be nominated as Best Director at the Academy Awards (1994) for The Piano. Jane studied at the Australian Film Television and Radio School and her first short film, Peel (1982), won Best Short Film Palme d’Or in 1986 at the Cannes Film Festival. In 1989 Jane directed Sweetie, her first feature film, and in 1990 An Angel at My Table about New Zealand author Janet Frame. Subsequent to the multi-award-winning The Piano were, The Portrait of a Lady (1996); Holy Smoke (1999); In the Cut (2003);  Bright Star (NZIFF 2009) and the mystery thriller Top of the Lake (2012), a six-hour TV mini-series which Jane executive produced,  co-wrote and directed three episodes for the BBC and the Sundance Channel. Jane completed production on the second Top of the Lake series in 2017 (NZIFF 2017) which she created, co-wrote, directed two episodes and executive produced.  

91 submissions were received for the New Zealand’s Best competition this year with the programming team at NZIFF team shortlisting twelve films for Jane to consider. “It was moving and invigorating to watch the twelve shortlisted short films and experience their energy, raw talent and the occasional truly sophisticated achievement” says Jane Campion.  

This year’s New Zealand’s Best finalists will be eligible for four prizes. Madman Entertainment will again support the title award, the Madman Entertainment Best Short Film Award. The cash prize of $5,000 is donated by the Australasian distribution company. The winner will be chosen by a three-person jury appointed by NZIFF and Madman Entertainment.  

The Audience Choice Award will be selected by audience members who attend New Zealand’s Best screenings in Auckland and Wellington. Audience members will be invited to rank the finalists and the film that receives the highest rating will win a 25% share of the box office takings from the New Zealand's Best screenings in the four main centres. In 2018 this prize was $4,800. 

The Creative New Zealand’s Emerging Talent Award is a cash prize of $4,000 and recognizes a fresh voice: film-making that gives life to stories of those less often represented in film, or that speaks to new or existing audiences in different ways. The winner of this award will be selected by the jury. 

The Auckland Live Spirit of The Civic Award is a newly created award to be selected by the jury and has a $4,000 cash prize attached. 

NZIFF is run by a charitable trust and encourages lively interactions between films, filmmakers and New Zealand audiences in 13 towns and cities around the country. The full NZIFF programme will be available from Tuesday 25 June for Auckland, and Friday 28 June for Wellington. NZIFF starts in Auckland on 18 July and in Wellington from 26 July in 2019.