The NZ Film Commission is pleased to announce that it has offered eight grants of $10,000 and eight grants of $30,000 to NZ film makers for the filming of 16 low budget short films thorough its Fresh Shorts programme.

In its second year this talent development scheme has attracted a total of 292 applications, an increase of 68 applications from 2010. There were 160 applications at the $10,000 funding level and 132 at the $30,000 funding level. The submitted projects conveyed a very diverse range of topics and a wide range of cultural perspectives – reflecting the fresh voices the NZFC were hoping the scheme would attract.

The final 16 films were selected by a panel of both industry and NZFC staff consisting of: Ainsley Gardiner, Jason Stutter, Peter Salmon, Chris Payne & Kath Akuhata-Brown (NZFC Development Executive’s) and Lisa Chatfield (NZFC Short Film Manager).

“The increase in applications this year is a fantastic result for Fresh Shorts and I think relates to a closer connection between Fresh Shorts and V48Hrs this year,” said Short Film Manager Lisa Chatfield, “of course it did make the task of choosing just 16 films very challenging! There was plenty of debate amongst the panel and the decisions weren’t all unanimous - the strength of the projects and the film makers involved made the process exciting and challenging”

This year the range of projects funded includes 3 animations, 1 documentary and 12 narrative films that range from drama to comedy to horror and are set in the past, the future, the present and even inside cardboard boxes.

The eight short films that have been green lit at the $30,000 budget level are:

• Blankets - Director: Louise Leitch, Producer: Melissa Dodds
• Queenie – Director: Paul Neason, Producer: Michelle Savill
• Soldier Boy – Director: Jess Bluck, Producer: Sarah Cook
• Taniwha – Director: Asuka Sylvie, Producers David White & Melissa Dodds
• The Light Harvester – Director: Jason Lei Howden, Producer: Sarah Howden
• The Hunting Party – Director: Andrew Beattie, Producer: Maile Daugherty
• Two Eyes, Two Hands, Two Feet – Director: Kirsten Green, Producer: Stephen Lovatt
• Wing Chun – Director: Ant Sang, Producer: Fiona Copland

The eight short films that have been green lit at the $10,000 budget level are:

• Airmail - Director: Prue Cunningham
• Eyes, Behind and Before – Director: Nic Gorman, Producer: Paul Glubb
• Friday Tigers – Director: Aidee Walker, Producer: Julia Parnell
• Fire in Cardboard City – Director: Phil Brough, Producer: Matt Heath
• I Kill – Director: David White/Paul Wedel
• I’m going to Mum’s – Director: Lauren Jackson, Producer: Jeremy Macey
• Purerehua – Director: Renae Maihi
• The God Painter in Kiwi Kingdom – Director: Pavel Kvatch, Producer: Helmut Marko

For more details about Fresh Shorts, please see the website.