Five phenomenal short films took home the nine prizes on offer at the Show Me Shorts Opening Night and Awards Ceremony in Auckland.

Five phenomenal short films took home the nine prizes on offer at the Show Me Shorts Opening Night and Awards Ceremony in Auckland.

The stand out winner on the night was Night Shift, winning four out of the five award categories in which it was nominated. Writer and Director Zia Mandviwalla won Script to Screen Best Screen Play, while her producers Matt Noonan and Chelsea Winstanley took home the coveted Best Film Award. Cinematographer Ari Wegner and lead actress Anapela Polataivao were also awarded for their work on this moving Kiwi drama.

Judges Rene Naufahu, Paul Campion and Roger Murray were unanimously impressed with Night Shift calling it “Heartfelt and universal”.

Another stand out film was multi-award winner Lambs.  Writer and Director Sam Kelly won Best Director and Jeff Hurrell Best Editor. Judge Rene Naufahu says of Lambs, “Kelly did an excellent job when you take into consideration the difficulties of directing children, and dealing with this particular content matter. Not to mention, it was beautifully shot and the level of acting was to a very high standard.”

Previous Best Film winner Jannine Barnes took home the award highly competitive Best International Film with The Wilding. Judges called this film “Bold, amazing, brave.” “This film never misses a beat.”

With a strong line up of documentary shorts in the programme this year, Lauren Eisinger and Katherine France won Best Student Award for their insightful and touching documentary Kia Kaha dealing with the aftermath of the Christchurch Earthquakes.

The Special Jury Prize went to Richard Mans for his incredible technical achievements on the beautifully polished CGI film Abiogenesis.  Show Me Shorts is delighted that winners Sam Kelly and Richard Mans will be panelists at the Auckland StarNow Short Film Seminar on Monday 3 November at Capital Cinema, 6:15pm.

Overall judges said the films were, "Amazing, an astounding amount of talent. All winning films had a lot of heart."

Show Me Shorts Best Film: Matt Noonan and Chelsea Winstanley Night Shift

Special Jury Prize: Richard Mans Abiogenesis – for his incredible technical accomplishment (for just one person) resulting in a beautifully designed CGI film.

SDGNZ Best Director: Sam Kelly Lambs

Script to Screen Best Screen Play: Zia Mandviwalla Night Shift

SDGNZ Best Editor: Jeff Hurrell Lambs

Best Student Film: Lauren Eisinger and Katherine France Kia Kaha

Panavision Best Cinematographer: Ari Wegner Night Shift

StarNow Best Actor: Anapela Polataivao Night Shift

Best International Film: Jannine Barnes The Wilding

The seventh annual SHOW ME SHORTS Film Festival is screening in cinemas now.

Good things come in small packages. Show Me Shorts!

Media Release: Show Me Shorts