Teen Sean Winch is a finalist in national silent film competition

Sean Winch, with his cat Curiosity, is a finalist in the International Youth Silent Film Festival (IYSFF) New Zealand with his film 24 Carrot.

Silent isn't something you can accuse 15-year-old Sean Winch of being.

In fact he's quite a chatty young man.

Sean, who lives in Pāpāmoa Hills, is happy to talk excitedly about the film he has made - a film that falls into the ''silent'' category.

Sean's film - 24 Carrot - is one of 15 finalists in the International Youth Silent Film Festival (IYSFF) New Zealand.

In previous years the final was held at Baycourt Theatre in Tauranga, but due to the impacts of Covid-19 outbreak, organisers have made the decision to switch to a streamed version of the 2020 IYSFF NZ National Awards Final.

The 15 finalist films and the awards show will be available to view via Baycourt Community & Arts Centre's Facebook page tomorrow, starting at 6pm.

All 15 films will be screened.

Sean's film is, in his own words, the story of ''teleportation going very wrong''.

At the heart of the mishap is a cat - played by Sean's own cat Curiosity - that walks across the co-ordinate inputter at the critical moment.

She wasn't all that enthusiastic about making her screen debut.

''I basically grabbed her and touched her [paw] to the keyboard,'' says Sean. ''It does not look real.''

Added to the challenge, the computer was set up on the kitchen bench at the time - a place Curiosity isn't usually allowed.

Sean plays a budding scientist on the verge of creating a teleporter. Also in the film are his friends Cameron Scott and Cody Boyed.

Set to a score, there is no dialogue and Sean says he had to exaggerate his expressions and movements to convey the plot.

In the past Sean has been part of a team taking part in the 48 Hour Film Festival, where films are made over a weekend, and says he appreciated the less intense process of making his silent film.

He says the script and story boarding took around a month, filming a couple of months and editing another month.

Before his foray into filmmaking Sean thought it might be a career he would be interested in but now he's not so sure.

''I originally thought it would be something I'd like to go into more seriously, but after seeing how stressful it was, I don't think I will pursue filmmaking.

''It will definitely be something in computers, though, like programming.''

Everything was filmed on his phone and then edited using Premiere Pro, After Effects.

Most of it was filmed around his home and a neighbour's house as well as in a green bedroom that acted as a green screen.

Sean says he really didn't expect to be named as a finalist in the competition, but is looking forward to watching the screening with his parents and, hopefully, the film's co-stars.

The IYSFF is a global filmmaking competition that challenges filmmakers aged 20 and under to make a three-minute silent film set to one of 10 musical scores composed especially for the festival.

This year 35 entries met the IYSFF's strict criteria of rules and were accepted for judging.

The top three films will receive cash prizes, with $1500 for first, $1000 for second, and $500 for third, while the top two placing films will represent New Zealand at the 2021 IYSFF Global Awards in Portland, Oregon, US.

Baycourt manager James Wilson said despite the chaos Covid has created for everyone in 2020, the overall high standard, quality and craftsmanship of all the films submitted this year was "mindbogglingly staggering".