New Zealand Youth Film Festival is dedicated to finding, celebrating, and empowering New Zealand’s next generation of creators and movie stars.Live from Wellington
The New Zealand Youth Film Festival is hosting its second award ceremony tonight, revealing the young Kiwis aspiring to be the next Jane Campion or Taika Waititi.
Presented by the New Zealand Herald, entries for the festival opened in October allowing aspiring filmmakers aged 15 to 24 toenter their work from any theme or genre.
There were 426 entries from all over Aotearoa. A winner will be chosen from each of the 11 categories. Prizes include Canon camera gear and a tour of the iconic Shortland St film set.
Hosted by comedian and actress Karen O’Leary the Wellington-hosted Oscars-inspired ceremony will be available to watch for free on the Herald.
The festival’s director, AUT business and communication studies student Ryan Chow, is excited for this year’s talent to go on display.
“We are thrilled to announce the second New Zealand Youth Film Festival presented by The New Zealand Herald,” he says.
“It’s amazing to witness the incredible talent and creativity of our young movie-makers. We’re proud to offer them a platform to shine a light on their work and connect them with industry opportunities in the hopes of kickstarting their careers.”
The festival was hosted for the first time in Auckland last year, with 357 entries from across the country and a programme of events that included tours of TVNZ’s studios with newsreader Melissa Stokes.
A behind-the-scenes look at this year's New Zealand Youth Film Festival ceremony. Photo / Instagram
One of the festival judges was Marvel Studios director of technology Katie Hinsen, who said the event was “fabulous”.
“The quality of film-making from rangatahi as young as 15 really blew me away. I can’t wait to know many of these folks as colleagues on the world stage, doing Aotearoa so proud.”
The New Zealand Youth Film Festival is a non-profit event designed to discover and celebrate the next generation of Aotearoa’s movie-makers.
