Sir Peter Jackson's V48 Hours wildcard picks

A scene from <i>48 Hours</i>, from Shonky Productions. Photo / Supplied

A celebrity-cameo-heavy mystery, an hilarious homage to Flashdance and an animated quest have caught the eye of Sir Peter Jackson, with the filmmaker's "wildcard" picks for the V48 Hours filmmaking competition revealed.

Christchurch team The Outwits' movie Grindin', joins Auckland teams Shonky Productions (48 Hours) and Mukpuddy (Meanie Pants) as wildcards. All will compete against ten other films in the Grand National Final on Saturday, July 2.

This year the competition, now in its ninth year, had over 800 teams enter with an estimated 10,000 people involved.

The other ten films were selected from a number of regional competitions held around the country over the last few weeks.

The top two films from the Wellington regional made the final, with Team Couch Kumaras' Sketch, and Team Cinema In Decline's Tea Jerker being included.

The top films from Christchurch (team Suspect TV's Naughty Man) and Taranaki (Rubber Soul Productions' Well Strung) also made the cut.

The remaining final spots were taken by Auckland teams Grand Cheval (The Child Jumpers), Idiotvision (Headshot), Mo Appreciation Collective (Circus Animals), Lense Flare (Copy That), Clinky (RoboRevenge) and $195 Worth (Urban Etikit).

The thirteen teams are competing for a prize pool containing over $60,000 worth of cash, equipment and services.

V48 Hours 2011 Grand National Finalists

The Child Jumpers, Team Grand Cheval (Fad Movie)
-Auckland winner

Meanie Pants, Team Mukpuddy (Quest Movie)
-Auckland runner-up, Sir Peter Jackson wildcard

Headshot, Team idiotvision (One-Room Movie)
-Auckland 3rd place

Sketch, Team Couch Kumaras (Road Movie)
-Wellington winner

Tea Jerker, Team Cinema in Decline (Crime)
-Wellington runner-up

Naughty Man, Team Suspect TV (Horror)
-Christchurch winner

Grindin', Team The Outwits (Music/Dance)
-Sir Peter Jackson wildcard (Christchurch)

Well Strung, Rubber Soul Productions (Musical/Dance)
-Taranaki winner

48 Hours, Shonky Productions (Mystery)
-Sir Peter Jackson wildcard

Copy That, Team Lense Flare (Road Movie)
(Auckland)

RoboRevenge, Team Clinky (Revenge Movie)
(Auckland)

Urban Etikit, Team $195 Worth (Fad Movie)
(Auckland)

Circus Animals, Team Mo Appreciation Collective (One-Room Movie)
(Auckland)

*The V48 Hours Grand National Final is on at Auckland's Civic on Saturday July 2, tickets here.

*We're giving away a few double passes to the Grand National Final. Click here to enter.

*nzherald.co.nz is playing a film from the V48 Hours archives every day leading up to the Grand National Final. Watch them on our movie page.