The competitions hadn't been held for a few years but now that the trust had a new home in Dannevirke, he was keen to revive them.
"The trust was begun by a number of filmmaking professionals and keen movie buffs with the aim of giving aspiring moviemakers an opportunity to hone their talents and show what they can achieve."
Winners of past competitions had the opportunity to have their films shown on a cinema screen and Moffatt felt the big screen in the Regent was an ideal location.
One judge will be Brian Shennan, a sound recordist who was with the New Zealand National Film Unit and worked on the iconic 1970 film This is New Zealand.
Moffatt said he was hoping to have a local woman, who was a former actress with a number of credits to her name, as another judge.
Alex Funke, an American cinematographer, had agreed to also be a judge.
Moffatt met Funke through the maker of This is New Zealand, Hugh MacDonald.
"He introduced me to Alex and we became friends," he said.
Funke, a special effects cinematographer, already had a number of credits to his name when he was asked to come to New Zealand to work on Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy.
His work with miniatures led to him being awarded an Oscar three times for Best Visual Effects.
Moffatt said his friend fell in love with Wellington and he eventually decided to move here and become a New Zealand citizen.
He said Funke did still have family in Los Angeles and would go back and forth, but they maintained a good friendship.
"I've learnt so much from Alex."
Participants would be able to get feedback from the judges and may even be given the opportunity to talk to them and call on the wealth of experience in the entertainment industry.
Moffatt said it was hoped the events would be an annual occurrence centring around the cinema, with other festivals and events being looked into for the future.
Each winner would receive a prize of a 4K action camera along with a visit to Wellington to tour through Peter Jackson's production facility Park Road Post, as well as a tour through Weta Cave.
Registrations close on July 29 and movies, along with detail forms, must be completed and received by the organisers before 5pm on September 9.
There will be three categories: Primary and Intermediate schools, secondary schools and hobbyists.
The MovieFest topic will be announced on July 30.
More information is on the registration forms, which can be downloaded on https://moviefest.nz/download-registration-form/.
Each entrant will have about six weeks to make their movie and the best in each category will be chosen to be judged.
People in the community would also have the chance to see all the short films when they will be screened at the Dannevirke Regent cinema in October.
A colouring competition was also being held to help promote the cinema.
Moffatt said the competition had been suggested by a local mum and enthusiastic cinema-goer who wanted to see the recently re-opened Regent Cinema thrive and prosper.
Entries for both the colouring competition and the short film competition were available from the ticket booth and Embathe Soaps in Dannevirke.
