Show Me Shorts Film Festival Finalists Announced

SHOW ME SHORTS FILM FESTIVAL FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

Show Me Shorts Film Festival has announced the finalists for 2015, to be presented at the Opening Night & Awards Ceremony at Auckland’s Civic on 11 November.

The nominations for the Oscar®-accredited Lightbox Best Film Award are: James Cunningham and Oliver Hilbert for Accidents, Blunders and Calamities; Ryan Heron and Matiu Sadd for Return; and Alyx Duncan for The Tide Keeper. These three short films are nominated in multiple award categories, including DEGNZ Best Director Award.

James Cunningham’s animated comedy Accidents, Blunders and Calamities features a father possum reading a bedtime story to his children about the most dangerous animal of all… humans! This short film will be making its world premiere during the festival.

The Tide Keeper was the winner of the NZ’s Best Short Film Award at the NZ International Film Festival earlier this year. Filmmaker Alyx Duncan has crafted a poetic stop-motion animation featuring her father as an old seaman dreaming of a storm.

Speaking about Berlin-based New Zealander Ryan Heron’s film Return, the judges of the awards said, “This film was like a possum-bound Big Lebowski, with lovely flow, authenticity and rhythm.” Return has the largest number of nominations (four), including Final Draft Best Screenplay and Panavision Best Cinematographer.

The awards jury comprised actor, writer and director Peter Elliot (The Art of the Architect, Gloss, Shortland St), actor Siobhan Marshall (Outrageous Fortune, The Almighty Johnsons, Shortland Street, The Blue Rose), film editor and screenwriter Cushla Dillon (Orhans and Kingdoms, Beautiful Machine, Topless Women Talk About Their Lives), and writer, director and actor – and the winner of Best Film (Dive) in the 2014 Show Me Shorts Film Festival – Matthew Saville (Kikia the Poa, Hitch Hike).

Show Me Shorts will be bringing 40 short films and six music videos to 22 cinemas across Aotearoa, from Dargaville to Stewart Island, throughout November. Tickets are now on sale from the cinema venues.

All winners of the Show Me Shorts Awards will be announced at the Auckland Opening Night & Awards Ceremony on 11 November.

As New Zealand’s only Academy Awards® accredited film festival, the recipient of the coveted Lightbox Best Film Award will be eligible to enter the Oscars®. They will also receive $2,000 cash, $5,000 worth of gear rental from Rubber Monkey, a membership to StarNow, a copy of Final Draft screenwriting software, a bottle of Opawa pinot noir and flowers from Enchanted Rose. A total of $5,000 will be given out in prize money for award winners, as part of a total prize pool valued at more than $25,000.

Audience members can be part of the awards process by voting for their favourite film to win the People’s Choice Award during the festival. Survey and voting forms can be completed at cinema venues or online at www.showmeshorts.co.nz.


Show Me Shorts Film Festival 2015 Finalists:
Lightbox Best Film Award
James Cunningham & Oliver Hilbert, Accidents, Blunders and Calamities
Ryan Heron & Matiu Sadd, Return
Alyx Duncan, The Tide Keeper

Best International Film Award
Eric Rockey, Pink Boy
Jonathan Stein, Out of the Village
Alexander Engel, Digits

DEGNZ Best Director Award
Ryan Heron, Return
James Cunningham, Accidents, Blunders and Calamities
Alyx Duncan, The Tide Keeper
StarNow Best Actor Award
Tina Cleary, Cub
Kate Elliott, Not Like Her
Maria Walker, Tits on a Bull

Final Draft Best Screenplay Award
Lyse Beck, Turtlebank Hustler
Hash Perambalam, Not Like Her
Ryan Heron & Guy Montgomery, Return
Panavision Best Cinematographer Award
Chris Pryor & Ben Montgomery, The Tide Keeper
Fernando Hart, The One and Only
Lance Wordsworth, Return
DEGNZ Best Editor Award
Jarrod Wright, Ken Sparks & Sam Brunette, Madam Black
James Cunningham, Accidents, Blunders and Calamities
Edward Sampson, Restoration

NZFC Special Jury Prize:
Mhairead Connor, UFO
Ben Childs, Space Trash Men
Best Music Video
Anna Duckworth & Damian Golfinopoulos, Up In Smoke by Great North
Thunderlips, Emily by The Eversons
Tom Townley & Alexander Gandar, Visions by Chelsea Jade

Best Student Film: Winner to be announced on the night.
People’s Choice Award: Announced in December when audience votes are counted.

ENDS

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