Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival Announces 2024 Award And Competitive Strand Winners

Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF) has today announced the winners of the New Zealand’s Best and Ngā Whanaunga Māori Pasifika Shorts awards for 2024, as well as the winners in the unique 2024 Fresh and Frames strand competitions.

The five finalists for New Zealand’s Best were selected by Guest Selector Gerard Johnstone and the six finalists for Ngā Whanaunga Māori Pasifika Shorts were selected by curators Leo Koziol (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Rakaipaaka) and Craig Fasi (Niue), as announced earlier this year.

The finalists were judged by a jury comprising filmmakers Hiona Black and Mīria George, and artist Suzanne Tamaki. The public were also invited to vote for their favourite film in each competition.

The jury awards were presented following the Auckland screenings at ASB Waterfront Theatre, as part of the festival’s Aotearoa Film Focus Weekend on Sunday 18 August. The Letterboxd Audience Award and cash prize of $1000 was announced the same evening, at the Closing Night of NZIFF 2024 in Auckland.

New Zealand’s Best award recipients are as follows:

The NZIFF Patrons Award for Best Film and $7500 cash prize was awarded to director Vea Mafile’o for her film Lea Tupu’anga/Mother Tongue.

Director Vea Mafile’o says, “I feel incredibly honored and proud to receive such a prestigious award, especially on the eve of Uike Kātoanga’i ‘o e lea faka-Tonga – Tonga Language Week. This film represents the different cultural journeys we are all on. There are many paths and different experiences. Everyone's cultural identity and sense of belonging looks different. But it’s what you feel in your heart that counts the most. This is loto-māfana.”

The Auckland Live Spirit of The Civic Award and $4000 cash prize was awarded to Awanui Simich-Pene for his film First Horse. A previous recipient of this prestigious award is director Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu, whose debut feature We Were Dangerous opened the festival this year.

The Creative New Zealand Emerging Talent Award and cash prize of $4000 was awarded to Tom Furniss for his film Rochelle. The Panavision Audience Award was also awarded to Tom Furniss for his film Rochelle, consisting of a $5000 credit for Panavision equipment hire and 25% of the box office from festival screenings in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. 

Ngā Whanaunga Māori Pasifika Shorts award recipients are as follows: The Letterboxd Audience Award and cash prize of $1000 was awarded to Chatterbox, directed by Tainui Tukiwaho.

Previously announced was the Wellington UNESCO City of Film award for Best Film, presented in association with Pollywood Pasifika Films and Wairoa Māori Film Festival. The award was jointly awarded to directors Alex Liu (The Red Room) and Veialu Aila - Unsworth (Butterfly/Bataplai). The announcement was made at a ceremony at The Roxy cinema in Wellington on Saturday 3 August. 

Filmmaker Alex Liu says, “It’s such a pleasure to share the Best Film award with another talented filmmaker. Receiving it is further encouragement that I should continue to tell the stories that are important to me.

“Filmmaking is hard mahi, and at times it can be tempting to throw in the towel and get a real 9-to-5, so to have your hard work received warmly is the best motivation to keep honing the craft and pushing forward.”

Also announced the same evening, at the Closing Night of NZIFF 2024 in Auckland, WERE the winners of the inaugural Fresh Competition and Frames Competitions, created to draw attention to some of the best narrative feature and documentary debuts of the last 12 months.

The ten films in the Fresh Competition were judged by a jury comprising Pulkit Anora (Filmmaker, New Zealand/India), Anu Rangachar (Producer and Programmer, India) and David White (Filmmaker, NZ). The Main Award was awarded to Truong Minh Quy for his film Viet and Nam.

The jury said, "The Jury wishes to recognise Viet and Nam for its multi-layered ability to seamlessly merge political and personal narratives, while maintaining its stunning visual poetry and emotional depth."

Special mention went to Mo Harawe for The Village Next to Paradise. The jury said, "The jury wishes to recognise the film's ability to capture the grace and beauty of human resilience and its triumph of cinematic artistry against formidable odds."

The Audience Award was awarded to Oceans Are the Real Continents by Italian filmmaker Tommaso Santambrogio.

The eight films in the Frames Competitions were judged by a jury comprising Donsaron Kovitvanitcha (Producer and Programmer, Thailand) Martin Sagadin (Filmmaker, New Zealand), and Loren Taylor (Filmmaker, New Zealand).

The Main Award was awarded to Ibrahim Nash'at for his film Hollywoodgate. The jury said, "Nash'at's silent witness reveals to us the depth, scale and depravity of the lust for war and power. It is staggeringly courageous filmmaking. It’s more than just an intimate portrait of the Taliban, it feels like a vital plea to behold the carnage the US war machine inflicts and the agony of the Afghan people. It is powerfully delivered in every aspect of the film-making - the sound design and score in particular. An astounding and shattering feat."

Special mention went to Shiori Ito for her film Black Box Diaries. The jury said, “We were moved by the bravery, stamina and selfless commitment that is at the heart of this film. You can’t watch it without becoming aware of the cost to the filmmaker’s own well-being - to tell her story over and over until the change she seeks is achieved. A lion-hearted documentary.”

Black Box Diaries also received the Audience Award.

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