A jury of three has been announced to judge the New Zealand’s Best short film competition. New Zealand's Best judges are: Andrew Cozens, Marketing and Sales Executive of Madman Entertainment New Zealand; journalist Mihingarangi Forbes; and Australian filmmaker/actor Mirrah Foulkes, who will be attending NZIFF to present her film Judy & Punch.

From a shortlist of 12, six short films were selected by guest selector and filmmaker Jane Campion as finalists for the annual New Zealand’s Best, NZIFF’s only competition section. The shortlist of 12 short films was selected from 91 submissions. 

Andrew Cozens, Mihingarangi Forbes and Mirrah Foulkes will decide the winners of the three jury prizes to be announced on Saturday 3 August at the closing night film of the Auckland leg of NZIFF. The total prize pool is valued at over $17,500. 

The six finalists are Nancy From Now On (dir: Keely Meechan), Krystal (dir: Briar Grace-Smith), Egg Cup Requiem (dirs: Prisca Bouchet, Nick Mayow), Golden Boy (dir: Alex Plumb), Our Father (dir: Esther Mauga) and Hinekura (dir: Becs Arahanga).

The judges are:

Andrew Cozens has been working in the film industry since 2010, and for the last five years in the Madman NZ Theatrical team as Marketing and Sales Executive. During that period Andrew has worked on the release of more than 130 feature films across all genres. Andrew graduated from the University of Auckland with a Bachelor of Arts in Film and English.

Mihingarangi Forbes in an award-winning New Zealand journalist, presenter and broadcaster.  Forbes has spent the last 25 years reporting for high-profile NZ current affairs shows including One News, 20/20, Campbell Live, Māori Television and Radio NZ.  Forbes has a well-earned reputation as a highly respected Māori journalist who isn’t afraid of asking the hard questions. 

Mirrah Foulkes is an Australian actor, writer and director. Prior to her feature film directorial debut, she made three award-winning short films; the latest, Trespass, received its international premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, and won the Erwin Rado Memorial Award for Best Australian Short Film at the Melbourne International Film Festival. Foulkes’ acting credits include Top of the Lake, Animal Kingdom, Sleeping Beauty, The Crown and The Turning.

The four prizes to be won at New Zealand’s Best 2019 are:

Madman Entertainment Jury Prize for the Best Short Film Award The cash prize of $5,000 is donated by the Australasian distribution company. The winner will be chosen by the jury. 

The Creative New Zealand’s Emerging Talent Award The cash prize of $4,000 recognises a fresh voice: film-making that gives life to stories of those less often represented in film, or that speaks to new or existing audiences in different ways. The winner of this award will be selected by the jury.

The Auckland Live Spirit of The Civic Award This newly created award is a cash prize of $4,000 and will be awarded to the film, or contributor to a film, deemed to merit special recognition. This award will be selected by the jury.

Audience Award Audiences at the New Zealand’s Best screenings in Auckland and Wellington will be asked to vote for their favourite short. The Audience Award winner takes away a 25% share of the box office takings from the New Zealand's Best screenings in the four main centres. In 2018 this prize was valued at $4,800.