The Madman Entertainment Jury Prize for the Best New Zealand Short Film at NZIFF 2016 was awarded to Wait, directed and written by Yamin Tun. The jury noted in their citation that they were particularly impressed with the film’s authorial vision and use of visual language to carry the emotional story. Writer and Director Yamin Tun receives a cash prize of $5,000.

The Jury citation follows:

“We wanted to reward a film and filmmaker who has a clear voice, that managed to stay with us, producing a story that succeeded in mastering the short film form. We were particularly impressed with this film’s authorial vision and use of visual language to carry the emotional story.”

Wait was also selected as the recipient for Wallace Friends of the Civic Award. The finalists for this award were assessed by Sir James Wallace and Associate Producer/Director Grae Burton. Five of the six finalists were considered for the award.  The sixth finalist, The King was produced in association with the Wallace Arts Trust and therefore was not eligible for this award.

The Wallace Arts Trust citation follows:

“In selecting Wait as the recipient for the award all films were given careful consideration in the areas of cinematography, narrative construction, character development and performance, and overall direction of content.  It was considered that Wait, in its unique presentation format and bold choices overall was exceptional and we are pleased to present the award to Writer/Director Yamin Tun and Producers Vicky Pope and Daniel Higgins for their efforts.”

The filmmaker receives a cash prize of $3,000 and is the recipient of the re-introduced Golden Elephant, formerly a tradition when receiving the Friends of the Civic Award at the Festival.

The 2016 Audience Award, which will take home 25% of the box office takings from screenings in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin, was awarded to The King. In 2015 the prize was valued at $4,800.

Carthew Neal, producer, Emily Perkins, author, and Buffy McKinnon, representative for donor, Madman Entertainment, judged the six short films selected by Lee Tamahori.

“The competition is now in its fifth year and we’re pleased to continue a diverse jury line-up for the New Zealand’s Best competition. Emily Perkins’ experience spans both the literary and film worlds with her great success as an author and her recent work in adapting Eleanor Catton’s novel for the big screen. Carthew Neal’sbox office success with Hunt for the Wilderpeople makes him one of the most sought after producers in the industry. We appreciate their individual contributions to the judging task at hand in selecting New Zealand’s Best for 2016,” says NZIFF Director Bill Gosden.

The six short films in the competition were Spring Jam (dir: Ned Wenlock), Cradle (dir: Damon Duncan), Wait (dir: Yamin Tun), Shmeat (dir: Matasila Freshwater), Judgment Tavern (dir: Dean Hewison), and The King (dir: Ursula Grace Williams). The New Zealand’s Best 2016 shorts programme will screen around the country with NZIFF.

NZ films at NZIFF are proudly supported by Resene.