Entries open for IYSFF New Zealand Nationals

ARE YOU OUR NEXT AWARD-WINNING YOUNG KIWI FILMMAKER?
ENTRIES NOW OPEN FOR THE IYSFF NZ NATIONALS 2018

The search is on for the best young Kiwi filmmakers in Aotearoa with the return of the International Youth Silent Film Festival (IYSFF) New Zealand Nationals 2018.

Young filmmakers, aged 20 and under (as of April 15 this year), have just month left to get their entries in for this year’s New Zealand competition, with submissions closing promptly at midnight on Saturday 1 September.

The IYSFF is a global competition which challenges filmmakers from across the United States of America, Australia, The United Arab Emirates, and New Zealand to create a three-minute silent film set to one of 10 musical scores composed especially for the festival.

After submissions close on September 1, a panel of jurors will then select The Top 10-15 silent films to be celebrated at the red-carpet IYSFF NZ National Awards Final at Baycourt Community & Arts Centre in Tauranga on Wednesday 17 October.

The selected films will all be screened at the final, with each featuring musical accompaniment from the IYSFF’s composer Nathan Avakian who will travel to Tauranga from New York, USA, to perform the films’ soundtracks live on Baycourt’s Mighty 1926 Wurlitzer Theatre Organ.

Not only are there cash prizes across 10 category awards up for grabs, the Top Three films will also represent Aotearoa at the IYSFF Global Awards 2019 to be held in Portland, Oregon, USA.

“Since the IYSFF’s New Zealand debut at Baycourt in 2016 we have witnessed the competition get bigger, better and bolder each and every year,” said IYSFF NZ Marketing Coordinator David Tauranga.

“The IYSFF NZ team was absolutely amazed by the quality and craftsmanship of last year’s entries, so we cannot wait to see what our young Kiwi filmmakers have to offer in 2018.”

Another exciting prospect for the IYSFF NZ team is the possibility of another Kiwi film winning higher honours in the international competition, like Otago brothers Benaiah and Thomas Dunn whose silent film The Chase won second place and a cash prize of USD $1500 at the IYSFF Global Awards 2018 back in June.

The international recognition capped off a winning run for the Middlemarch brothers after The Chase won second overall at last year’s IYSFF NZ National Awards Final, three ‘Best Of’ category awards for Cinematography, Production Design, and Shot, and a total of $2250 in cash prizes.

“The IYSFF NZ team is so incredibly proud of Benaiah and Thomas, they are the first Kiwis to win higher honours at the Global Awards and every accolade they get for The Chase is well deserved because it’s a brilliant piece of filmmaking.

“We know that somewhere out there in Aotearoa there are inspired young filmmakers who are just as talented as the Dunn brothers, and who knows, maybe 2019 will be the year a Kiwi wins the entire international competition!”

Also representing New Zealand at the 2018 Global Awards were IYSFF 2017 NZ Regional winning film Tonight by Tauranga’s Tina Jeong, and third-place winner The Smile Shop by Rose McMahon and Samuel Edwards of Western Bay of Plenty.

The IYSFF NZ Nationals 2018 is delivered by Baycourt Community & Arts Centre in association with Bay of Plenty Film, and this year’s major media partner The Breeze Tauranga.

For rules, soundtracks, or to make a submission visit the IYSFF’s website at www.makesilentfilm.com or for more information about the IYSFF NZ National 2018 competition visit www.facebook.com/groups/IYSFFNZ/

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