Congratulations to WIFT member Alyx Duncan who won The Madman Entertainment Jury Prize for the Best New Zealand Short Film at NZIFF 2015 for The Tide Keeper, which she directed and wrote. The jury's citation congratulated her for her singular personal vision and technical assurance, Alyx will take home a cash prize of $5,000.
The jury selected Michael Jonathan, director of the film Ow What!, for the Wallace Friends of the Civic Award for its originality and authenticity. The filmmaker receives a prize of $3,000 cash.
A special jury of cinematographers selected Grant McKinnon, cinematographer for Not Like Her as the winner of the inaugural Allen Guilford Cinematography Award from the New Zealand Cinematographers Society (NZCS), a prize that includes a cash prize of $2,000.
And the 2015 Audience Award, which will take home 25% of the box office takings from the screenings in Auckland, Wellington, Dunedin and Christchurch, was awarded to Madam Black director Ivan Barge.
The three judges were New Zealand producer Fiona Copland, Australian photographer and performer William Yang and representative for Madman Entertainment, Michael Eldred.
Guest selector and filmmaker Christine Jeffs selected the six finalists from a shortlist of 12. NZIFF programmers Bill Gosden and Michael McDonnell viewed 75 entries to prepare the shortlist.
Congratulations to this year's winners and especially Alyx, and all the finalists.
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