Congratulations to WIFT member Yamin Tun who picked up the jury prize at the fifth annual New Zealand's Bestshort film competition. The winning shorts were announced on stage at the Civic Theatre in Auckland last week.
The Madman Entertainment Jury Prize for the Best New Zealand Short Film at NZIFF 2016 was awarded to Wait, directed and written by WIFT member 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 CivicAward. 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 Tum 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.