Tauihu whakatere waka
Tauihu whakaeke ngaru
Tauihu kawe kaupapa ki tua

The prow that steers the canoe
The prow that rides the crest of the wave
The prow that leads its cargo into the future

Tihei Mauri Ora

To our fellow filmmakers and storytellers we thank you for sharing your craft with us. Each of the eighty-eight scripts we received took us on a journey into many new worlds with intriguing characters. It was often thrilling, joyous, profound, sad or hilarious.

It was difficult enough to select the twelve scripts for our first list and you would expect that after meeting with the successful twelve teams the selection of six for our shortlist would be easier. This was not the case.

That is why our final six has grown into our final seven.

All of us know that the road to getting funded for a film project is judder-barred with frustration and pot-holed with disappointment yet we still persevere because of our passion for the medium of filmic storytelling. To have reached any shortlist is an acknowledgement by and encouragement from your peers.

Our film industry is one of collaboration. Those listed below understand and embrace this. When the writer, director and producer share the same vision the strength of that team is undeniable. They will attract people to share their enthusiasm to create that vision. This is the backbone of our film industry.

The Tauihu Short List is: (in alphabetical order)

HINE
(a drama)
Director: Rachel House
Writer: Kath Akuhata-Brown
Producer: Desray Armstrong

INORGANIC
(a black comedy)
Director: Maria Elena Doyle
Writer: Nick Ward
Producer: Angela de Silva / Donna Pearman

LARD BOY
(a drama/fantasy/comedy)
Director/Writer: Miki Magasiva
Producer: Sarah Cook

NEXT
(a comedy)
Director/Writer: Miles Murphy
Producer: Tanya Haifoua-Cathro

NIGHT SHIFT
(a drama)
Director/Writer: Zia Mandviwalla
Producer: Curious Film

SPARROW
(a drama/thriller)
Director/Writer: Karyn Childs
Producer: Leela Menon

THE JUBJUB BIRD
(a drama/science-fiction/horror)
Director: Dylan Pharazyn
Writer: Paul Stanley Ward
Producer: Claire Kelly

Congratulations.

Nga mihi nui atu, na

Poata Eruera, Bradford Haami, Tui Ruwhiu