DEGANZ members’ work is being showcased across Aotearoa and around the globe at a range of film festivals. It’s always inspiring to see our members’ mahi, whether drama shorts or documentary features, being recognised and shared with wider audiences.
Join us in celebrating these wins by checking out this list of films from 10 members, in both directing and editing roles.
Writer/Director: Agnes Peel-McGregor (professionally known as Bagins)
Agnes’ debut feature Blood and Bark (formerly The Root People) is a quarter finalist for Square Peg Social, the professional development programme from Hollywood heavy hitters Lars Knudsen and Ari Aster. The team behind the wildly popular horror films Midsommar, Hereditary, and more founded the programme to bolster the next generation of filmmakers through one-on-one mentorship and advice from industry professionals.
Director: Edward Sampson
After its run in Doc Edge, the feature documentary Devils on Horses screened in the Boston International Film Festival.
Set against the brutal backdrop of the Sinai-Palestine campaigns in WWI, the film reveals the unbreakable bond between soldiers and their horses, who were trusted companions that offered comfort, courage, and connection in the face of unrelenting war. Through rich visuals, raw interviews, and immersive reenactments, Devils on Horses brings to life the emotional journey of men who found strength in their steeds.
Invisible Dragons
Writer/Director: Victoria Boult
Editor: Jack Woon
Following its premiere at the Bend Film Festival in Oregon, Invisible Dragons is heading to the Hawai’i International Film Festival as part of the Pacific Islander Showcase and is nominated for Best Short Film.
In rural Aotearoa, Ayala confronts her estranged, conspiracy-obsessed father, Stephen, in his isolated ramshackle fortress — where he now lives as a self-proclaimed lizard person. With her mother’s ashes in hand, Ayala pleads for him to return to reality. But as the line between delusion and belief blurs, Ayala must face a chilling question: what if he’s not entirely wrong?
Writer/Director/Editor: Lucy Seuss
This narrative short film is continuing its massively successful festival run, heading to the UK for the 44th Cambridge Film Festival, Germany for the Hofer International Film Festival, and continuing its USA run with the Newport Beach Film Festival. The film has travelled to a wide range of festivals across the globe already, including Aotearoa’s own NZIFF and Australia’s MIFF.
In rural New Zealand, a fifteen-year-old girl fights to keep her place among the pack of boys she has grown up with.
Writer/Director: Pon Torthienchai
Editor: Jolin Lee
Rice Run is celebrating its world premiere at the 20th Tasveer Film Festival and Market, the world’s only Oscar-qualifying South Asian Film festival.
The narrative short follows 9-year-old Tent on his rice run when he encounters three unruly teens who challenge his sense of duty.
This year, 20 short films have been officially selected for the Misty Flicks Film Festival, including three from DEGANZ members!
From heartfelt to haunting, playful to provocative, these shorts celebrate the diversity of voices, genres, and perspectives in Aotearoa filmmaking. They’re proof that powerful storytelling doesn’t need long run times – just vision, courage, and creativity.
PleasureDora
Director and Editor: Mark Prebble
A glitchy AI love companion from the ‘semi-mature’ range and her lonely final customer confront mortality, second chances, and life on the scrap heap.
The Box
Director: Ashley Pitman
Two police officers must lie in wait to ambush their target; however, their mission isn’t exactly what it seems.
Tomorrow
Writer/Director: Christopher Lambert
Middle-aged Marcus feels he is a failure in everything he does. However, one night, while failing in an attempt to end his life, he encounters a mysterious woman in a bar that will change his life forever.
Last updated on 9 October 2025
