‘Invisible Dragons’ to Premiere at Bend Film Festival

DEGANZ member Victoria Boult‘s newest short film, Invisible Dragons, edited by Jack Woon (DEGANZ), is heading to the Bend Film Festival in Oregon, USA, for its world premiere in October.

The short is set in Aotearoa’s remote bush and is included in the festival’s Indigenous Shorts collection. Nineteen-year-old Ayala treks to the isolated hideout of her estranged father, Stephen — a man who now lives in a ramshackle conspiracy-theorist fortress wearing a lizard suit. Ayala attempts to reconnect over cockroach stew and heartbreak, revealing the death of her mother and begging him to return to reality. As Stephen refuses to budge, the film examines what happens when belief and grief collide.

The short’s script, written by Victoria, was developed at the Show Me Shorts Screenwriting Lab. In 2023, the film received funding through NZFC’s Kōpere Hou – Fresh Shorts program.

Congratulations team!

 

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Day One Showing Shorts at Show Me Shorts

Day One Hāpai te Haeata is partnering with Show Me Shorts to host the world premiere of this year’s eight Day One Shorts, which involve the work of five DEGANZ members.

Day One is a supportive community that provides rangatahi with the tools, guidance, and opportunities to share stories on screen. Each year, it commissions a series of short films by new filmmakers from across Aotearoa that explore cultural, social and political issues by taking story risks, pushing the envelope, and looking to the future.

Show Me Shorts is Aotearoa’s leading international short film festival, connecting local audiences with short films and sharing Aotearoa’s short films with the world. Its annual competitive festival is Academy Awards® and BAFTA-accredited and screens in more than 35 cinemas nationwide.

In the press release announcing the collaboration, Day One Hāpai te Haeata Executive Director Chris Widdup says,

Since 2017, Day One has commissioned over fifty films from new screen voices, and we are very excited and honoured to be partnering with Show Me Shorts to help connect the filmmakers to as broad an audience as possible for our latest crop of films. For the films to be setting out into the world with the stamp of approval that Show Me Shorts represents is an amazing tautoko.

 

Read more about DEGANZ members’ films below:

O Alofa Nei, O Alofa Nā (Love Me, Love You)

Writer/Director: Giselle Ilaoa

Manaia, a young woman caught between expectation and self-acceptance, finds herself confronting her repressed sexuality when a chance reunion with her first love stirs old feelings.

Ata Pūao

Producer: Angel Kameta

Amid the nightlife of a new city, a young Māori trans woman reckons with safety, isolation, and the fragile bonds of old friendships outgrown — as the promise of belonging rises just beyond the horizon.

Fearlessli

Writer/Director: Lee Li

Producer & Editor: Tyler Redmond

After her gender identity was denied in her homeland, Lee Li, a transgender asylum seeker, embarks on a journey toward belonging, freedom, and self-empowerment.

Frozen – My Eggs and Me

Writer/Director/Co-Producer: Shamin Yazdani

Single and approaching a mid-thirties birthday, Shamin, a first-generation New Zealander, confronts the question she’s long been avoiding: should she freeze her eggs?

 

Show Me Shorts will host the Day One Shorts Premiere at Academy Cinemas Auckland on Saturday, 11 October at 3:45pm. Tickets are sold out!

 

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The Best of Ngā Whanaunga: NZ’s Best

DEGANZ members scooped up multiple awards at this year’s awards ceremony for Ngā Whanaunga: Aotearoa New Zealand’s Best!

The jury awarded Ira Hetaraka‘s Womb the competition’s top prize, the Umbrella Best Short Film Award. Growing Still, edited by fellow members Adam-Luka Turjak and Margot Francis, won the Auckland Live Spirit of the Civic Award. Stage Challenge by Stella Reid received the Wellington UNESCO Creative City of Film Emerging Talent Award. Additionally, Nora Aati of I Am Not Your Dusky Maiden, directed by Vea Mafile’o, was awarded Best Performance.

Meanwhile, the audience loved Jack Woon‘s Let’s Settle This, which took home the Audience Award, determined by crowd voting from both Auckland and Wellington.

Congratulations to the filmmakers!

 

Check out the full list of awards below:

Umbrella Entertainment Best Short Film Award:
Womb by Ira Hetaraka

Auckland Live Spirit of the Civic Award:
Growing Still by Alyx Duncan

Wellington UNESCO Creative City of Film Emerging Talent Award:
Stage Challenge by Stella Reid

Letterboxd Award for Māori Pasifika Talent:
Mirumiru by Allan George
Picking Crew by Tanu Gago

Best Performance Award:
Nora Aati for I Am Not Your Dusky Maiden by Vea Mafile’o

Best Artistic Contribution Award:
Michael Cong for the Cinematography of When the Geese Flew by Arthur Gay

Special Mention:
Nausea by Elliott Louis McKee

Audience Award:
Let’s Settle This by Jack Woon
Runner-Ups:
Chrysanthemum by Jolin Lee
Picking Crew by Tanu Gago

 

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Awarau Premieres His Fourth Short Film of 2025

DEGANZ member Aroha Awarau has had a busy year, releasing four short films in 2025. His latest, Faded, premiered at the Worldwide Smartphone Film Festival in Australia on 16 August.

Faded is a two-minute documentary delivering a bold commentary on homelessness and social decay in Hollywood. It was shot and edited entirely on Aroha’s iPhone in under two hours – right on the iconic steps of the Dolby Theatre, home of the Oscars.

The idea came spontaneously while Awarau was in Los Angeles in May for the international premiere of Puti, his short film directorial debut, at the Beverly Hills Film Festival. During his Hollywood visit, Awarau was struck by the stark contrast between the red carpet glamour and the surrounding poverty. Compelled by what he witnessed, he began capturing the scenes that would later become Faded.

Aroha comments on the unique nature of the project, saying,

Faded proves how much the landscape of filmmaking has changed. Sometimes all you need is a story, a phone, and a place to sit – even if it’s on the same steps where they hand out Oscars.

Congratulations on the release, Aroha! We look forward to seeing what comes next.

 

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‘Tinā’ Breaks Records and Joins Aotearoa NZ Film History

Tinā is the gift that keeps on giving! The feature, edited by Luke Haigh (DEGANZ), has cemented itself in Aotearoa’s film history, securing the fifth spot on the Top Ten Most Successful Kiwi Films list, just overtaking Whale Rider.

    1. Hunt For the Wilderpeople (2016) – $12,207,699
    2. Boy (2010) – $9,322,000
    3. The World’s Fastest Indian (2005) – $7,059,147
    4. Once Were Warriors (1994) – $6,801,471
    5. Tinā (2025) – $6,498,469  
    6. Whale Rider (2003) – $6,496,371
    7. Sione’s Wedding (2006) – $4,075,000
    8. What Becomes of the Broken Hearted (1999) – $3,201,000
    9. What We Do in the Shadows (2014) – $2,595,000
    10. Footrot Flats (1986) – $2,400,000

Tinā had one of the widest releases for a local film, reaching 132 locations. Its debut set a solid precedent, breaking the third-highest opening week of all time for a local film, just behind Hunt for the Wilderpeople and Sione’s 2: Unfinished Business.

NZ Film Commission CEO, Annie Murray, comments on the success:

Breaking into the top five most successful New Zealand films of all time, and surpassing a beloved classic like Whale Rider, is no small feat. Tinā’s success in Aotearoa, combined with cinematic release in Australia and the United States, proves a distinctly local story can resonate globally. Its themes of grief, community, hope, and love speak to the human condition. Crucially, Tinā also shows that commercial and critical success are not mutually exclusive. When we invest in stories that speak to who we are, audiences show up in force.

It’s been thrilling watching the film’s success. Congratulations to Luke and the team!

 

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