Festival Intern 01/09/2025 Festival Intern 01/09/2025

Vista Foundation Industry Day

Calling short film makers, students and anyone interested in learning more about what goes on behind the scenes in making movies. Join us for a day of interactive professional development workshops, filmmaker talks, networking and screenings of short films. Tickets provide entry to all of the following events.

1 Filmmaker Talk*

Learn more about making short films in this moderated discussion with three top short filmmakers. Hear candid stories, watch the short films and get the opportunity to ask questions.

Speakers & films screening:

Alyx Duncan, director of Still Life
Chunjing Zhang, director of 立秋 (Untitled) (China)
Raymond Edwards, director of Ace

Sun 12 Oct, 12:00-1:30 pm
Academy Cinemas, 44 Lorne Street, Auckland
Rating: to be advised

*Tickets to this session are included for Industry Day passholders, but can also be purchased separately.

2 Growing Animation in Aotearoa

The animation sector of New Zealand's screen industry is poised for growth. Driven by a combination of local talent, government support and increasing global collaboration. The emphasis on storytelling and cultural representation continues to make New Zealand a significant player in the animation landscape. How can we foster this growth and position for the future?

Speakers:

Professor Sun Lijun - Vice Chair of Beijing Film Academy, lecturer and multi-award winning director; director of 门神 (Door Gods).
Ryan Cooper - co-founder of Mukpuddy Auckland animation studio who recently completed work on Bad Jelly.
Allan George - award winning writer, director, editor and colourist; writer/director of Mirumiru.

3 Speed Networking

Structured networking that gets you in front of key programmers and content curators from New Zealand and abroad. Practice pitching your film and meet great people. Afternoon tea is on us.

Table Hosts: Dale Corlett - Script to Screen, Tui Ruwhiu - DEGANZ, Professor Sun Lijun - Beijing Film Academy, Jaime Smith - Whakaata Maori, Hayley Weston - NZFC, Robert Gough - TVNZ, Tim Burnell - RNZ, Sally Moodabe - Film Auckland, Jessie Liu - PASC

Location: The Classic

4 Casting Top Talent
presented in partnership with DEGANZ

Short films benefit massively from involving high profile talent. Casting can be a daunting prospect for filmmakers starting out. In this panel discussion we hear practical advice about the process for approaching well known actors and rising stars.

Speakers:

Kate McGill - actor/director/casting director, directed Farm
Tanea Heke - actor, and Tumuaki & Poutūhono at Toi Whakaari NZ Drama School
Mike Minogue - actor/casting director

5 Awards Ceremony

Acknowledge and celebrate our best and brightest filmmaking talent. Show Me Shorts is an Oscar-qualifying film festival, meaning the winners of the top awards will become qualified for entry to the Academy Awards®! Glass of celebratory bubbles provided.

Prizes will be presented in these categories: