2026 Oscar Qualifying Award Winners announced
The winners of this year’s prestigious Show Me Shorts awards have been unveiled. The coveted Best New Zealand Film Award, which is an Oscar-qualifying category, went to producer Julie Zhu and writer-director Ana Chaya Scotney for their emotional coming-of-age drama Kurī. The film follows a young woman returning to Te Urewera after her father’s death, where she must confront grief and a childhood fear.
Oscar-winning Danish director Martin Strange-Hansen, who was one of the jurors, comments: “Kurī is strong in every aspect of its filmmaking. From the magnetic acting to the beautifully shot imagery, and the well-paced editing, though to the clear voiced direction.”
Keporah Torrance, who stars in Kurī, was celebrated for her performance, taking home the Toi Whakaari Best Actor Award. Jury member Carol Hirschfeld commented: “Keporah Torrence's performance is gut-wrenching - she succeeds in creating a character whose damage makes her both vulnerable and untouchable.”
Bob & C-Nut: A Good Way to Start the Day received the DEGANZ Best Editor Award. Directed and produced by Anna Frances Pearson, the heartwarming documentary follows real life friends Bob and Connor, who share a love of skateboarding, music and double entendres despite an age gap of almost 40 years. “This film demonstrates how you don't have to have the biggest budget to make an impact on an audience,” says Francesca Rudkin from the awards jury. “The way this film revealed these characters to us, and the pacing of the story kept us engaged, and thinking about it long after the film had ended.”
French drama Soleil Pâle (Pale Sun), directed by Adrian Moyse Dullin and Jawahine Zentar, received the Best International Film Award, an Oscar-qualifying category. The film follows 12-year-old Abel, who feels ashamed of his father’s body after it has been marked by cancer. Jury member Steve Newall says, “Fear, shame, embarrassment and family collide to winning effect in Soleil Pâle (Pale Sun), which uses subtle screenwriting, assured filmmaking and strong performances to land its emotional punches - heartbreaking and heartwarming.”
Here is the full list of Show Me Shorts award winners:
Best New Zealand Film: Julie Zhu and Ana Chaya Scotney for Kurī
Best International Film: Lucas Tothe, Jessica Arfuso, Adrian Moyse Dullin and Jawahine Zentar for Soleil Pâle (Pale Sun) (France)
Toi Whakaari Best Actor: Keporah Torrance for Kurī
DEGANZ Best Director: Tom Noakes for The Worm
DEGANZ Best Editor: Anna Frances Pearson for Bob & C-Nut: A Good Way to Start the Day
Kōawa Studios Best Cinematographer: Tim Flower for Socks
Script to Screen Best Screenplay: Jack Woon for 埋單Let’s Settle This!
Show Me Shorts Film Festival is screening nationwide from 7 to 31 October 2026. The individual winning films are scattered throughout the collections of short films available at the festival. They can also be found packaged together as one Award Winners collection, with upcoming screenings in Matakana, Christchurch, Arrowtown, Tauranga and Thames.
Voting is currently underway for the People’s Choice Award, which will be presented at the conclusion of the festival. Audience members can vote for their favourite film to win this award via www.showmeshorts.co.nz.
An additional award was presented at Wellington Opening Night last week. Dame Miranda Harcourt received the Short Film Spirit Award, recognising her outstanding contribution to the short film community over many years. “Miranda has a way of empowering people, while also being wonderfully critical and astute. She lifts everyone in the room. She's a national treasure,” says local filmmaker Alyx Duncan.
