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Monday 8am - 5pm Tuesday 8am - 5pm Wednesday 8am - 5pm Thursday 8am - 5pm Friday 8am - 5pm

New Zealand Youth Film Festival

Name: New Zealand Youth Film Festival
Address: Auckland, NZ
Telephone: +6468883160

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New Zealand Youth Film Festival

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The New Zealand Youth Film Festival (NZYFF) is a non-profit initiative dedicated to finding, celebrating, and empowering the next generation of New Zealand filmmakers and creators.

11/07/2026

2026 Australia Youth Film Festival RMIT University Best Animation Winner - 'The Runaway Horses' From Daien Ngeiw.

Congratulations to 'The Runaway Horses' on winning the 2026 Australia Youth Film Festival (AUYFF) RMIT University Best Animation award in Melbourne, Victoria.

Synopsis:
A stray dog with a fascination for taking the train, his journey unfolding a story surrounding life and fate.

About The Entrant:
Recently graduated from RMIT University with a degree in Bachelor of Animation and Interactive Media, Daien aspires to eventually run her own design practice, combining traditional drawing skills with modern design technologies. Her vast range of passions converges within a visual tribute that is her graduate film, ‘The Runaway Horses’.

Originally from Malaysia, she is currently based in Melbourne, Australia, as a multidisciplinary artist. At the age of 22, she is an aspiring director/writer, currently co-founding 'Studio Spyte', an animation studio aimed towards underrepresented communities.

www.auyff.com

Photos by Jeremy Davinson.

04/07/2026

Some stories make us think. Others make us laugh while holding up a mirror to the world around us.

Today, we're highlighting William Genat and Ocker Couture, a comedy that follows a fashion designer and photographer on a journey through the Australian Outback in pursuit of the perfect campaign shot.

Inspired by a road trip across Australia and the humour of classic mockumentaries, Ocker Couture playfully explores ambition, creativity, and the lengths people will go to for the perfect image.

Congratulations to William Genat on being shortlisted in the Best Cinematography category at the Australia Youth Film Festival 2026. We look forward to sharing Ocker Couture with our community and celebrating the bold, original voices shaping the future of Australian filmmaking.

Created by Adobe Student Ambassador Angelica Teng.

12/01/2026

We’re proud to reshare this pre-recorded video message from Hon James Meager, Minister for Youth, for the 2025 New Zealand Youth Film Festival (NZYFF).

In his video, the Minister reflects on the role the Ministry of Youth Development played in helping launch the New Zealand Youth Film Festival (NZYFF) through the He Kākano programme with HM King’s Trust Aotearoa New Zealand a few years ago - backing our Festival Director Ryan Chow when he was still a student and aspiring social entrepreneur, and supporting the early foundations of what the Festival has become today.

We’re grateful for that early investment in young leadership and youth creativity, and for the ongoing encouragement of rangatahi storytellers across Aotearoa.

The New Zealand Youth Film Festival (NZYFF) is proudly apolitical - we welcome ideas and perspectives from everyone, and our focus remains on celebrating and championing young creators.

06/01/2026

We are so proud to celebrate Shaz Bell and Lewis Candy, the brilliant minds behind 'Echoes of the Wild' (Victoria University of Wellington Master of Design Technology), who took home the Wētā FX Best Visual Effects Award at the 2025 New Zealand Youth Film Festival (NZYFF) in Auckland, New Zealand.

As part of their win, the team was invited to Wellington for an exclusive lunch at Wētā FX. They spent the afternoon diving deep into the world of VFX with industry legends: Senior VFX Supervisor Guy Williams and Marketing Content Producer Clare Burgess.

At the New Zealand Youth Film Festival (NZYFF) and Australia Youth Film Festival (AUYFF), our mission as part of the Pedestal group is to bridge the gap between emerging talent and the global industry. Seeing our winners gain insights from the masters behind works like Avatar and The Batman is exactly why we do what we do 🇳🇿🇦🇺

Huge thanks to Wētā FX for their unwavering support since day one. We can’t wait to see where Shaz and Lewis go next!

16/12/2025

Happy holidays from the Australia Youth Film Festival (AUYFF) & New Zealand Youth Film Festival (NZYFF)!

We’re hibernating for a few weeks - can’t wait to see you in the new year 🇦🇺🇳🇿✨

05/12/2025

2025 New Zealand Youth Film Festival (NZYFF) Best Overall Film Winner - 'Tidy Kiwi' From James Kevin Gray

And last but certainly not least, a massive congratulations to James Kevin Gray and 'Tidy Kiwi' on winning the 2025 New Zealand Youth Film Festival (NZYFF) Best Overall Film award in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland!

A special thank you from us at the New Zealand Youth Film Festival (NZYFF) and Pedestal to HM King's Trust Aotearoa New Zealand and Beth Gibbes, Youth Enterprise Lead for presenting this year's award at our Award Ceremony event.

Synopsis:
"Are we really Tidy Kiwi's?"

About The Entrant:
'Kia ora! My name is James Kevin and my whānau are from Taranaki. But I was born in Singapore! I went to university at Te Herenga Waka.'

www.nzyff.com

03/12/2025

2025 New Zealand Youth Film Festival (NZYFF) Wētā FX Best Visual Effects Winner - 'Echoes of the Wild' From Shaz Bell

Woah!!! Congrats to 'Echoes of the Wild' from Shaz Bell on winning the 2025 New Zealand Youth Film Festival (NZYFF) Wētā FX Best Visual Effects award in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.

Synopsis:
"Echoes of the Wild follows a boy who escapes the weight of chaos at home by venturing into an otherworldly forest. There, he encounters the Mossmane—a towering, moss-clad echo of his childhood toy—and together they confront haunting shadows in a quiet story of fear, memory, and resilience."

About The Entrant:
'Kia Ora, I’m Shaz Bell — originally from Whakatāne, now based in Wellington after studying at Victoria University of Wellington. Our short film Echoes of the Wild, shortlisted for the Weta FX: Best FX Award, was created as part of our Master of Design Technology capstone — a project where a small team of five of us poured everything we’d learned into crafting something imaginative, emotional, and a little bit otherworldly.'

www.nzyff.com

02/12/2025

2025 New Zealand Youth Film Festival (NZYFF) BGI Thematic Resonance Winner - 'Ito Ang Aking Pinanggagalingan (This Is Where I'm Coming From)' From Meggy Laguda

A massive congratulations to 'Ito Ang Aking Pinanggagalingan (This Is Where I'm Coming From)' on winning the first-ever BGI Thematic Resonance award at the 2025 New Zealand Youth Film Festival (NZYFF) in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.

Synopsis:
"After migrating to suburban Aotearoa from the Philippines, 17 year old Sabina tries to relearn an old dance whilst dealing with her late Lola’s (grandmother) death from across the world."

About The Entrant:
'Meggy Laguda is a Filipina/Kiwi film maker from Tāmaki Makaurau, trained in screenwriting, directing and design. She is passionate about empathetic storytelling, sharing in human experience and paying it forward. Ito Ang Aking Pinanggagalingan (This Is Where I’m Coming From) was developed and produced for her final student project with upcoming talent and crew. It has since won the National Top Prize for the Yoobee Colleges Sweet Suite Awards. Meggy hopes to write and direct scripted features and series that build upon a culture where industry opportunities are accessible, available and encouraged for P.O.C. rangatahi.'

www.nzyff.com

Address

Auckland

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 5pm
Tuesday	8am - 5pm
Wednesday	8am - 5pm
Thursday	8am - 5pm
Friday	8am - 5pm

Telephone

+6468883160

Website

http://www.nzyff.com/

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