Young Kiwi filmmakers have less than a month to get their entries in for the International Youth Silent Film Festival (IYSFF) New Zealand Nationals 2022.
The IYSFF is an annual global competition challenging young filmmakers, aged 20 and under (as of April 15, 2022) from across the United States of America, Montenegro, Hungary, Australia, The United Arab Emirates, and New Zealand to create a three-minute silent film set to one of 10 musical scores composed specifically for the festival.
Submissions for the 2022 competition close at 11.59pm on Thursday 1 September. For more information or to enter, visit the IYSSF’s global website at www.makesilentfilm.com
There are prizes for the top three placed films, plus seven ‘Best Of’ category awards to be won. In addition, the top two films will represent Aotearoa New Zealand at the IYSFF Global Awards 2023 in Portland, Oregon, US.
“I would highly recommend getting together with your mates and coming up with something to enter into this competition. Some really amazing stuff can come from some creative minds cooperating on projects like these,” said IYSFF Global Awards 2022 supreme winner Dylan Pritchard.
The 19-year-old Napier filmmaker, who placed second in the IYSFF NZ Nationals 2021, won first place at the global awards with his animated film The Climb, which 2022 celebrity juror Tom Desanto (producer, X Men, Transformers) hailed as an amazing piece of work that “accomplished so much heart and so much technical finesse”.
Along with the adulation from the panel of three celebrity jurors and being dubbed ‘best of the best’ globally in 2022, Dylan also took home a cash prize of US $3000 for The Climb.
After two years of hosting online ceremonies due to the pandemic, in 2022 the top 15 Kiwi filmmakers will walk the red carpet at the New Zealand National Awards Final when the ceremony returns to the home of the IYSFF in Aotearoa, Baycourt Community & Arts Centre, on Wednesday 16 November.
The New Zealand organising team are also thrilled to announce that in attendance this year will be American philanthropist and IYSFF founder Jon ‘JP’ Palanuk, along with official composer Nathan Avakian who will perform the top 15 films’ soundtracks live on Baycourt’s mighty Wurlitzer Theatre Organ.
“The IYSFF provides an amazing opportunity for young Kiwi creatives to share their stories and imagination with all of Aotearoa, and indeed, globally too,” said Baycourt manager Reena Snook.”
“We love it when the entries start rolling in, and we’re blown away every year by the superb quality of the films. I encourage anyone still debating whether to get involved this year to take the plunge – join the hundreds of other young creatives across the world as they celebrate the art of filmmaking and storytelling.”
The IYSFF NZ Nationals 2022 is delivered with support from major media partner The Breeze Tauranga 95.8FM.
For rules, soundtracks, or to make a submission visit the IYSFF’s website at www.makesilentfilm.com or for more information about the IYSFF NZ National 2022 competition visit www.baycourt.co.nz/iysffnz
