PR 9 July, Auckland NZ: A total of 35 films have been selected to screen in competition at this year’s Uni Shorts International Student Film Festival on 12-14 September in Auckland, New Zealand. Uni Shorts chair, Alex Lee says the quality of this year’s entries was very high which made it challenging for the pre-judging panel. He was also rapt at the record number of entries. “In our first year we received less than a 100 entries, but this year we received close to 200 films with 190 entries,” he says.

Film entries were received from as far away as Eastern Europe, Asia, USA, Middle East and the UK, with a notable jump in interest from film and design schools, universities and polytechnic institutions on both sides of the Tasman in Australia and New Zealand. There was also strong interest from New Zealand secondary schools for the high school category.

There is a strong European flavour in the list of finalists with German film schools particularly prominent in the undergraduate and postgraduate fiction categories. However, New Zealand entries dominate in the animation and experimental categories. Hauraki College is the surprise of the New Zealand Secondary Schools category with two films making it into the top five which will vie for the main prize. The final decision now lies with the judges with the overall award to be decided by audience vote during the festival.

Uni Shorts 2014 will see film and design students, emerging filmmakers, educators and industry guests converge on Unitec Institute of Technology in Auckland for a weekend of screenings and panel sessions. It will culminate in an awards night where the winning films will be announced. The list of guest speakers and main judges will be announced soon.

“We cordially invite students, new filmmakers as well as educators for what will be a weekend of exciting dialogue about the issues important to them in today’s ever diversifying filmmaking landscape,” explains Lee. “Plus there will be some amazing short films being screened reflecting the emerging new talent heading into the industry.”

You can buy tickets to attend Uni Shorts at www.unishorts.unitec.ac.nz
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FINALISTS FOR UNI SHORTS 2014

Animation
Omega – Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design (Germany)
Madman – ACG Yoobee School of Design (New Zealand)
Falling Star – Hong Kong Polytechnic (Hong Kong)
The Skin Factory – Griffith Film School (Australia)
Abraham – ACG Yoobee School of Design (New Zealand)

Non-Narrative (Experimental)
In Vitro – Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand)
Sleeping Dream – ACG Yoobee School of Design (New Zealand)
Dream State – ACG Yoobee School of Design (New Zealand)
Change – ACG Yoobee School of Design (New Zealand)
Classroom – Columbia College Chicago (United States)

Documentary
Monodidi: four phases of one – University of Auckland (New Zealand)
Sorry to Interrupt – University of Applied Science Berlin (Germany)
Tumbang Preso (Jailbreak) – AUT (New Zealand)
Motor Mouth – Staffordshire University (England)
Home in Mind – Freie Universität Berlin (Germany)

Secondary Schools
The Break Up – Saint Kentigerns College
One Tree Hill – Hauraki Plains College
Just over the fence – Hauraki Plains College
Adeo – Newlands School
Predator – Kapiti College

Undergraduate Fiction
At the Door – German Film and Television Academy (Germany)
Bahar in Wonderland – School Of Art And Design Kassel (Germany)
Birdsong – NZ Film and TV School (New Zealand)
It’s Dark in the City – German Film and Television Academy Berlin (Germany)
Los Demonios (Demons) – ECAM (Spain)
Herrmann – Kaskeline Filmakademie (Germany)
Terapia – ECAM (Spain)
White Night – Academy of Media Arts Cologne (Germany)
SNIP – Canterbury University (New Zealand)
Syrenia – Unitec (New Zealand)

Postgraduate Fiction
Where We Are – Hamburg Media School (Germany)
Not less than 50kg – Karpenko-Kary Kyiv National University of Theatre, Cinema & TV (Ukraine)
Old School – Hamburg Media School (Germany)
For Lotte – Hamburg Media School (Germany)
Dog Walker – Hamburg Media School (Germany)

ENDS/

For more information: Peter Rees (Publicist and Festival Coordinator) unishorta@unitec.ac.nz (+64) 9 815 4321