NZIFF 2021: Akuhata-Brown Announced as NZ’s Best 2021 Jury Award Winner

Congratulations to director Kath Akuhata-Brown (DEGANZ) for receiving the Vista Group Award for Best Short Film for Washday. Kath shares the award and cash prize of $7,500 with director Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu, who won for the film When We Were Kids.

Kath’s film Washday is the story of eight-year-old Hine who mourns for her mother. When her father is busy working, Hine devises a plan to relieve him of his sadness.

The jurors for this year were filmmakers Annie Collins (DEGANZ) and Gaysorn Thavat (DEGANZ), and Matthew Liebmann from Vista Group. The judges called both Akuhata-Brown and Stewart-Te Whiu’s films “very accomplished works of art”, which “demonstrated the best craft” and the “most fully realised storytelling”.

This year marks the tenth anniversary of New Zealand’s Best short film competition. See the full list of winners on NZIFF’s website.

Last updated on 16 November 2021