Literary superstar Eleanor Catton will moonlight as a judge at this year’s New Zealand International Film Festival.
The Luminaries author and the youngest-ever Man Booker Prize winner will judge six finalists in the festival’s annual New Zealand’s Best short film competition.
Catton will be joined on the jury by Australian film-maker Rolf de Heer (Charlie’s Country, Ten Canoes), and Madman Entertainment representative Michael Eldred.
“Though it’s a jury of only three, we like the lineup of judges to be as diverse as the lineup of films contending for their attention,” NZIFF director Bill Gosden said.
“We aim to embrace the wider culture beyond film on the panel too, so we were delighted that Eleanor Catton agreed to join film-maker Rolf de Heer and Madman’s Michael Eldred on this year’s jury.”
They will award one film the $5000 Madman Entertainment Jury Prize and another the $3000 Friends of the Civic Short Film Award for distinctive creative achievement.
The films are Leo Woodhead’s Cold Snap, Abigail Greenwood’s Eleven, James Cunningham’s Over the Moon, Hamish Bennett’s Ross & Beth, Leon Wadham and Eli Kent’s School Night and Gregory King’s U.F.O.
They were selected by international film-maker Andrew Adamson from a short list of 12, which was prepared by Gosden and festival programmer Michael McDonnell.
The films will screen in Auckland on July 26 and winners will be announced on the closing night of the festival’s Auckland leg on August 3.
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– Stuff
