Post Shoot Weekend Info!
Posted 5th August 2026
The recent 48Hours shoot weekend was a whirlwind of creativity, chaos, and collaboration, with filmmakers from all walks of life coming together to create cinematic magic under extreme time pressure. The stories shared by participants highlight the incredible teamwork, creative problem-solving, and unforgettable moments that made the weekend a resounding success.
At its heart, the 48Hours competition is about people. Many participants cited the sense of camaraderie as the best part of their weekend. As one participant put it, "The friends we made along the way" was the best part of the entire experience.
Out-of-the-Boxd Poster Competition
Thank you for your Out-of-the-Boxd Poster Competition submissions so far! Design a striking poster for your 48Hours film and you could win impressive prizes from our friends at Letterboxd.
This is your chance to get creative and showcase your film in a new way! Submit your poster on our website here and post it in the Facebook group to share with team mates by midnight August 26th.
Find out more about the Letterboxd48 Poster Competition here.
Submit your poster here.
Behind the Scenes Photos
Thank you to those teams who have submitted their behind the scenes photos, it helps us connect the filmmakers with the films.
There is still time to submit your behind the scenes photos to our submission page here. Photos may be used for publicity of 48Hours competition and to help us find funders and sponsors to run in future years. Please add credits in the title of your photos that you submit. We have a few 48Hours tees to give away to our favourite BTS shots.
Heats
The schedule for the Heats is available on the website - https://www.48hours.co.nz/heats/. We will add team names to the schedule over the coming week. Heats will kick off on August 10th and run through to September 6th.
There will be live in person heats screenings all over the motu, head along to engage with your filmmaking community and check out what everyone else has made! Find out where and when your heats screenings are - here.
The Heats will also be live streamed online, which gives a great opportunity to check out films from other regions and join in on voting for audience favourites.
Don't miss out on the action!
Get your tickets now for the Vista Foundation 48Hours Regional Finals and Grand Finals! Experience the best short films New Zealand has to offer. The "Across Aotearoa" final will be streamed for free on the Vista Foundation @48hoursnz YouTube Channel. It's an incredible chance to see amazing filmmaking talent that comes from the greatest filmmaking competition in Aotearoa!
Ōtautahi / Christchurch Regional Final
Date / time - Tuesday 8th September, 5.30pm
Venue - Hoyts EntX Christchurch.
Buy Tickets here - Eventfinda
Across Aotearoa Regional Final
Date / time - Friday 18th September, 5.30pm
Venue - The Across Aotearoa final will be screened as an online premiere on the Vista Foundation @48hoursnz YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/@48Hoursnz
Te Whanganui-a-Tara / Wellington Regional Final
Date / time - Wednesday 23rd September, 7pm
Venue - The Embassy Theatre - 10 Kent Terrace, Wellington
Buy Tickets here - Eventfinda
Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland Regional Final
Date / time - Saturday 19th September, 7pm
Venue - The Hollywood - 20 Saint Georges Road, Avondale, Auckland.
Buy Tickets here - Eventfinda
Grand National Final
This year the Grand National Final will be held in Te Whanganui-a-Tara / Wellington.
Date / Time - Saturday 17th October
Venue - The Embassy Theatre - 10 Kent tce, Wellington
The top 14 films from around the country , plus three Sir Peter Jackson Wildcards will compete for the title of GRAND CHAMPION.
The National Best School winner will also play at the Grand Final.
Buy Tickets here - Eventfinda
Grand National Champion 2026 Prize - Supported by WingNut Films
- The Grand National Champion APEE
- $15,000 cash prize from WingNut Films
- $20,000 worth of post production services from Park Road Post Production
- $15,000 worth of gear hire from Portsmouth Film Equipment Rental
- An exclusive pitch opportunity for the VF48Hours Level Up Grant ($25,000) with Te Tumu Whakaata Taonga / New Zealand Film Commission.
- x1 year Digital Pigeon Freelancer subscription
Screening room and reviews
Our Screening Room is where other people can write reviews about your film. You should make sure you get your unlisted film up on the Screening Room before the heats begin.
Films still in competition:
- Upload your film unlisted on YouTube or Vimeo.
- Create an entry in the Screening Room so you can receive reviews from the 48Hours community.
- Add the share link to your unlisted YouTube or Vimeo link.
- Upload a .JPG thumbnail image to represent your film. Note: Teams must ensure they have copyright clearance for the image or you can use your title card.
- Make sure you tick - ‘in competition’. This means your image will show up in the screening room instead of your film, This ensures you do not share your film publicly until it is out of competition.
If your film is disqualified or out of the competition:
- Upload your film publicly on YouTube or Vimeo
- Create an entry in the Screening Room so you can receive reviews from the 48Hours community.
- Add the share link to your YouTube or Vimeo link.
- Make sure you tick - ‘out of competition’ or ‘disqualified’. Once a film is marked "Out of Competition," either by the team or by an admin in the CMS, the actual video player will replace the thumbnail image.
Here is all of the info about uploading to the screening room: