2020 Winners

About the VF48HOURS LOCKDOWN

In 2020, due to Covid-19, organisers had to make the tough decision to postpone the competition. While filmmakers across Aotearoa understood the reasoning - their disappointment was palpable.

Feeling the creative longing of a nation in distress, the 48HOURS team jumped into action - applying and receiving NZ on Air funding to host the most extreme filmmaking competition the country had ever seen.

Under Level 4 lockdown, the competition’s rules were stricter than ever before. With the number one rule for all; stay in your bubble and make a short film in just 48 hours. The best of the bunch would then compete in a primetime television special.

With 10K prize money up for grabs, the floodgates opened and the nation responded with 2118 creative teams entering, a record-breaking number.

Numerous acclaimed creative industry heavyweights helped Judge this year's competition including Peter Jackson, Edgar Wright, Ellen Wong, Cliff Curtis, Jennifer Ward Leyland, Adam Wingard, Karyn Kusama and more.

VF48HOURS: LOCKDOWN was made with the support of New Zealand on Air, The Vista Foundation and The New Zealand Film Commission, with broadcast partners TVNZ and The Spinoff.