Across Aotearoa

The Across Aotearoa region brings together teams from communities throughout New Zealand and around the world outside Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

Representing a wide range of locations, experiences and voices. These teams compete together in one regional final that celebrates filmmaking talent from across Aotearoa and overseas.

Dean Hewison

I first entered 48HOURS in 2004, and have taken part nearly every year since then - if not competing, then as a judge.

My team has won the Wellington final three times, and the National final twice (with "The Sleeping Plot" and "Good Girl").

I'm stoked to help bring 48HOURS across Aotearoa this year, and am excited to see what creative madness comes out of this year's competition.

A long-time 48Hours participant, Dean now brings his passion and expertise to the role of ‘Across Aotearoa’ Manager in 2026, supporting the next wave of regional filmmakers.

Email Dean

Regional Final

Friday 18th September - 7pm \\ Livestreamed on the @48Hoursnz YouTube Channel

Heats

All Across Aotearoa heats will stream online on the 48hours YouTube Channel

There will also be local viewing parties at these locations.

Ōtepoti/Dunedin - TBC

Tūranganui-a-Kiwa/Gisborne - Sunday 30th August
Odeon Multiplex, 79 Gladstone Road \\ 6:30PM - 7:45PM

BOP/Tauranga - Tuesday 25th August.
The Village Cinema, 17th Avenue \\ 6PM - 8.30PM

Kirikiriroa/Hamilton - TBC

Ngāmotu/New Plymouth - TBC

Whakatū/Nelson - TBC

Ahuriri/Napier/Hawkes Bay - Thursday 20th August.
Globe Theatrette \\ 4:30PM - 7PM

Waihōpai/Invercargill - Friday 28th August
SIT Invercargill, 133 Tay Street \\ 6pm

The heats schedule will be updated with session times as soon as we're ready to announce.

Judges

Anna Middleton

Originally trained in ballet and contemporary dance, Anna Middleton toured internationally as a singer and entertainer before pivoting to storytelling through the lens of a camera. A graduate of the New Zealand Broadcasting School in 2003, Anna had the privilege of building her early career working on TVCs, music videos, short films, and features. In 2007, she co-founded Flying Saucer Films, a boutique video and stills production company, crafting compelling content for tourism, govt, and corporate clients.

She served as a Board Member of the Visual Effects Professionals Guild (VFXG) and worked as a Department Manager at Wētā FX, where she spent a decade recruiting and mentoring exceptional visual effects talent from around the motu. Passionate about nurturing our next-gen creatives, Anna appreciates artistic flair, technical innovation, and human-centred storytelling.

Robin Murphy

Robin has worked in the New Zealand film industry as a freelancer for 45 years on both local and international productions. She’s crewed on feature films, television drama, TVC’s and online content ranging from costume for the 1981 kiwi classic feature film Goodbye Pork Pie, through to supervising location manager and asst director for The Lord Of The Rings trilogy and King Kong. She’s also location managed TV shows such as Outrageous Fortune, Power Rangers, One Of Us Is Lying, The Gone, and After The Party.

Over the past 25 years, in-between paid gigs, Robin has also produced nine short films, three web series and most recently, the NZ feature films Births, Deaths and Marriages, Lowdown Dirty Criminals and PUNCH.

Having returned to her home base in Hawkes Bay in 2017, Robin still travels regularly around Aotearoa for freelance film work on local and international productions, and enjoys spending time working with emerging filmmakers on their journey from script to screen.

Amie Richardson

An award-winning journalist for newspapers and magazines, Amie first joined the media industry as a reporter for the NZ Herald and Sunday Star-Times. Her TV work has included various roles from development through to research, script writing, and associate producing in documentaries, docu-drama, tele features, short films, and factual series.

In 2010 she became a board member of Short Film Otago, producing, script editing, and executive producing various funded short films. Amie currently works for Save the Children as Communications, Media and Campaigns Director.

Tom Scott-Toft

Tom Scott-Toft is an award-winning Sound Designer, Editor, and Mixer, with over 15 years experience. He began his career in sound in Auckland but a move to Wellington in 2011 opened the door to film and TV, with 10 years spent working out of Park Road Post.

Some highlights have been Peter Jackson’s 'They Shall Not Grow Old’, and Lisa Reihana’s 2017 Venice Biennale featured art installation, ‘In Pursuit of Venus [Infected]’. Recent work includes ‘The House Within’, Taika Waititi’s ‘Time Bandits’ series, and ‘Koka’. Now based in Oamaru, Tom freelances on both large and small projects.

Cathasaigh Ó Fiannachta

Cathasaigh Ó Fiannachta is a nonbinary writer and producer based in Kēkerengū, Aotearoa, with more than 15 years of experience developing film and television projects for local and international audiences.

An alumnus of the United World College of South East Asia, Auckland University, and the script department of Shortland Street, Cathasaigh wrote and associate-produced the New Zealand Film Commission-funded shorts Blankets and Dancers, co-wrote Born To Dance (TIFF and Berlinale 2015), and was selected for the 2014 NZFC Ash vs Evil Dead writers internship. They received the 2018 Women in Film & Television "Woman To Watch" Award and the 2019 Vero Beach Wine & Film Festival "Visionary Award" for their directorial debut, Hang Time.

Cathasaigh founded Notwhoreious Games and, in 2024, co-founded genre script development venture Freak Development with writer Andrew Todd. Their latest producing credit, Tim Hamilton's debut feature POP, is set for release later this year.

Miguel Weaver

Miguel Weaver is a former 48 Hours Regional Manager and has been film-making for 19 years. Well-known in Dunedin for his circus antics, theatre work, event management, and balloon-twisting, he has made a great many short films, music videos, and promotional videos, while squeezing in a little acting as well.