2026 Winners

2026 Winners

The 2026 competition was the 23rd year of the Vista Foundation 48Hours competition. It culminated in the top 18 films and best school film screening at the Grand Final at the Embassy Theatre in Te Whanganui-a-Tara on October 17th.

Below are all the nominees and winners. You can view and review them on our Screening Room.

2026 Grand Champion

NAN! By Taste of Kiwi

2026 National Runner up

The Dap by MO3PEPS ™

Grand Finalists

A Product of My Imagination An Evening With Plan B Busby Films EAR WORM. Enormous Head LLC Mother of all Heists Froblin The Last Train to Pound Town Glitter Swarm Sir Peter Jackson Wildcard Hiccupocalypse Glowtime Hacked Off Inclusive Performance Academy Headspace Lukewarm Lunch The Dap MO3PEPS ™ RUIN Peaked in Film School Sir Peter Jackson Wildcard Twin Flame Permanently Confused Sir Peter Jackson Wildcard Koera Pikitia Rangihaeata love you, baby rip focus: Tokyo Drift Sir Peter Jackson Wildcard Nudity Sealami NAN! Taste of Kiwi RaveYard The Horny Owls Defiance Twotors & Co. Sir Peter Jackson Wildcard The Apparishioners Typhoid Films

Shortlisted Films

Free Cinematic LUTS - A Man of Great Taste
Killing Karma Studios - Puppet or Prejudice
Midnight Sunburn - Chrono-Narcos
Pixel Pixies - You'd Make A Good Tree
Rabid Aunty Jean - Bomb Busters
Spanko - The Host
Standard Deviants - COMMIT

2026 Grand National Winners

National Best School Team

Supported by Rubber Monkey

ENDLESS by Silver Shadow

Nominees:
HVHS for the wings - Presidents and Assholes
Step On No Pets - Family Game Fight
The Bourgeoisie - Family Kids

Couch Kumara Best Comedy

Froblin - Mother of all Heists

Nominees:
Busby Films - Plan B
Inclusive Performance Academy - Hacked Off
The Russell Crew - Jackson

Best Solo/Duo Team - Chosen by Ant Timpson

Reuben.T.Edwards - The Caricature

Nominees:
Silver Shadow - Endless
Toot Toot - Campaign
Girl in the Mirror - Lost Cat

Best Disqualified Film

Jovial Entertainment - Colleagues

Nominees:
Lewton Bus Studios - Loose Ends
Over and Out - The Night of the Weapon: The Game
Seriously Goose - The Last Word

Dame Gaylene Preston and WIFT
Outstanding Female / Gender Diverse Filmmaker

Permanently Confused - Hweiling Ow

Nominees:
Enormous Head LLC - Lex Hodge
Glitter Swarm - Annabelle Snelling
Sealami - Alice Gatland

Best Original Score/Song

RS Productions - Magnum Opus

Nominees:
Out for Lunch - Cover Your Ears
Pixel Pixies - You'd Make A Good Tree
Sealami - Nudity

National Best Sound Design - Supported by
Rubber Monkey

Bus of the Undead - The Paper Run

Nominees:
An Evening With - A Product of My Imagination
Silver Window - Afters
Spanko - The Host

Best Editing

Hot Lunch - Revenge On The Number 1 Rule

Nominees:
Froblin - Mother of all Heists
Herms Heroes - ROAD 2 REVENGE
Sealami - Nudity

Wētā FX Best Animation

Sealami - Nudity

Nominees:
Froblin - Mother of all Heists
PlanetFoxFilms - Back to the drawing board
The Immortal Think Tank - Bloom

Best Production Design

Glitter Swarm - The Last Train to Pound Town

Nominees:
An Evening With - A Product of My Imagination
Spanko - The Host
The Great Lake Film Society - S.Q.R.T.

Incredibly Strange Award

Rusted From The Back - EOD

Nominees:
Glowtime - Hiccupocalypse
HEATHERFOREVER - Heather & Hels Do Cyberterrorism
The Dunnos - Detention

National Best Cinematography - Supported by
Rubber Monkey

Twotors & Co. - Defiance

Nominees:
Egors Ensemble - The Mis-Take
Free Cinematic LUTS - A man of great taste
Permanently Confused - Twin Flame

Best Script

Taste of Kiwi - NAN!- LINK

Nominees:
Glitter Swarm - The Last Train to Pound Town
rip focus: Tokyo Drift - love you, baby
The Russell Crew - Jackson

Best Performer

Lukewarm Lunch - Te Ao o Hinepehinga

Nominees:
Busby Films - Lazarus Busby, Jairah Lemanu, Pipo Vili Tevaga.
rip focus: Tokyo Drift - Stella Cheersmith & Stephen Sangster
Twotors & Co. - Zoe Courtney

Best Director

Taste of Kiwi - NAN! Link

Nominees:
Glitter Swarm - The Last Train to Pound Town
Lukewarm Lunch - Headspace
rip focus: Tokyo Drift - love you, baby