The South Shorts Mentorship programme returns in 2021 with ten emerging filmmakers selected to take part. Under the leadership and guidance of renowned screenwriter and director Briar Grace-Smith (Cousins, The Strength of Water), participants will develop their short film projects through a script-focused mentorship.
Now in its sixth year, the programme guides emerging South Auckland affiliated talent to develop their short film scripts. Over a sixth-month period, the participants get individual script notes from Briar Grace-Smith, meet for workshops where they do group script read-throughs, and hear from guest filmmakers about their experience making short films.
“Since its inception in 2015, South Shorts has seen numerous alumni gone on to make films. The programme provides a safe space for aspiring and emerging South Auckland filmmakers to gain confidence in themselves as writers while building a sense of community within the industry,” says Eloise Veber, Script to Screen Programme Manager. “Ultimately we want to see more stories from South Auckland filmmakers produced and seen by audiences. We feel so privileged to continue to do this work thanks to support from our funders.”
The search for South Shorts Mentorship participants begins with our annual two-day South Auckland Short Film Workshop held each year in October.
Congratulations to the filmmakers selected for South Shorts 2021:
The South Shorts Mentorship Programme is made possible thanks to generous support from Foundation North with additional support from the New Zealand Film Commission.
“South Shorts not only opened the door for me to discover my skills as a writer but also gave me the confidence to know that I can actually do this, anyone can. I’m so grateful to have had this opportunity”
– 2019 South Shorts Participant
South Shorts is an intensive development programme that supports up to nine new and emerging screenwriters from the South Auckland community to develop a short film script. Under the guidance of renowned screenwriter Briar Grace-Smith, participants are lead through focused script development over a six-month period. The programme will start in early 2021 and participants will attend a series of one-day hubs between March and September.
During these full-day ‘hubs’ participants will get together to workshop and discuss their short film scripts. At the hubs, writers will take part in script read-throughs, get individual script notes from a mentor, do writing exercises, and hear from filmmakers about their experiences making short films. Each participant will also have individual script sessions with their mentor between hub days.
Dates for the South Shorts Mentorship Programme will be set in December 2020. The hub days usually take place on Saturdays, 9 am-5 pm.
This initiative is intended for people who either live in South Auckland or who feel connected to South Auckland (maybe you grew up there, have whānau there, have worked there for years, feel connected to the community in someway, etc.) and is made possible with assistance from Foundation North.
Applications open: Tues 27th October
Applications close: Tuesday 24th November, 5pm
Applicants notified of outcome: Friday 18th December
The South Shorts Mentorship programme returns for 2020 with nine emerging filmmakers selected to take part. Under the leadership and guidance of renowned screenwriter Briar Grace-Smith, participants will develop their short film projects through a script-focused mentorship. Over a sixth-month period, the participants will get individual script notes from their mentor, do group script reads for peer feedback, and hear from experienced filmmakers about their process making short films.
Now in its sixth year, the programme is aimed at guiding emerging South Auckland affiliated talent to develop their short film scripts. The search for South Shorts participants begins with our annual two-day South Auckland Short Film Workshop, after which participants can apply for the mentorship programme.
“This group includes an exciting mix of experiences with participants coming from acting, playwriting, tertiary film courses and filmmaking, as well as those with a passion to tell stories.” says Programme Manager, Eloise Veber “We’re thrilled to find such talented storytellers for our South Shorts Mentorship Programme.”
The nine filmmakers (L – R) selected for South Shorts 2020 are:
Filmmakers who have been through this programme include Vea Mafileo (For My Father’s Kingdom), Jeremiah Tauamiti (Liliu), Hanelle Harris (Sis, Baby Mama’s Club) and Vela Manusaute (The Messiah).
South Shorts is made possible thanks to generous support from Foundation North and New Zealand Film Commission.
The South Shorts Mentoring Programme will start in early 2020 and span across a six-month period. The programme includes five full-day ‘hubs’ where participants get together to workshop and discuss their short film scripts. At the hubs, writers will take part in script read-throughs, get individual script notes from a mentor, do writing exercises, and hear from filmmakers about their experiences making short films. Each participant will also have individual script sessions with a mentor outside of the hub days.
Dates for the South Shorts Mentorship Programme will be set in December 2019. The hub days usually take place on Saturdays, 9 am-5 pm.
“I probably wouldn’t have a project without Script to Screen, because it was at the South Auckland Workshop where I had to pitch, and I hadn’t done that before. Script to Screen is really accessible to anyone and it takes away the “you’ve got to be this and that to make a film”. It makes you realise that anyone can make a film, as long as you have a good story – as cheesy as that sounds. Without it, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
-Vea Mafile’o (Director – For My Father’s Kingdom)
This initiative is intended for people who either live in South Auckland or have a connection with the area and is made possible with assistance from Foundation North.
Applications close Fri 15 November, 5pm, 2019.
The South Shorts Mentorship programme returns in 2019 with 9 emerging filmmakers selected to take part in the programme. Under the leadership and guidance of renowned screenwriter Briar Grace-Smith and with input from other experienced mentors yet to be announced, participants will be taken through focused script mentorship for their short film projects.
Now in its fifth year, this programme is aimed at guiding emerging South Auckland based scriptwriters to develop their short film scripts. Participants of this programme will attend a series of hub days across five months and receive on-going mentorship throughout. These participants were selected after first attending the South Auckland Short Film Workshop held in November 2018.
The 9 filmmakers chosen for 2019 South Shorts Mentorship programme are:
South Shorts Mentorship Programme is made possible with financial assistance from New Zealand Film Commission and Foundation North.
Participants who pitch a short film project at the 2018 South Auckland Short Film Workshop will also be invited to apply to the 2019 South Shorts Mentorship Programme.
Approximately eight participants will be chosen to take part in the programme spanning five months, which offers focused script mentorship for the selected short film projects under the leadership of two dedicated and experienced mentors.
South Shorts will offer participants guidance through the process of writing and developing a short film. Participants may intend to self-fund the film, crowd-fund, or prepare to apply to the New Zealand Film Commission’s Fresh Shorts initiative. Script to Screen is looking for distinctive new South Auckland voices with a passion for storytelling and something powerful to say. Selected participants may be new to short film writing or come with some experience.
How do I apply?
Participants will be chosen based on a combination of their pitch during the 2018 South Auckland Short Film Workshop and a written statement submitted to Script to Screen following the event. The statement should include why South Shorts would be valuable to you and your short filmmaking craft.
Applications close: Monday 3rd December at 9am
Programme Outline
The South Shorts Mentoring Programme will start in early 2019 and span across a five-month period. It will include three to four full day ‘hubs’ and individual script mentoring sessions and script notes.
Dates for the South Shorts Mentorship Programme will be set in December 2018
“I probably wouldn’t have a project without it (Script to Screen), because it was at the South Shorts Workshop where I had to pitch, and I hadn’t done that before. Script to Screen’s really accessible to anyone and it takes away the “you’ve got to be this and that to make a film”. It makes you realize that anyone can make a film, as long as you have good story – as cheesy as that sounds. But it’s important because it’s a really good outreach in the community. Without it, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
-Vea Mafile’o (South Shorts Alumni and current FilmUp mentee)
This initiative is made possible with assistance from Foundation North.
We are pleased to announce the 8 short film writers and 1 producer that have been selected to be part of our 2018 South Shorts Mentorship Programme. This is the fourth year running this programme aimed to guide emerging South Auckland based writers and filmmakers to develop their short film scripts. Participants of this programme will attend a series of hub days and will be paired with an industry professional to receive on-going mentorship.
South Shorts Participants and Projects (L – R):
We look forward to working with you all. Thank you to everyone who applied.
This initiative is made possible with assistance from Foundation North.
In addition to the 2017 South Auckland Short Film Workshop, Script to Screen is proud to reintroduce the South Shorts Mentoring Programme.
Six participants of the South Auckland Short Film Workshop will be chosen to participate in a 6 month programme, which offers over 20 hours of mentoring on a short film project.
The programme will guide emerging writers and producers through the process of developing a short film, whether the filmmakers aim to make the film on their own, or getting a script ready to apply for the New Zealand Film Commission Fresh Shorts scheme. We are looking for distinctive new voices with a passion for storytelling. Participants may have some, little or no prior knowledge of filmmaking.
How do I apply?
The participants will be chosen based on a combination of their pitch during the 2017 South Auckland Short Film Workshop, and a written statement submitted to Script to Screen after the workshop outlining why the mentoring programme is for them.
Apply here: https://form.jotform.co/73235710827860
Programme Outline
The South Shorts Mentoring Programme will start in early 2018, and participants will need to be available to attend the following days. Dates have not yet been set and will be discussed with the participants in December 2017.
Kick-off Lab (7 hours) – All mentors and participants attend a one day intensive lab to launch the programme.
Hubs (6 hours) – The participants come together for two 3 hour hub meetings during the six month period. This is a chance for the writers to discuss their experiences, what they are learning and hear from a guest speaker about a particular topic.
Ongoing Mentoring (6 hours over a six month period) – Participants are each offered 6 hours of one-on-one sessions with their mentor over the course of six months. The content of these sessions will be tailored to suit the needs of each team, but centre around developing the story and script, ready for either shooting the film or applying for funding.
Wrap-up Lab (3 hours) – A half-day wrap up workshop completes the six-month journey. Teams will chart progress, discuss challenges they encountered and plan the way forward for their film.
Image from Loading Docs TIHEI. Directed by Hamish Bennett and produced by Orlando Stewart.
This initiative is made possible with assistance from Foundation North.
On the weekend of 28/29th November, 25 emerging filmmakers gathered at MIT’s Faculty of Creative Arts for the South Auckland Short Film Workshop, a two-day workshop designed to give you all the basic tools you need to make your own short film. Participants heard from industry mentors who shared their insights into each part of the filmmaking process.
The aim of the weekend is to bring to life more stories from South Auckland, and the participants came from a diverse set of backgrounds including those working in TV and production, as well as students and graduates of various creative disciplines.
On the Sunday afternoon, participants were encouraged to pitch a short film idea. The judges were extremely impressed with the ideas pitched – many of which were developed during the weekend. The stories were rich and personal, and the passionate pitches made it very difficult for the judges to choose a winner.
The winners of the pitching competition were Vea Mafileo and Jeremiah Tauamiti with their documentary idea MALAGA. The judges also gave special mentions to three short drama ideas, Chris Molloy with WHITE SUNDAY AND THE MAORI BOY, Piata Gardiner-Hoskins with THE HANGING TREE, and Hanelle Harris with BASIC TRAINGING.
This workshop was presented by Script to Screen and Ngā Aho Whakaari.
2016 South Shorts Mentoring Programme
To follow on from the workshop, Script to Screen is running the 2016 South Shorts Mentorship Programme, where 6 aspiring writers and 3 aspiring producers will be matched with filmmaking mentors to help them develop their projects further. Participants of the workshop were all eligible to apply for a place on the mentorship programme to develop their projects. Those chosen were:
6 Writers
Jaemen Busby – LANCE
Hanelle Harris – BASIC TRAINING
Vea Mafileo (and co-director Jeremiah Tauamiti) – MALAGA
Chris Molloy – WHITE SUNDAY AND THE MAORI BOY
Skye Stirling (and writer Chris Molloy) – GANGSTA LOVE
Jeremiah Tauamiti – LILIU
3 Producers
Henry Cheng
Hans Masoe
Louisa Tipene Opetaia
In addition to the South Auckland Short Film Workshop, Script to Screen is proud to reintroduce the South Shorts Mentoring Programme.
Six participants of the South Auckland Short Film Workshop will be chosen to participate in a 6 month programme, which offers up to 30 hours of mentoring on a short film project.
The programme will guide emerging writers and producers through the process of developing a short film, whether the filmmakers aim to make the film on their own, or getting a script ready to apply for the New Zealand Film Commission Fresh Shorts scheme. We are looking for distinctive new voices with a passion for storytelling. Participants may have some, little or no prior knowledge of filmmaking.
How do I apply?
The participants will be chosen based on a combination of their pitch during the 2016 South Auckland Short Film Workshop, and a written statement submitted to Script to Screen after the workshop outlining why the mentoring programme is for them.
Programme Outline
The South Shorts Mentoring Programme will start in early 2017, and participants will need to be available to attend the following days. Dates have not yet been set and will be discussed with the 6 participants in December 2016.
Kick-off Lab (7 hours) – All mentors and participants attend a one day intensive lab to launch the programme.
Hubs (6 hours) – The participants come together for two 3 hour hub meetings during the six month period. This is a chance for the writers to discuss their experiences, what they are learning and hear from a guest speaker about a particular topic.
Ongoing Mentoring (10 hours over a 6 month period) – Participants are each offered 10 hours of one-on-one sessions with their mentor over the course of 6 months. The content of these sessions will be tailored to suit the needs of each team, but centre around developing the story and script, ready for either shooting the film or applying for funding.
Wrap-up Lab (7 hours) – A day together again completes the six-month journey. Teams will chart progress, discuss challenges they encountered and plan the way forward for their film.
This initiative is made possible with assistance from Foundation North.