A film featuring time travel, spaceships and a relentless death robot won the top award in the International Youth Silent Film Festival New Zealand National 2018 competition.

Lynfield College students Joseph Hisayasu, Matthew Tribble, Kais Azimullah and Harry Ashley's silent film ATTACK! of the DEATH ROBOT was announced as the competition's overall winner at the IYSFF NZ National Awards Final held at Baycourt Community and Arts Centre in Tauranga on Wednesday October 17.

The Auckland teenagers received high praise for their film from 2018 celebrity judges, actor and director from Alibi and Westside, David de Latour and Bay of Plenty Film CEO Anton Steel, and on the night they were also presented with a first place cash prize of $2000, sponsored by charitable organisation Friends of Baycourt.

On top of the first place win, 16-year-old Joseph Hisayasu also won the award for Best Director plus a cash prize of $250 for his work on ATTACK! of the DEATH ROBOT.

Seventeen year old Harry Ashely, also had a night to remember after his and fellow Lynfield College students Raymond Feng and Shamir Sarif's film Overexposed won awards for Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and Best Production Design, on top of their second place win which came with a cash prize of $1500 sponsored by The University of Waikato.

Rounding out this year's top three was Random Act of Kindness, created by Taieri College students Benaiah Dunn, Konner Lindsay, Mitchell Hay, Callum Scott, Thomas Dunn, Ben Amende, Jonah Smith, Nathan Pedrigal, and Michael Wade.

For their third place win, the Otago teens received a cash prize of $1000 sponsored by Priority One.

All the winners on stage in the Addison Theatre at Baycourt Community and Arts Centre.

At the awards ceremony 16-year-old Benaiah Dunn, was also presented with a cheque for $2221.24, or $1500 USD, for his second place win at the IYSFF Global Awards held in Portland, Oregon, earlier this year in June.

Benaiah was the first Kiwi filmmaker to gain higher honours in the international competition and presenting his cash prize to him on the night was IYSFF found Jon ‘JP' Palanuk, who had travelled from Portland specially to attend this year's ceremony.

Along with the accolades and cash prizes, the top three films will represent New Zealand at the week-long International Youth Silent Film Festival Final and will be screened during the IYSFF Global Awards Show in Portland, Oregon, in June 2019.

The IYSFF is a competition which challenges filmmakers, aged 20 years and under from across the United States of America, Australia, The United Arab Emirates and New Zealand to create a three-minute silent film set to one of 10 musical scores composed especially for the festival.

All of this year's Top 12 silent films were screened during the ceremony, with each featuring live musical accompaniment from IYSFF composer and award-winning organist Nathan Avakian who performed on Baycourt's mighty Wurlitzer Organ.

Joy Dunn and Benaiah Dunn.

Baycourt manager James Wilson wants to thank all of the young filmmakers who submitted entries into this year's competition and to everyone who attended the awards final on Wednesday night.

'The big screen at Baycourt was lit up with the creativity, ideas and talent of our young people and I was blown away by the high standards of all the finalists this year. A huge congratulation to all of the filmmakers – I'll be keeping an eye out for their names on the Hollywood walk of fame in a few years' time!”

'We are so lucky in Tauranga to have an amazing Wurlitzer organ, based here at Baycourt, which gave the films an incredible live accompaniment, making it a very special night for all the filmmakers.”

Bay of Plenty Film Manager Anton Steel with Ruben Connolly, Mason Williams and Ben Saunders who made ‘Family Jewels'.

Jaden Charrington and IYSFF project manager Jannine Bishop.

The 2018 IYSFF NZ National Awards Winners are:

FIRST PLACE - $2000 - ATTACK! of the DEATH ROBOT, Matthew Tribble, Joseph Hisayasu, Kais Azimullah, Harry Ashley (Lynfield College, Auckland) Sponsored by Friends of Baycourt.

SECOND PLACE – $1500 – Overexposed, Harry Ashley, Raymond Feng, Shamir Sarif (Lynfield College, Auckland) Sponsored by The University of Waikato.

THIRD PLACE – $1000 - Random Act of Kindness, Benaiah Dunn, Konner Lindsay, Mitchell Hay, Callum Scott, Thomas Dunn, Ben Amende, Jonah Smith, Nathan Pedrigal, Michael Wade (Taieri College, Middlemarch) Sponsored by Priority One.

BEST DIRECTOR – $250 - Joseph Hisayasu – ATTACK! of the DEATH ROBOT (Lynfield College, Auckland) Sponsored by Metro Marketing.

BEST ACTOR – $250 - Chloe Kouka – Princess Castle Sponsored by Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – $250 – Overexposed, Harry Ashley, Raymond Feng, Shamir Sarif (Lynfield College, Auckland) Sponsored by Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology.

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – $250 – Overexposed, Harry Ashley, Raymond Feng, Shamir Sarif (Lynfield College, Auckland) Sponsored by Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School.

BEST EDITING – $250 – Overexposed, Harry Ashley, Raymond Feng, Shamir Sarif (Lynfield College, Auckland) Sponsored by Campbell Squared.

BEST SHOT – $250 - Case Thief, Sophie Webster (Tauranga Girls' College) Sponsored by BOP Film.

IYSFF NZ NATIONAL POSTER COMPETITION: The Main Suspect, Liam Bennet Sponsored by Artisan Framing and Plaques.

To view the IYSFF NZ Nationals Top Three films, visit https://vimeo.com/album/5175310

For more information, submission guidelines or to download soundtracks please visit the International Youth Silent Film Festival's official website www.makesilentfilm.com

To learn more information about the New Zealand competition visit www.facebook.com/groups/IYSFFNZ or email iysff@tauranga.govt.nz