Vista Foundation 48Hours - the greatest, and largest film competition in New Zealand - marks a massive milestone in 2022, celebrating its twentieth consecutive year.

Vista Foundation 48Hours provides an easier entry point into filmmaking and a genuine creative and technical challenge for filmmakers to sink their teeth into.

The 2022 shoot weekend is coming up from August 12-14 - with registrations now open - and over NZ$90,000 in prizes and cash up for grabs at the Grand Finals event later in 2022.

48Hours is NZ's largest guerrilla filmmaking competition, and many kiwi filmmakers says there is nothing quite like it.

Tauranga team Eddie Page Productions reached the 2021 national finals with their film 'Joyless Pussies'. Photo: Supplied.

It started in 2003 as a sidebar to the Becks Incredible Film Festival with just 44 teams in Auckland only. The competition has spread nationwide. In 2014 over 800 teams took part right across New Zealand. 2020 saw the special VF48LOCKDOWN edition after the main competition was cancelled due to Covid-19.

Over 6000 shorts have been produced for 48Hours. An enormous amount of people have had a lot of fun. Each year there's been equipment/rental facilities selling out, actors suddenly cancelling commercials, celebrity friends being abused, broken bones, relationships ending, moments of pure ecstasy, absolute exhaustion, extreme bonding, production gear disappearing, cars stolen, meltdowns - but the future of NZ film looks to be very healthy and appears to be incapable, if a little shaky, hands.

All the set design, screenwriting, filming and editing has to be completed in 48 hours. Photo: Supplied.

Sir Peter Jackson

In exciting news for 2022, Sir Peter Jackson will select three films as his wildcard selection, to be showcased as part of the National Finals at the Civic Theatre in Auckland.

Sir Peter Jackson, Dame Fran Walsh and Wingnut Films have been big supporters of the Vista Foundation 48Hours for the past 16 years of its 20-year history, and the team are "stoked" to be able to celebrate his wildcard selections in 2022's National Finals.

Sir Peter Jackson's origin story is guerrilla filmmaking to its core. The ‘do-it-yourself' mentality is aligned with the 48Hours ethos of mucking in and getting a film made in one weekend, and the 48Hours team can't wait to see his wildcard selections.

"Six thousand movies have been made over the years. I've seen quite a few of them and they're great movies! I'm going to be judging the wildcards again this year and and I really look forward to seeing them," says Sir Peter Jackson "Register, go make movies and have a lot of fun! Let's make this 48 hours film festival the biggest yet!"

Jackson was a mere eight years old when his parents were given a Super 8 cine camera for Christmas, fanning the flames of his love for cinema. He went on to make home movies in Pukerua Bay experimenting with stop-motion, practical effects, and special effects. He famously sourced some WWII uniforms, rallied his mates, and made his first film titled The Dwarf Patrol – which would later resurface as a bonus feature on the Bad Taste DVD release.

While working at a daily paper, Jackson enlisted help from his friends and colleagues to make a feature film. He upgraded to a second-hand Bolex camera in 1983 which was mounted onto homemade dolly tracks, cranes, and Steadicams to film his first feature, horror comedy cult classic Bad Taste. He went on to film the black comedies Meet the Feebles and Braindead before 1994's feature film Heavenly Creatures took Jackson from cult status to a mainstream, global audience.

Fast forward to 2022, Jackson has two epic Tolkien trilogies under his belt, Academy Awards to his name for Best Director, Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay, numerous Hollywood hits, and has made waves in the documentary world with 2021's The Beatles: Get Back and 2018's They Shall Not Grow Old. Jackson is officially Hollywood royalty, but he's never forgotten where he came from and continues to support grassroots NZ filmmaking.

The team that ran free 48Hours filmmaker workshops around New Zealand. Photo: Supplied.

In the lead up to the 2022 competition, the 48Hours team ran free filmmaker workshops all over New Zealand - in Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington, Hamilton, Tauranga, Gisborne and New Plymouth to upskill filmmakers and provide them with a local networking opportunity.

"This is all part of the team's commitment to ensuring that 48Hours is more than just a fast and furious filmmaking festival - it's a chance for the future industry leaders to cut their teeth and get a leg up in the filmmaking game," says a Vista 48Hours spokesperson.

For 2022, the team have announced a prize pool of NZ$90,000 worth of cash and prizes, as well as some plans for the competition, including a phenomenal prize package for the 2022 Grand Champion.

Bay of Plenty prosthetics make up artist Sandi Cutts. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

Grand National Champ 2022 Prize:

2022's top team will take home the following prize package:
• The Grand National Champion APEE
• $15,000 cash prize - ($12k from Wingnut, $2k from Viva La Dirt League)
• $20,000 worth of post-production services from Park Road Post*
• $15,000 worth of gear hire from Portsmouth Film Equipment Rental*
• $10,000 of licensed music from West One Music*
• Twelve month Digital Pigeon Professional subscription (valued at US $900 a year)
*Terms and conditions

The OPPO48 Award

OPPO has partnered with the Vista Foundation 48Hours to bring the new OPPO48 Award with an impressive top prize of NZ$5,000. The OPPO48 Award is designed to showcase mobile phone filming in New Zealand.

'We're excited to see the OPPO Find X5 Pro in the hands of filmmakers who can show off the filming capabilities of the phone in a spectacular way and we can't wait to see their creations come to life," says OPPO New Zealand's Managing Director, Morgan Halim.

Viva La Dirt League Comedy Prize

Viva La Dirt League describe themselves as a bunch of nerds who play games and make comedy sketches about games. This comedy troupe, hailing from Auckland, has a history with the Vista Foundation 48Hours, and a hugely popular YouTube Channel currently at an impressive 3.88 million subscribers. Their pathway into digital content-making involves the 48Hours competition and now they want to give back to the filmmakers by sponsoring the new Viva La Dirt League Comedy Prize in 2022 - valued at NZ$1000.

Viva La Dirt League. Photo: Supplied.

West One Music Group Grand Finals Prize

The VF48Hours Teams are lucky to have their music partner back for the 2022 competition. West One Music Group are allowing teams to use their extensive catalogue for their 48Hour film over the duration of the shoot weekend. As part of the Grand Finals Prize Package this winning team will win NZ$10,000 of licensed music from West One Music Group* for their next creative project.

West One Music Group. Photo: Supplied.

'West One Music Group is excited to partner with Vista Foundation 48Hours this year and bring the highest quality music to its film creators," says a West One Music Group spokesperson. "New Zealand is home to so many talented creatives and boasts some of the most beautiful locations around the world. We're looking forward to supporting the ever-growing TV/Film community and seeing their creations!”

Dame Gaylene Preston and WIFT NZ Best Female/Gender Diverse Director Award

To support and encourage women and gender diverse filmmakers to take on creative roles in filmmaking Dame Gaylene Preston and WIFT NZ present the Best Female/Gender Diverse Director Award with a NZ$1000 prize.

Dame Gaylene Preston at the 2021 grand final. Photo: Supplied.

Dame Gaylene Preston is passionate about encouraging women to direct films and the team are proud to say that this award is now in its tenth year. Many of the winners have gone on to direct short films, series and features.

WIFT NZ has partnered with the Vista Foundation 48Hours for the regional awards. They have eight regional awards for Outstanding Female/Gender Diverse Filmmakers crossing all filmmaking disciplines. WIFT NZ will supply an annual membership for all eight winners.

'We are delighted to be an ongoing supporter of the Vista Foundation 48Hours! It is a unique opportunity for emerging filmmakers to get creative, sharpen their skills and be recognised throughout the motu," says WIFT NZ'sPatricia Watson.

The Vista Foundation 48Hours has been a fertile stomping ground for the future of film in New Zealand, with numerous notables in the NZ screen sector having had some kind of history with this iconic annual event. Over the years, the competition has changed along with technology and innovations, surviving through adaptation and even thriving through 2020's Covid challenges and going completely digital with over 1200 teams making films in their bubbles.

48Hours alumni can be found everywhere, hosting prime-time TV shows, working on blockbuster feature films, creating independent digital media and teaching the next generation of filmmakers. Here are some of the Alumni Directors and their projects.
• NUDE TUESDAY - Jackie Van Beek
• JOJO RABBIT, THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER, BOY - Taika Waititi
• COMING HOME IN THE DARK - James Ashcroft
• M3GAN - Gerard Johnstone
• WE ARE STILL HERE - Mario Gaoa
• SHADOW IN THE CLOUD - Roseanne Liang
• GUNS AKIMBO - Jason Lei Howden
• STARSTRUCK - Rose Matafeo
• RŪRANGI - Max Currie
• LEGEND OF BARON T'OA - Kiel McNaughton
• KILLER SOFA - Bernado Rao
• SAVAGE - Sam Kelly
• TAKE HOME PAY - Stallone Vaiaoga-Ioasa
• VAI - Matasali Freshwater
• DOX - Damon Fepulea'i
• GARY OF THE PACIFIC - Download Concept
• THE DEAD ROOM - Jason Stutter
• SIONE'S WEDDING - Chris Graham
• JAKE - Doug Dillaman
• HOW TO MEET GIRLS FROM A DISTANCE - Dean Hewison
• TICKLED - Dylan Reeve
• AFAK - Hweiling Ow
• BLOOD & GOLD - Yamin Tun
• RISE OF PLANET OF APES - Sam Prebble VFX
• SHIHAD - Sam Peacock
• HUMAN TRACES - Nic Gorman
• THE DEVIL'S ROCK - Paul Campion
• GOING, GOING - Loren Taylor
• WELLINGTON PARANORMAL - Mike Minogue
• THE PANTHERS - Chelsea Preston Crayford
• ORPHANS AND KINGDOMS - Paolo Rotondo
• STYLEBENDER - Zoe McIntosh
• THE MOUNTAIN - Tom Furniss

The organisers are encouraging everyone to get their team together. Registrations for the 2022 Vista Foundation 48Hours are now open at www.48hours.co.nz

To make the deal even sweeter for students, Tertiary teams receive 50 per cent off, while primary, secondary and homeschool students receive two for one registrations!

Vista Foundation 48Hours
2022 Shoot Weekend
August 12 - 14 2022
Presented in association with Te Tuma Whakaata Taonga / New Zealand Film Commission