NZ Web Fest announces finalists

NZ Web Fest announces finalists

Vloggers and online content creators to compete next month

Auckland, New Zealand, 17 October 2016: The NZ Web Fest #NZWF16 has today announced the finalists who will compete across six award categories next month at the second edition of New Zealand's only Web Fest.

Six finalists will compete for the Best Web Series award. AFK, the tale of the misadventures of gamers who wake up inside a game, joinsfunny, sexy and almost romantic Auckward Love. Chaz Harris' youth series End Of Term, which held its world premiere at last year's inaugural NZ Web Fest, also competes.

Award-winning animation company Cirkus is selected with Jack of All Trades - and has a second nomination in the Trailer and Pilots category. Ten-title anthology K Rd Stories, which held its premiere in situ along Auckland's iconic thoroughfare, is also nominated. Completing the line-up is Lovely Little Losers from The Candle Wasters.

“It's a pretty high bar,” said Festival Director Keith Barclay. “We wanted five finalists, but there was enough blood on the floor by the time we whittled the entries down to six. The judges have their work cut out.”

14 judges have begun viewing and voting for the winners across the award categories.

The Outstanding Vlogger finalists were also hard to confirm, with so many New Zealand vloggers and YouTubers building substantial followings for their channels. The winner of a Web Fest award last year, Ollie Langdon, is nominated again this year. He's up against channels by Caito Potatoe, The Coconet, Jimi Jackson, Kate Manihera, and Kris Fox.

Three shows will contest the Best Web Show category. Get your skates on to follow Blade NZ, enjoy teen culture on Engage.tv, and letMahinga Kai make your mouth water.

With an eye to the future, the Best Pilot or Trailer category names five finalists: The Bowlo, Dropped Pie, Life in the Shed, Ngā Ringa Toi o Tahu join Cirkus' The Popcorn Machine.

A diverse line-up will compete for the Special Interest Award: The Coconet's The F Word, NZ's first lesbian webseries Pot Luck, children's series RESET and Two Naked Gay Guys.

The festival's Innovation Award will not announce any finalists, but a winner will be announced at the awards.

Five overseas shows will compete for the only award open to international entries, the Best International Web Series/Show. Aussie titlesThe Agent, Hitstroke FM and Real Tinder Convos will go up against Canada's The Dump and season 3 of US show The Pantsless Detective.

The NZ Web Fest will run Saturday 19 November at Media Design School in Auckland. #NZWF16 will present screenings of all finalists plus speakers and panel discussions on online content creation. In the evening the winners will be announced at an awards event.

Tickets are now on sale to the events on Eventbrite, with early bird tickets available until Halloween.

Keep up the news and announcements at:

http://www.nzwf.nz/

https://www.facebook.com/nzwf.nz/

https://twitter.com/_nzwf

https://www.facebook.com/events/1592961847666769/

Tickets at: https://www.eventbrite.co.nz/e/nzwf16-tickets-28314789297

The NZ Web Fest #NZWF16 is presented by SCREENZ, with the generous support of NZ On Air, Media Design School and Johnson&Laird.

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