A total of 95 films were submitted for this year’s New Zealand’s Best short film competition. NZIFF Head of Programming, Michael McDonnell, Production and Events Manager Matt Bloomfield, and Marketing Lead – Auckland Amanda Jane Robinson viewed them all to draw up a shortlist of 12, from which Guest Selector Gerard Johnstone selected the five finalists. I See You A young mother struggles with her toddler’s delayed development until a chance encounter with a charismatic young man shifts her feelings. First Horse In pre-colonial Aotearoa a young Māori girl witnesses the best and worst of a rapidly changing world when she encounters a dying man and his horse. Grateful Grapefruit A frustrated wife at her wits’ end finds a message in a bottle which leads her into the mysterious world of The Hypnotist, and before long she’s on track to put the glitter back in her grapefruit. Rochelle A brazen young man takes it upon himself to send his friend’s busted up car, Rochelle, out in style by entering it in a local demolition derby, but to get there he needs help from an unexpected source. Lea Tupu'anga/Mother Tongue A young speech therapist who has lied about her language skills must find a new way to communicate when she is assigned to an elderly Tongan patient with aphasia who can no longer speak English.