Finalists 2026
Announcing the 2026 Misty Flicks Film Festival finalists.
To everyone who entered, thank you. We know the courage it takes to finish a film, hit submit, and share it with the world.
All of the entries were watched, discussed and thoughtfully considered by our programming team. This year's programme celebrates the creativity, talent and diversity of independent filmmaking, and we're excited to share these stories with audiences on the big screen this November.
And now... meet this year's finalists.
Feature Films
Mighty Indeed (Vanessa Wells)
Smoky (James Fink-Jensen)
Youth Films
Dubiety (Jude Caudeville)
I Think, (Gracie Moodie, Jupiter Horo)
Paperclips (Gracie Moodie)
Skip (Kayla Cache, Jemima Park)
The Time Elevator (Neil Lin)
Trash (Charlotte Swain)
Trash Pickup Day (Sadra Fathi Loshani)
Short Films
All at Sea (Drew Mitz Kolless Brown)
Exposure (Peter Young, Matthew Quinnell, Chris Kent)
Frequency (Dylan Matthew McKay)
Hardly Working (Troy Fea)
Midnight (Aaron Christiansen)
Pulling Up Stumps (Elinor Teele)
Search for Hawaiki (Fredrick Jozef Hoani Teteira Pokai)
Six Concertos (Peter McCully)
Spirit of the Laughing Owl (Clydille-Rave Berame Abbott)
Static Noises (Jomz Alip Lailo)
Challenge Finalists
And here is the 2026 Misty Flicks Challenge film line-up!
Every Challenge filmmaker had to include two essential elements: a character named Ginger and a coathanger. When you watch the films, keep an eye out for them.
Congratulations to everyone who took on this year's Challenge.
Bandwidth (Kelly Fritz)
Dress Code (Ashley Pye)
Final Boarding (Reneel Singh, Raksmey Po)
First Kiss (Tineke Robson)
Five Fingers of Ginger (Adam Harvey)
Into Darkness (Graham Lauder)
Showgirl (Sophie Hampson)
The Getaway Kit (DC Swain, Amelia Swain)
The Memory Palace Package (Taine Wotherspoon, Joshua van de Laar)
The Play Within (Graham Lauder)
Two Mums One Film (Theresa Barnes)
Waiting For A Date (Tylor Keith)
Over the coming weeks, we'll introduce you to the filmmakers, share more about their films, and reveal what's in store for this year's festival.
But for now, let's celebrate our 2026 finalists and Challenge filmmakers.
Ka pai! Congratulations to you.