Madam Black (2015), a short film written by Matthew Harris, tutor at Massey University’s Albany campus, will appear in New Zealand’s Best Competition at the New Zealand International Film Festival on Saturday 25th July, 6:15pm at Sky City Theatre.

Described by selector Christine Jeffs as a “sweet and quirky tale which abounds with charm and humour”, the film tells the story of a wayward glamour photographer who runs over a child’s pet and is forced to fabricate a story about its disappearance.

The film is directed by Ivan Barge and set on Auckland’s North Shore, and it recently had its world premiere at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood at the Dances With Films festival, where it won the Industry Award and an honourable mention in the Competition Shorts.

“It’s great to have the New Zealand premiere so soon after the international release,” Harris says, “and the New Zealand’s Best event is a great occasion which always has a sell-out crowd – it really shows the public appetite for short-form storytelling.”

The popularity of the NZIFF competition and of other short film festivals around the country, he likens to the recent trend in hors d’oeuvres style dining: “Seeing half a dozen short films is like the tapas of movie-going. Taking slices of life from different plates can be incredibly filling, and it encourages more conversation because you’re not locked into one long narrative. They’re great to go to with friends.”

This is Harris’ second appearance in the NZIFF NZ’s Best line-up. His award-winning 43,000 Feet also featured in the competition in 2012.

His previous short films have travelled the international festival circuit from Tribeca in New York to the Clermont-Ferrand festival in France, accruing various awards and nominations, and his last collaboration with director Ivan Barge on Snooze Time had over 140,000 views in its first week online.  

Tickets for the event go on sale at 9:00am Friday 26th June via Ticketmaster or: http://www.nziff.co.nz/2015/auckland/new-zealands-best-2015/.