Awards – Doc Edge

A recognition and celebration of storytelling

Stories from our backyard and around the world.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL DOC EDGE 2025 AWARD WINNERS & NOMINEES.

Doc Edge’s Oscar-qualifying awards night was held on Thursday 3 July 2025 at Grand Millennium Auckland.

The 2025 jury includes a diverse panel of esteemed local and international industry professionals: Alex Behse (Auckland, NZ), David Tingey (Wellington, NZ), Doug Dillaman (Auckland, NZ), Emile Guertin (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), Kate Cresswell (Auckland, NZ), Kathy Susca (California, USA), Kenneth Tan (Singapore), Mark Cochrane (Auckland, NZ), Meg Smaker (California, USA), Sally Chesher (Sydney, Australia), and Sam Witters (Christchurch, NZ).

As an Oscar-qualifying festival. Winners of the Best International and NZ film categories are eligible for Oscar consideration in 2026. Every year, Doc Edge also recognises an individual to celebrate one’s outstanding contribution to documentary. Doc Edge Superhero 2025 is Ruby Chen.

Doc Edge 2025 Awards Night

Winners

NEW ZEALAND COMPETITION

Best New Zealand Feature (sponsored by NZ On Air): Mighty Indeed (Dir. Vanessa Wells)
** Special Mention: Devils on Horses (Dir. Edward Sampson)

Best New Zealand Short (sponsored by NZ On Air): Little Potato (Dir. Chen Chen)
** Special Mention: Hou Rongo: Reviving Moriori Culture (Dir. Brady Clarke)

Best New Zealand Director: Vanessa Wells (Mighty Indeed)
Best New Zealand Editing: Wildboy
Best New Zealand Cinematography: Wildboy
Best New Zealand Sound: Three Days in February
Best New Zealand Emerging Filmmaker: Caleb Young (Nothing is Impossible: The Primanavia Story)
(sponsored by Department of Post)

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION

Best International Feature: The Pool (Australia, Dir. Ian Darling)
(sponsored by Park Road Post)
** Special Mention: The Dating Game (United States, Dir. Violet Du Feng)
** Special Mention: Before the Moon Falls (United States, Dir. Kimberlee Bassford)

Best International Short: On Healing Land, Birds Perch (USA, Vietnam, Dir. Naja Phạm Lockwood)
(sponsored by Park Road Post)
** Special Mention: Shepherd Boy (Portugal, Qatar, Dir. Joao Queiroga)

Best International Director: Violet Du Feng (The Dating Game)
Best International Editing: The Pool
Best International Cinematography: The Pool
Best International Sound: In Waves and War

FESTIVAL CATEGORY

The Art of Storytelling: Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror
Being Oneself: A Quiet Love
The Edge of Impact: Yurlu | Country
Facing the Edge: In Waves and War
In Truth We Trust: Blame
Tides of Change: Food Delivery: Fresh from the West Philippine Sea

NZ STUDENT AWARDS

Best Tertiary Film: Ally (Dir. Evienne Jones), University of Canterbury, Christchurch
** Special Mention: Don’t Forget Us (Dir. Maria Hewison), South Seas Film School, Auckland

IMMERSIVE EXHIBITION

Best New Zealand Impact Project: The Visitors Book (Created by Rewa Rendall)
Best International Impact Project: Kapwa (USA, Created by Michaela Ternasky-Holland, Aaron Santiago)

NEW AWARD

The Raye Freedman Legacy Award (sponsored by The Raye Freedman Trust): Julia Parnell

** The Raye Freedman Trust and Doc Edge are proud to launch a new award in memory of Mrs Raye Freedman, a passionate supporter of education, music, and the arts. **

NEW ZEALAND COMPETITION

Best New Zealand Feature: Every Little Thing
* Special Mention: Sharko & Pistachio Wars

Best New Zealand Short: Diary of a Head Injury
Best New Zealand Director: Sally Aitken / Every Little Thing
Best New Zealand Editing: Every Little Thing
Best New Zealand Cinematography: Every Little Thing
Best New Zealand Sound: Every Little Thing
Best New Zealand Emerging Filmmaker: Rowan Wernham / Pistachio Wars

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION

Best International Feature: Sugarcane
* Special Mention: Invisible Nation

Best International Short: Girl of Wind
* Special Mention: Instruments of a Beating Heart

Best International Director: Marcus Vetter, Michele Gentile / War and Justice
* Special Mention: Jalena Keane-Lee / Standing Above the Clouds

Best International Editing: We Will Dance Again
Best International Cinematography: I Shall Not Hate
Best International Sound: Sugarcane

FESTIVAL CATEGORY

Being Oneself: Renee Gracie: Fireproof
Bridges of Understanding: I Shall Not Hate
Democracy on the Edge: Rather Be Ashes Than Dust
Facing the Edge: Invisible Summit
In Truth We Trust: We Will Dance Again
The Edge of Impact: Devi

NZ STUDENT AWARDS

Best Tertiary Film: No Home Owner
* Special Mention: Underbirds: The Fight to Save the New Zealand Dotterel

Best Secondary Film: Hounga’ia – Be Grateful
* Special Mention: Telesia 2 the World

IMMERSIVE EXHIBITION

New Zealand Immersive Impact Project: Lane 25
International Immersive Impact Project: Murals

NEW ZEALAND COMPETITION

Best New Zealand Feature: Pacific Mother (Dir. Katherine McRae)

Best New Zealand Short: Strange Beasts (Dir. Darcy Prendergast)
– Special Mention: Demons (Dirs. Daniel Ali, Mark Robertson)

Best New Zealand Director: Katherine McRae (Pacific Mother)
Best New Zealand Editing: Pacific Mother (Editor Lala Rolls)
Best New Zealand Cinematography: Pacific Mother (various)
Best New Zealand Sound: Frances Hodgkins, Anything but a Still Life (Composer Dana Lund, original score)
Best New Zealand Emerging Filmmaker: Blandine Massiet du Biest (Frances Hodgkins, Anything but a Still Life)

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION

Best International Feature: In the Shadow of Beirut (Germany, Ireland, Lebanon, UK, Dirs. Stephen Gerard Kelly, Garry Keane)
– Special Mention: Twice Colonized (Canada, Denmark, Greenland, Dir. Lin Alluna)

Best International Short: When the Sand Stands Still (Denmark, Dirs. David Jervidal, Tommy Jervidal)
– Special Mention: Finding Alaa (UK, Dir. Myriam Francois)

Best International Director: Mstyslav Chernov (20 Days in Mariupol)
Best International Editing: 20 Days in Mariupol (Michelle Mizner)
Best International Cinematography: In the Shadow of Beirut
Best International Sound: Knowing the Score (Simon Hicks)

FESTIVAL CATEGORY

Being Oneself: Who I Am Not
Crime & Conspiracy: All Static & Noise
Fighting Spirit: Twice Colonized
Making an Impact: Deep Rising
The Art of Storytelling: Call Me Dancer
Our World, Our Stories: In the Shadow of Beirut

NEW ZEALAND STUDENT AWARDS

Best Tertiary Film: A Love Letter to the Estranged (Dir. Va’a Magalogo, AUT)
Best Secondary School Film: Self Portrait (Dir. Connor Lynd, Rotorua Lakes High School)

EXTENDED REALITY (XR) IMPACT WINNERS

New Zealand Project: Evoke
International Project: Missing 10 Hours (Hungary)

NEW ZEALAND COMPETITION

Best NZ Feature (sponsored by NZ On Air): Off the Rails

Special Mention: Behind the Mask

Best NZ Director: Alastair Cole, director of Iorram (Boat Song)

Best NZ Short: Our Aotearoa

Best NZ Cinematography: Balance of the Five Elements

Best NZ Editing: Balance of the Five Elements

Best NZ Sound: Only I Can Hear

Best NZ Emerging Filmmaker (sponsored by Department of Post): Marcus Palmer, director of Disco Bloodbath

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION

Best International Feature: All that Breathes
Special Mention: Delikado

Best International Director: Ben Lawrence, director of Ithaka

Best International Short: Freedom Swimmer
Special Mention: Water, Wind, Dust and Bread

Best International Cinematography: Hide & Seek

Best International Editing: Girl Gang

Best International Sound: All that Breathes

Doc Edge Festival 2021 Oscar-qualifying awards night was held on Wednesday, 2 June in Auckland.

NEW ZEALAND COMPETITION

Best NZ Feature: Valerie Taylor: Playing with Sharks
(sponsored by NZ On Air)

Best NZ Director: Sally Aitken, Valerie Taylor: Playing with Sharks

Best NZ Cinematography: Jacob Bryant, The Garden of Evil

Best NZ Editing: Thomas Gleeson, High Tide Don’t Hide

Best NZ Short: Garage Romantic
(sponsored by The Spinoff)

Best NZ Emerging Filmmaker: Alistair Harding, The Sea Decides
(sponsored by Department of Post)

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION

Best International Feature: Wuhan Wuhan
Special Mention: Sabaya

Best International Director: Hogir Hirori, Sabaya

Best International Short: Say His Name: Five Days for George Floyd
Special Mention: Souvenir Souvenir 

FESTIVAL CATEGORY

Around the World in Nine Films: Children
Crime & Conspiracy: Down A Dark Stairwell
Fame! I’m Gonna Live Forever: The Rossellinis
Family/Whānau: Try Harder!
Fearless/Mātātoa: Laura’s Choice
The Future Beckons: The Wonderful: Stories From The Space Station
State of Mind: Aulcie

NEW ZEALAND COMPETITION

* Best NZ Feature: Elementa
(sponsored by NZ On Air)

* Best NZ Short: Pluck
(sponsored by NZ On Air)
Special Mention: Hurting to Heal

Best NZ Director: Sally Williams,Stevenson: Lost and Found
Best NZ Cinematography: Richard Sidey, Elementa
Best NZ Editing: Deborah Peretz, Stevenson: Lost and Found
Best NZ Emerging Filmmaker: Yeshe Hegan, Return to Gandhi Road
(sponsored by Department of Post)

* These winners qualified for consideration by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the Oscars.

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION

* Best International Feature: A Thousand Cuts
Special Mention: The Forum

* Best International Short: Far From Home
Special Mention: Blackfeet Boxing: Not Invisible

Best International Director: Hind Meddeb, Thim Naccache, Paris Stalingrad
Special Mention: Pawel Wysoczanski, Long Day Tomorrow

FESTIVAL CATEGORY WINNERS

Best All In The Family (presented by Rei Foundation): Confucian Dream
Best Art Attack (presented by MiNDFOOD): A Chef’s Voyage
Best of Fests: This is Not a Movie
Best Fearless: Blood on the Wall
Best Future Watch (presented by Chorus): First We Eat
Best MOANA WHĀRAHI – Films from the Pacific: Tokyo Hula
Best On the Edge (presented by Department of Post): The Queen’s Man
Best World Cinema (presented by RNZ): Paris Stalingrad

Doc Edge Superhero

The 2025 Doc Edge Superhero is Ruby Chen.

Ruby Chen, Co-Founder and CEO of CNEX Foundation, has been named the 2025 Doc Edge Superhero, an honour recognising her outstanding contribution to global documentary filmmaking.

Chen, a tireless champion for documentary filmmakers in the Asia-Pacific region, has played a pivotal role in the global visibility of Chinese and Asian documentaries.

“As we all believe in the importance of documentaries and the power of moving visuals, I am honoured to be part of this circle of professionals who work hard to create impact and inspire people of all walks to lead their lives with positive energy,” says Ruby Chen.