We present the list of winners of the Documentary Edge Festival that took place from May 4th – 29th in the cities of Auckland & Wellington (New Zealand).

Best International Short

A Girl in the River – The Price of Forgiveness by Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy – Pakistan | 2015 – 40 min.

More than 1000 women are killed in the name of “honor” in Pakistan every year. A Girl in The River: The Price of Forgiveness follows the story of a rare survivor who falls in love and lives to tell the tale.

Best International Feature

Miners Shot Down by Rehad Desai – South Africa | 2014 – 86 min.

In August 2012, workers in one of South Africa’s biggest platinum mines began a wildcat strike for better wages. Six days into the strike, the police used live ammunition to brutally suppress the strike, killing 34 and injuring many more. The police insisted that they shot in self-defence.

Best International Director

Hemal Trivedi and Mohammed Naqvi for the film Among the Believers – US, Pakistan | 2015 – 84 min.

The opening sequence of a very young boy delivering a sermon with vitriolic hatred in his eyes sets the scene for this chilling recording of the spread of radical Islam in Pakistan, and the resulting clash of ideologies between moderate and fundamentalist forces.

Best NZ Short

On the Backs of Women by Deave Henderson and Dean Easterbrook – New Zealand | 2016 – 38 min.

Set in the small town of Kalaymyo, Myanmar, On the Backs of Women is the story of three entrepreneurial Burmese women working their way out of poverty. Each has their own set of challenging life circumstances they must struggle with to survive. Through small loans made by a local microfinance bank, they are offered hope and solidarity, and a chance to grow. Their stories are a reflection of thousands of entrepreneurial women experiencing poverty around the world. A story of commitment through desperation, and ultimately the drive to create a better life for themselves and the people they love.

Best NZ Feature

Loving in Limbo by Susan Parker – New Zealand | 2016 – 78 min.

Two people, from different countries, determined to overcome distance, government bureaucracy and family resistance, to be together.

Best NZ Director

Susan Parker for the film Loving in Limbo

Best NZ Cinematography

A Kick to Heaven by Zviki Eshet – New Zealand, Israel | 2015 – 68 min.

Zviki Eshet (a photographer and businessman, son of renowned photographer Mula Eshet) was running a successful business in Israel when it suddenly collapsed. On an impulse, he applied for a holiday visa to take his family to New Zealand. Shortly after arriving, entranced by the country, they found themselves building a new life on the other side of the world. What started as a vacation had become an inseparable part of their lives, which lasted a decade. Some may say that they ran away from it all; others would say he received a kick to Heaven. After building a new life and a thriving business, they suddenly decided to return to Israel.

Best NZ Editing

The Sound of Her Guitar by Bill Morris – New Zealand | 2016 – 75 min.

Donna Dean is one of New Zealand’s most respected songwriters — twice winner of New Zealand Country Music Album of the Year — an artist who has recorded and toured all over the world to critical acclaim.

Best NZ Emerging Filmmaker

Lisa Burd for the film Monterey – New Zealand | 2016 – 78 min.

Mira and Paul dreamed of creating a café together, a warm homely place they could share with the people around them. In Auckland’s Grey Lynn, they hoped they had found it — the Monterey. The addition of a proudly Samoan kitchen crew formed the soul of a community-minded establishment. They feel they have the kitchen under control, so when a young and ambitious chef from the UK is introduced into the mix, with new rules and demands, tensions boil over. Everyone is forced to re-examine their roles and loyalties.

Best NZ Online Documentary or Factual Series

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Best NZ TV Documentary or Series

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Marti Friedlander