Fifteen finalists from around the country have been chosen for the awards, which will be announced in Wellington on April 21.
Samuel White (17), a pupil at The Catlins Area School, has been making home movies for many years and was thrilled to be named a finalist in the competition, which attracted interest from all around the country.
His five-minute film, Circle, tells the story of four friends who gather to talk about life in New Zealand and how ‘‘life circulates and is quite repetitive'', and how this affects each of them.
Samuel wrote the script and filmed and directed the film using three friends - Heidi Geissler, Eleanor Leslie and Nikki Dewe. The film was shot at school and home, with shooting completed about two months ago.
Online voting will be used to help decide the overall winner. Votes can be cast at www.id360.govt.nz
