NZ short film Run has been awarded an Honourable Mention in the Short Film Competition of the Cannes Film Festival in France.

"Members of the Jury came up to us afterward and said the film made them laugh and cry," said director Mark Albiston. "We learnt a lot from our experience in Cannes and can't wait to make our next film."NZ short film Run has been awarded an Honourable Mention in the Short Film Competition of the Cannes Film Festival in France.

"Members of the Jury came up to us afterward and said the film made them laugh and cry," said director Mark Albiston. "We learnt a lot from our experience in Cannes and can't wait to make our next film."Juliette Veber, NZ Film Commission Short Film Sales and Marketing Manager, said: "We are absolutely thrilled as Cannes is the most prestigious festival in the world. This prize is tremendous recognition for our emerging filmmaking talent. Many NZ short films have been selected for the main short film competition at Cannes but only one other short has been awarded a prize and that was Lemming Aid in 1994."

"The competition was really close," admitted Albiston. "It was a real honour to have been selected for the Cannes Film Festival as the standard was so high. Run was up against five or six really great films. It was amazing to see the film with an international audience and have them understand everything."

Competition winners

The Cannes Short Film jury awarded Elisa Miller's Watching It Rain from Mexico the Palme d'Or and gave an honourable mention to Anthony Chen's Ah Ma from Singapore as well as Albiston's Run.

About the film

Written by Louis Sutherland (who plays the father in the film), directed by Mark Albiston and produced by Robin Murphy, Run is about a Samoan brother and sister who live in fear of their over protective widowed father who rules with a military regime in order to protect his children from a bleak future. The children learn that only together can they show him that he is their biggest obstacle.

"It's a personal tale about a small Samoan family trying to fit into a dominant culture and society, a theme resonating with many families moving to a 'new neighbourhood' anywhere in the world," says Sutherland.