The hard work is over and the nails sufficiently whittled down in anticipation. After days of viewing by nearly 100 judges, the national finalists have finally been announced for the 2011 V48Hours  furious filmmaking competition.

The hard work is over and the nails sufficiently whittled down in anticipation. After days of viewing by nearly 100 judges, the national finalists have finally been announced for the 2011 V48Hours  furious filmmaking competition.

Heartbroken teams that didn't make the cut in the city finals have also been given another shot at fame and fortune with Sir Peter Jackson's annual Wildcard picks. Drum roll please.

The Wildcards, those given the nod by the man himself are: Mukpuddy - "Meanie Pants" (Quest Movie), Shonky Productions - "48 Hours" (Mystery) and The Outwits - "Grindin'" (Music/Dance).

But Sir Peter Jackson's favourites will have a lot to prove; going up against the best ten films that ate up the rest of the competition. Second drum roll for the national finalists… Grand Cheval - "The Child Jumpers" (Fad Movie), IdiotVision - "Headshot" (One-Room Movie), Couch Kumaras - "Sketch" (Road Movie), Mo Appreciation Collective - "Circus Animals" (One-Room Movie), Cinema in Decline - "Tea Jerker" (Crime), Lense Flare - "Copy That" (Road Movie), Clinky - "RoboRevenge" (Revenge Movie), Rubber Soul Productions - "Well Strung" (Musical/Dance), $195 Worth "Urban etikit" (Fad Movie) and Suspect TV - "Naughty Man" (Horror).

Congratulations to these teams, those 48 hours of pain were worth it. It's almost over, but not quite. It will all come down to the wire at the Grand National Final on 2nd July at the Civic Theatre in Auckland, where the Grand National Champion will be crowned.

"The talent that this competition has seen is truly mind-blowing" says competition founder and film-buff, Ant Timpson. "It's been a very long few weeks to get to this point. We've had a lot of young new talented filmmakers giving the pros a run for their money, making judging incredibly tough this year."

Those not able to attend the Grand National Final in Auckland can view 48Hours: The Best of the Fest episodes from the competition on U. Official broadcast partner U, will screen the best films across seven nights from 10pm daily - from Sunday 3rd to Saturday 9th July on U, Freeview 6 / SKY channel 016. For more information, go to u.co.nz