Presented by Wānaka.

Last year, the theme of our inaugural and massively successful Monster Children Short Film Awards was A Sense of Place. Filmmakers entering the competition provided many different interpretations of this compelling theme and, yay, it was good. This year, the theme is even more thought-provoking and not a little more of the moment: Regeneration.

What does Regeneration mean? It means to be reborn, to regrow, to bring back and return to what was whence and once before. Regeneration is about bringing vitality and renewed growth to our communities and our ecosystems. In this year of Lord 2023, Regeneration is of greater importance than ever. In the last 200-odd years, humanity has taken the Earth and done it many a nuisance, with its smokestacks spewing black into the blue sky and its waste roiling in the seas… Put simply, we find ourselves in a spot of ecological bother. The solution? Regeneration. This isn’t news to anyone. We all know how critical Regeneration is to the survival of our planet and species (not to mention the many threatened species of our glorious, varied Animal Kingdom), and yet here we are, taking selfies and seeking absurd and pointless external validation while the environment crumbles around us. There are some, of course, who work tirelessly to produce solutions for the ecological disaster zone that is our current world, but for the most part, humanity is shielding its eyes and living in denial like a bunch of Egyptian crocodiles.

So, what is the answer? Well, a big part of it is continued conversation. And that’s why Regeneration is the theme of this year’s short film competition. In 2023, Monster Children encourages filmmakers to interpret the theme of Regeneration and tell the stories of what it means to them, thereby inspiring others to consider humanity’s neglect and improvidence and do something to help get the planet back on track. A return to Eden, if you will—and you will. Get at it.

This year we’re asking filmmakers to submit a short film around your interpretation of this theme. This year’s winner will receive $10K cash, $10K worth of Sony hardware, and an all-expenses-paid trip and production budget to shoot a short film in beautiful Wānaka, New Zealand. Call for submissions opens April 4th, 2023

More details to come. Watch this space!