Auckland Crews Create Three Short Films Using Local Locations and Talent

Three short films shot entirely in Auckland neighbourhoods open this week at Academy Cinemas on Queen Street, each one built around crews who spent months refining scripts and locations before cameras rolled.

The timing aligns with a broader push by local production offices to keep crews employed after last year’s drop in international shoots passing through the region.

Shooting days on Ponsonby Road and the Viaduct

One film used early-morning takes along Ponsonby Road to capture a single character walking past the same corner café three times, while another relied on handheld work at the Viaduct Harbour to follow a ferry worker finishing a night shift. The third piece centred on a family kitchen in Mount Eden, with the director and cinematographer both residents of the street where they filmed. These choices came after the teams met weekly at a shared workspace on Karangahape Road to review dailies and adjust shot lists before returning to the locations.

Academy Cinemas has programmed the shorts together under one ticket for the next fortnight, with each screening followed by a brief panel discussion led by the production teams rather than outside moderators.

Numbers that shaped the schedule

Each project stayed under a NZ$48,000 budget, a figure drawn from the Auckland Film Development Fund’s 2025 round that supported 14 similar local works. The combined crew lists totalled 47 paid positions, most of them filled by people already living within 10 kilometres of the shoot sites. Screenings begin 15 July at 6.30 pm and run nightly through 28 July, with tickets listed at NZ$18 online or at the Queen Street box office.

Viewers who want the full schedule can check the Academy Cinemas website or pick up printed guides at the front desk of the Auckland Central Library on Lorne Street before heading to the theatre.