Twice as many applications were received for the October 2015 Fresh Short Funding round compared with the May submission period.
Seven Fresh 10 and three Fresh 30 films have been offered funding. An eleventh film has been offered $20,000.
A total of 16 short films have been offered funding this year.
Readers and panel members felt the applications were of a high standard. Every submission from the October round will receive written feedback.
October Fresh Shorts $10,000
Stranger
Drama
Writer/Directors: Kieran Charnock & Johnathan Watt, Producers: Lucy Edwards & Gabriel Page
A five year old boy is haunted by a silent "masked monster" as he tries to locate his missing father.
Boxes
Drama
Writer/Director: Jack Barrowman, Producers: Tom Webb & Catherine Fitzgerald
When a teenage boy's grandmother falls suddenly ill, he finds himself contemplating their relationship and whether he did as much as he could to be close to her.
Baby?
Drama
Writers: Marion Prebble & Mark Prebble, Director: Mark Prebble
A middle-aged woman determined not to spend her birthday alone, invites herself into the home of her new neighbour, a young mother in the middle of a nervous breakdown.
A Guide to Becoming a Detective
Drama comedy
Writer/Director: Beyond Wen
A smug detective shows his clueless sidekick the ropes of the trade, but is made to revisit the reason he became a private eye - an elusive dream girl and her mysterious disappearance.
My Friend Michael Jones
Drama comedy
Writers: Samson Vaotu'ua, Ian Leaupepe & Eldon Booth, Directors: Samson Vaotu'ua, Ian Leaupepe Producers: Eldon Booth & Alex Lovell
A teenage Samoan boy with debilitating OCD forms an unlikely friendship with a popular female classmate, bonding through musical performance to escape their respective social pressures.
Shadow Cut
Drama
Writer/Director: Lucy Suess, Producer: Johnny Lyon
A day skipping school sets 13 year old boy and girl on a journey into the night, where they discover what they need - a shadow cut.
Cleaver
Drama
Writer/Director: Alex McKenna, Producer: Jessica Bond
A lonely, detached, young man lives next to a family who are stuck in a violent relationship, the effects of which begin to take its toll on the neighbour’s conscience.
October Fresh Shorts $20,000
Midnight Till 8
Drama
Writer/Director: Eryn Wilson, Producer: Gareth Wallis
A small town boy's fragile connection with his depressive father threatens to unravel. But when his father saves his life and diffuses an inescapable threat, the boy learns what it means to be a man.
October Fresh Shorts $30,000
Sista*
Drama
Writers: Leilani Tamu & Chantelle Burgoyne, Director: Chantelle Burgoyne, Producer: Marina McCartney
A tale of trust between two sisters in the cusp of adolescence sets off a chain of events that has the potential to shatter their relationship forever.
Run Rabbit
Drama
Writer/Director Robyn Paterson, Producer: Paula Boock
A rabbit hunter proves the tipping point for a young teenage refugee who is trying to battle his way through the culture shock of having arrived in a small central Otago town.
Stag
Thriller
Writer/Director: Summer Agnew, Producer: Sarah Cook
A prodigal son returns hunting atonement but finds the high country wilds a dangerous place.