The Your Big Break road ends at the 25th Film Independent Spirit Awards on Friday March 5th in Los Angeles. That’s when the wider world will get to meet the Your Big Break winner and their film will be broadcast to a national television audience in the United States. It’s a reminder that while the chance to make a film in New Zealand was an incredible component of the Your Big Break experience for our finalists, the big break itself is – as it is for so many newcomers to filmmaking – all about exposure. And it’s at the Spirit Awards in just a few weeks’ time that our winner and their work will be launched onto the world stage.

The winning filmmaker, as chosen by Peter Jackson, will have the opportunity to attend the event, with all flights and accommodation paid for by Tourism New Zealand. The five finalists’ films will be shown as part of Tourism New Zealand’s presence at the awards ceremony, with a particular focus on the winning film – that means there’s the potential for the films to be seen by all kinds of stars, producers and industry luminaries.

And to top it all off, the winning film will be shown in its entirety on IFC just prior to the Spirit Awards live telecast! The Independent Film Channel is one of the fastest-growing digital cable networks in the United States – that’s the kind of premiere few first-time filmmakers receive.

And of course we’ll be hearing about the experience first-hand from our Your Big Break winner after the event!

For more info, check out the 25th Film Independent Spirit Awards and IFC.

Sit tight – because next week we’ll reveal the five completed films right here at Your Big Break – and you’ll have the opportunity to discuss them before we reveal the winning film, as chosen by Peter Jackson!

– Your Big Break Critic