KEY POINTS:
A New Zealand film about humanity and survival has been selected for a short film competition in New York.
Cargo, written and directed by New Zealander Leo Woodhead, will screen at the seventh annual Tribeca Film Festival next month.
New Zealand Film Commission short film manager Juliette Veber said the Tribeca festival was becoming one of the most important film events in the United States.
Tribeca Film Festival artistic director Peter Scarlet said the 79 films selected for the competition were a remarkable bunch.
"This crop of short films shows that these filmmakers sometimes display an imaginative flair that reminds us that a successful sprint can be just as much of an achievement as a marathon," he said.
Cargo portrays a young boy's descent into the world of child trafficking.
Through a moment of pity he is spared but the reprieve comes at a huge personal cost.
Mr Woodhead said he was interested in what human beings do in order to survive.
"When escape seems impossible, the boy is given the opportunity to live. But he's dying inside because he's losing the emotions that give him humanity," he said.
Cargo was one of 2497 short films submitted for the festival.
The 2008 Tribeca Film Festival runs from April 23 to May 4th.
- NZPA
