Filmmaker and screen industry professional Vee Shi has been announced as the recipient of the Screen Presence Trailblazer Award 2026, given by the thriving screen initiative to an Asian Australian trailblazer who is redefining the landscape of the film industry.

The award will be formally celebrated at Screen Presence in-conversation event in Melbourne on August 27 with Vee Shi and his collaborative partner Producer/Cinematographer Nicholson Ren.

Screening to sellout audiences at MIFF this month, Shi’s hybrid documentary feature Time and Tide world premiered in April in Switzerland at the leading documentary film festival Visions du Réel. In the short period since, the film has premiered in Australia, winning the Sydney Film Festival Documentary Australia Award and has become the first Australian film acquired by Paris-based international sales agent Inwave Films.

Highlighting his talent and range as a filmmaker, Time and Tide follows Shi’s narrative short Jia, which collected awards across the craft for writing, directing and production from prominent industry bodies and events including ADG, AWG, SPA, Flickerfest and MQFF.

Founded by renowned screen producer Lisa Wang, Screen Presence is an active cultural and industry network championing Asian Australian creatives, both in front and behind the camera, with tangible results. 

Screen Presence’s Lisa Wang said “With Time and Tide, Vee Shi has generously shared an intimate and personal story about family that speaks straight to your heart. Working together with Nicholson Ren, he has made a uniquely crafted film that represents his many talents as a filmmaker.

Vee Shi could not be more deserving of the Screen Presence 2026 Trailblazer Award. Already an accomplished writer, director, producer and development executive, we have still only begun to see what this extraordinary filmmaker has to offer. We can’t wait to follow along with the incredible screen journey he is forging.”

MIFF Artistic Director Al Cossar said “All of us at the Melbourne International Film Festival are thrilled to see Vee Shi recognised with this award. From his time within MIFF’s Accelerator program, to now making waves on the world stage with the attention and acclaim that TIME AND TIDE is already receiving here and internationally, this is a filmmaker whose vision, boldness and ingenuity announce him as a singular artist, and one whose work we will look forward to closely following.” 

Vee Shi joins world renowned cinematographer Matthew Chuang (2025) and internationally acclaimed TV director Corrie Chen (2024) as recipients of the Screen Presence Trailblazer Award.

MEDIA INFORMATION

Images: Time and Tide Stills and Headshot 

Interviews: available on request.

Media Contact: Alicia Brescianini, ABCG Film alicia@abcgfilm.com