Five short-form documentaries from young New Zealand producers will make their debuts on the BBC Knowledge NZ network later this year, with Australia to follow.

The docs are currently in production for the network as part of a joint initiative between BBC Knowledge and New Zealand’s Screen Production and Development Association (SPADA).

The films were commissioned to celebrate the launch of BBC Knowledge NZ in February this year, with a call to young Kiwi producers under the age of 30 to submit ideas for true stories that reflected the content of the channel – “intelligent, informative, innovative and sometimes irreverent.” The five chosen producers would each receive grants of NZ$5,000 (US$4,100).

The list of winning projects, with descriptions from BBC Knowledge NZ, are as follows:

Strawberries with the Führer

Amy O’Connor, Wellington/Positive Pattern Films

An 80-year-old Canterbury woman breaks her silence about growing up in Nazi Germany and her father’s involvement in the notorious Waffen SS.

Porn and Piety

Simon Burgin, Wellington

The battle between ‘good’ and ‘evil’ is getting intensely personal for campaigners on either sides of New Zealand’s moral divide.

A Bach Somewhere

Claire Clements, Dunedin

The story of a New Zealand bach, told through the eyes of Don, a permanent bach dweller who’s the epitome of what it means to live in and love New Zealand.

Getting It Up

Emma Conroy & Catie McDonald, Auckland/Cameo Productions

A personal journey following one man’s struggle to get his sex life back on track.

Lex

David White, Wellington/White Balance Pictures

A trebuchet, some cannons and a grizzly bear. A story about a Hawke’s Bay farmer who doesn’t care what the neighbors think.