The Wahine Disaster documentary wins Best in Festival Award

Peter Morris, Chairman BAFTA / LA presents Sharon Barbour, Producer with the award
THE WAHINE DISASTER which screened earlier this year on Maori TV has taken out the coveted top prize – “Best in Festival” at the Swansea Life International Film Festival in Wales on Saturday – the largest film festival in the UK. 236 films were screened – The Wahine Disaster was voted by judges to be the best.

The Wahine Disaster is an extraordinary documentary in which many of the survivors and rescuers speak for the first time.

On that day in April, 1968 – the country’s newest inter-island ferry Wahine set sail on her overnight journey from Lyttleton. She was also setting sail into the heart of the most violent storm in New Zealand’s history. Over 730 people were on board.

The hour long documentary, made by Storm UK Productions, follows passengers as they boarded the ferry on that “beautiful calm night” – right through to the end of the journey. One that would change all their lives.

Anzac Short films feature on Maori TV

Short film makers from the Hokianga, Auckland, Gisborne, Wanganui and Otago are the inaugural winners of Maori Television’s ANZAC short film competition screening as part of the all-day broadcast, A TATOU TAONGA: ANZAC DAY 2008, this Friday April 25 at 9.00 PM.

The winners will have a unique opportunity to talk live on air about their successful entry during the ANZAC SHORT FILM FESTIVAL – a new segment of the broadcast hosted by acclaimed filmmakers Ainsley Gardiner and Tearepa Kahi and showcasing some stellar Kiwi-made short films with an ANZAC theme.

The competition – in part sponsored by Te Puni Kokiri – encouraged all New Zealanders, at home or abroad, to re-tell their own ANZAC stories on film.

Successful individuals or teams in three categories are being brought to Maori Television’s Auckland studio to receive their awards and prize packs – which include professional camera kits, literature and movie tickets – and to be interviewed about their winning work before its first official screening.

The winners are:

TAMARIKI OR CHILDREN (up to and including Year 8): Winner – Rawene Primary (South Hokianga) with Te Ra o ANZAC; runner-up – Redoubt North Primary (Manukau) with To My Dear Mother; and special mention – Green Bay Primary School (Auckland) for The Working War.

RANGATAHI OR YOUTH (Year 9-13): Joint winners – Otago Girls’ High School with Women’s War and Mentoring Maori Youth Through Film (Gisborne) with Tumatauenga: Te Hokinga Mai; and special mention – Corier ‘Ginge’ Mardell, Ben MacKay and Corben Taylor (Auckland) with No Man’s Land.

ALL AGES (18 and over): Winner – David Gunson and Richard Harling (Auckland) with Boots; runner-up – Justin Gush (Wanganui) with Maori Vietnam Veterans; and special mention – Michael Bajko (Auckland) with Hentryk Bajko DCM.

The ANZAC SHORT FILM FESTIVAL concludes with an exclusive broadcast of World War I short film Crossing The Line by Peter Jackson.

Viewers can e-mail their feedback to anzacday@maoritelevision.com during the 18-hour broadcast A TATOU TAONGA: ANZAC DAY 2008 this Friday April 25 or watch the coverage live on the website www.maoritelevision.com. Text ANZAC to 3553 (text messages cost 20c each) to book your 5.45 AM wake-up text on ANZAC Day.

Saatchi New Directors Showcase call for entries

The Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors Showcase, the very successful creative event held each year at Cannes (outside the main event), has issued its call for entries. “This is a brilliant opportunity for NZ directors to get onto the global stage and be seen by some of the world’s top creatives,” says Saatchi NZ’s Mike O’Sullivan. “Anybody who can submit an entry should.”

To enter, new directors (less than two years’ experience) should submit a DVD showreel including (any or all) commercials, short films, music videos, animation, titles or new filmic tequniques. All reels should be labelled ‘New Directors Showcase 2008’ and sent to Mike O’Sullivan at Saatchi Auckland. For the detail in the entry procedure, prospects should first contact him at mike.osullivan@saatchi.co.nz

International Indigenous Broadcast Award Announced

New Zealand’s national indigenous broadcaster, Maori Television, is launching a Lifetime Achievement Award for Indigenous Television Broadcasting – Te Rerenga Tahi.

The award will be presented at the gala dinner of the inaugural World Indigenous Television Broadcasting Conference to be held in Auckland from March 26-28 2008.

Media accreditation has now opened for the three-day hui which will be the first ever gathering of indigenous television leaders from throughout the world. A World Indigenous Television Broadcasters Network will also be launched as part of the event.

Maori Television chief executive Jim Mather says the new award seeks to recognise the work of a person or persons who have made an outstanding contribution to the indigenous television broadcasting industry in New Zealand.

The award submission form as well as the application for media accreditation can be downloaded from the event website – www.witbc.org.

Mr Mather says the selection of the award winner will be a confidential process undertaken by a panel of independent judges, and based on the highest merits of fairness, honesty and respect to the deserving nominees.

Nominations for Te Rerenga Tahi close on January 31 2008.

Leaders, producers and planners involved in indigenous and public television can register their interest to attend WITBC ‘08 at www.witbc.org.

NZ film in running for World’s Best 60 sec film

A new Zealand made film – ‘GRAHAM’ has made the 2007 Filminute Shortlist! 25 films have been chosen from 800 submissions from 45 countries to be presented from September 1-30. ‘GRAHAM’ is the only NZ submission to be selected which is pretty cool.

The film is a kooky mix of a animation and sound design conceived by sibling designers Paul and Kahra Scott-James. Paul’s past life in sculpture and visual design is personifed in the not so perfectly formed GRAHAM with Kahra’s sound design accentuating his anarchic yet comic world. Her 2-piece band O.D.D (Oppositional Defiance Disorder) complete the soundtrack with a cut from their aptly titled tune ‘quit’.

2006 attracted audiences from over 50 countries with 1.7 millions hits during the festival month of September and Head of Jury and Filminute co-founder John Ketchum has gathered an eclectic, contemporary, and international mix of luminaries from the filmmaking, literature, arts and communications industries. “I’m thrilled with the group we’ve assembled for 2007 and can’t wait to see how they judge what is bound to be an even stronger shortlist of
international films and filmmakers.”

Jury members include
Kevin Roberts – CEO Worldwide of Saatchi & Saatchi, one of the world’s leading creative organizations, employing over 7000 people in 83 countries. Also the author of Sisomo:The Future on Screen, a book that looks at the central role of sight, sound and motion and the impact these element have in accelerating emotional connections in the digital age.

Michael Ondaatje – Award winning novelist and poet whose Booker Prize winning work The English Patient was adapted into an Academy Award and Bafta-winning film by Anthony Minghella. Ondaatje is also the author of The Conversations: Walter Murch & The Art Of Editing Film, an invaluable non-fiction work that explores the uniquely powerful role of the editor within the creative process of filmmaking.

Samira Makhmalbaf – Award-winning Iranian filmmaker whose 1998 film Sib (aka The Apple) was accepted to the official selection at Cannes Film Festival making her the youngest director (18 years old) to achieve that feat.

Kenichi Kondo, The Mori Art Museum Tokyo – as a curator with a specialty in video art, Kenichi Kondo has been responsible for strengthening the Mori’s focus on contemporary art and culture through his various initiatives.

Klaus Eder – General Secretary of FIPRESCI (Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique), the international body of professional film critics and film journalists based in Munich. FIPRESCI awards carry great distinction and are given out at the world’s leading film festivals to films that advance the art of cinema.

Vot now on www.filminute.com

Outrageous Fortune Dominated NZ Screen Awards

Outrageous Fortune

How the West’s won! Outrageous Fortune dominated the Air New Zealand Screen Awards last night taking out six awards. bro’Town reminded us it’s ‘Morningside 4 Life’ with top honours for UKTV Best Comedy and newcomer ‘Run’ is our Rialto Channel Best Short Film.

The winners of the Air New Zealand Screen Awards, the country’s most prestigious film and television industry awards were announced last night (01 August, 2007) at a star-studded event at Auckland’s SKYCITY theatre.

The Awards, now in their third year, celebrate craft and creativity in our local film and television industry. Founded by the Screen Directors Guild of New Zealand (SDGNZ), the Air New Zealand Screen Awards is a night that highlights how healthy our local film and television industry is.

“These Awards are the culmination of four months of work to recognise and honour the finest people and productions in the New Zealand TV and film industry,” says SDGNZ president Annie Goldson.

“We have received an incredibly healthy number of submissions from every part of the industry and it’s great to see newcomers being honored alongside seasoned professionals.”

“The Judging was conducted by a group of top industry specialists all with extensive experience and recognition in their chosen fields. The competition has been fierce this year and according to our judges, choosing a winner for each category was really tough. The standard of winners further reflects the growing strength of local productions and the depth of talent in New Zealand’s film and television industries. It is always an honour to stand out from the pack and to be recognised by a jury of your peers.”

And the winners are…

The Air NZ Screen Awards 2007 – digital and short film winners

In the Digital Film categories Stefan Lewis’ story The Waimate Conspiracy takes the title of Images and Sound Best Digital Feature. An award well earned as Lewis turned to film production and directing for the sole purpose of bringing his critically acclaimed 1999 novel “The Waikikamukau Conspiracy” to the screen.

The Last Magic Show, the story of an out of work escape artist who believes he possesses magical powers, earned Duncan Cole the of Images and Sound Technical Contribution to a Digital Film award.

Three short films were honoured at tonight’s Award’s ceremony. Run, a short film about the resilience and growth of a brother and sister relationship, provided director Mark Albiston with the Rialto Channel Best Short Film Award, and script writer Louis Sutherland with Rialto Channel Script for a Short Film.

20 year old Chelsie Preston Crayford took the title for Rialto Channel Performance in a Short Film for her role in Fog, a coming of age tale of a young boy hindered by his father’s expectations who escapes into the thick fog with a girl and emerges a man.

The Rialto Channel Technical Contribution to a Short Film award went to John Harding for his work on The King Boys, a short film set in 1946 where the popular sport of wrestling gives a boy’s life purpose.

“There was a strong presence of digital features in this year’s competition, many of which were highly innovative, indicating a shift in the field with greater numbers being able to access the funding and resources to produce feature length work.
New Zealand has a strong tradition in short film and this years crop of finalists and winners indicates that this strength is building,” says Goldson.

The Air New Zealand Screen Awards 2007 – Television

Everyone loves the West family and they had plenty of reason to celebrate throughout the evening taking home six trophies. The South Pacific Pictures series Outrageous Fortune took out top honours being recognised as Sony Best Drama. Director Simon Bennett was awarded the SDGNZ Achievement in Directing, Drama/ Comedy programme, with Robyn Malcolm picking up the Performance by an Actress award for her role as Cheryl West. Antony Star was honoured for his dual role as Jethro and Van with the Performance by an Actor award and his co-star Frank Whitten took home the Performance by a Supporting Actor gong. James Griffin scooped the award for Script, Drama for his Outrageous Fortune Xmas Special.

Other drama programmes to be honoured last night were Maddigan’s Quest and Shortland Street.

Maddigan’s Quest (South Pacific Pictures) took out three categories claimed Best Children’s Programme; Images and Sounds Contribution to a Soundtrack for Carl Smith, Rodney Larsen and Steve Finnigan; Achievement in Original Music for Victoria Kelly; and Contribution to Design for Tracey Collins.

Anna Jullienne picked up the Performance by a Supporting Actress gong for her role in Shortland Street.

Proving Morningside is alive and well in Auckland, Elizabeth Mitchell won the UKTV Best Comedy Programme for bro’Town.

Visionary Films Love, Speed and Loss took home three awards including New Zealand On Air Best Documentary, Achievement in Directing, Documentary for Justin Pemberton, and Images and Sound Achievement in Editing for Bryan Shaw.

Peter Young and Tracy Roe (Hunger for the Wild) were honoured for Best Factual Series. Young also received recognition for Achievement in Camerawork Documentary for his work on Country Calendar.

Dancing with the Stars received double honours with Debra Kelleher awarded Best Lifestyle/Entertainment Programme and Presenter Entertainment/Factual for Jason Gunn. Ondrej Havas (Henderson to Hollywood) was honoured for Best Reality Series, Rupert MacKenzie (Hidden in the Numbers) for Achievement in Directing, Factual Programming / Entertainment.

Waka Huia TVNZ took Best Maori Language Programme, for their show Te Tau Whakamahara i a Tumatauenga, Best Event Broadcast went to Screentime/Maori Television team for Nā Rātou Mō Tātou – They Did It For Us, and Code/ Maori Television were honoured for Best Sports Programme with Code.

This year saw a total of 13 productions honoured across 24 television categories which is a fantastic outcome for the industry and the Air New Zealand Screen Awards.

“It’s really exciting to see the high calibre of winners and finalists from our local television industry. There is an incredible depth of talent which reinforces the strength of our industry and we hope they will use this recognition to achieve greater success both here and overseas,” says Goldson.

A full list of all Television & Film winners are included behind and also available as downloadable pdf files www.sdgnz.co.nz (click on the Awards tab from the home page).

New Zealand Film Commission Short Films win prizes

New Zealand Short Film – “Run”

New Zealand short films Taua, Run and Nature’s Way have all won major awards internationally and domestically in the last few months.

Director Jane Shearer’s NZFC financed short film Nature’s Way has been awarded Best Short Film by the Jury of the 5th Paris Cinema International Film Festival. Paris Cinema was initiated and supported by the Paris City Hall, is chaired by actress Charlotte Rampling, and the festival has become a major film event of the early summer in Paris (more than 70,000 attendees in 2006). Honoured guests this year include actresses Robin Wright Penn and Sandra Bonnaire, and acclaimed cinematographer Christopher Doyle.

Leading up to the award, Nature’s Way has been touring France with “Les nuits en or du court métrage”, a festival organised by Les César Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma. They select 10 of the best short films from around the world and screen them in 21 cities throughout France. Among the short films screening with Nature’s Way are Oscar winners The Danish Poet and West Bank Story. Nature’s Way, written by Steve Ayson and Jane Shearer, directed by Shearer and produced by Leanne Saunders, is a supernatural thriller about a young girl murdered deep in native forest. Unfortunately for the murderer, nature aids revenge.

For the second year in a row, director Tearepa Kahi has been awarded the Friends of the Civic Best Short Film at the Telecom New Zealand International Film Festival. This year, the award went to his short film Taua, a film about a young boy’s compassion amidst the rivalry of Māori tribes at war, which was written and directed by Kahi and produced by Quinton Hita.

“Filmmaking’s not easy by any stretch of the imagination. You can have the best ideas but it does come down to support. Obviously really really stoked about the level of support we received for Taua and the fact that it’s doing well on the local scene and is about to go on to Edinburgh and America,” Mr Kahi says.

Last year, Kahi and Hita won the award for their short film The Speaker. The Friends of the Civic started the Best Short Film award as a way to encourage up and coming filmmakers.

Director Mark Albiston’s NZFC financed short film Run was awarded an Honourable Mention in the Short Film Competition of the Cannes Film Festival in France in May. The last time a NZ short film won a prize in the Cannes Film Festival Competition was Lemming Aid in 1994.

“The competition was really close,” admitted director Mark Albiston. “It was a real honour to have been selected for the Cannes Film Festival as the standard was so high. Run was up against five or six really great films. It was amazing to see the film with an international audience and have them understand everything. Members of the Jury came up to us afterward and said the film made them laugh and cry. We learnt a lot from our experience in Cannes and can’t wait to make our next film.”

Written by Louis Sutherland (who plays the father in the film), directed by Mark Albiston and produced by Robin Murphy, Run is a film about a Samoan brother and sister who live in fear of their over protective widowed father.

Run and Taua are screening throughout NZ as part of the MIC Homegrown: Works on Film section of the Telecom New Zealand International Film Festival.

Wellington Saturday 21 July at 5.15 PM at the Paramount Theatre
Wellington Monday 23 July at 11.00 AM at the Paramount Theatre
Dunedin Saturday 28 July at 6.00 PM at the Rialto Theatre
Christchurch Thursday 2 August at 6.30 PM at the Rialto Theatre
Christchurch Saturday 4 August at 6:15 PM at the Rialto Theatre

Last year, Nature’s Way and The Speaker screened as part of this programme.

Run, Taua, Nature’s Way and The Speaker were produced with finance from the Short Film Fund of the New Zealand Film Commission.

For more information about the MIC Homegrown: Works on Film programme of the Telecom New Zealand International Film Festival visit www.nzff.telecom.co.nz

Finalists for Air NZ Screen Awards show diversity of screen industry

A stellar line up of familiar names and fresh newcomers in New Zealand film and television were announced as finalists in the country’s most prestigious film and television industry awards.

The Air New Zealand Screen Awards, well supported by the industry and led by the Screen Directors Guild of New Zealand (SDGNZ) is now in its third year. The standard of this years finalists further reflects the growing strength of local productions and the depth of talent in both film and television industries. The winners will be announced at the Air New Zealand Screen Awards 2007 ceremony which will take place at Auckland’s SkyCity Theatre on Wednesday August 1st 2007.

“Outrageous Fortune” – Finalist for Best Drama

AIR NEW ZEALAND SCREEN AWARDS 2007
TELEVISION CATEGORY FINALISTS

Category/ Name of Programme/ Entrant – Finalist

Sony Best Drama Programme/ Shortland Street – Episodes 3599 & 3642/ South Pacific Pictures
Sony Best Drama Programme/ Karaoke High – Episodes 1 & 9/ Debra Kelleher
Sony Best Drama Programme/ Outrageous Fortune – Episodes 7 & 16/ South Pacific Pictures

UKTV Best Comedy Programme/ Wayne Anderson – Singer of Songs – Episode 3/ Glenn Elliott, Julia Parnell, Orlando Stewart, Jason Pengelly
UKTV Best Comedy Programme/ Moon TV – Series 3, Episode 1/ Leigh Hart
UKTV Best Comedy Programme/ bro’ Town – Episode 3.2/ Elizabeth Mitchell

New Zealand On Air Best Documentary/ Touch Wood/ Production Line
New Zealand On Air Best Documentary/ Try Revolution/ Leanne Pooley
New Zealand On Air Best Documentary/ Love, Speed and Loss/ Visionary Film & TV

Best Factual Series / Emergency – Episodes 2 & 7/ Jenny Williams
Best Factual Series / Hidden In The Numbers – Episodes 1 & 3/ Mark McNeill and Dianne Lindesay
Best Factual Series / Hunger for the Wild – Episodes 2 & 3/ Peter Young and Tracy Roe

Best Maori Language Programme/ Korero Ki Nga Kararehe – Episode 5 Makimaki/ Robert Pouwhare
Best Maori Language Programme/ Korowai o Te Aroha Part 3/ Waka Huia TVNZ
Best Maori Language Programme/ Te Tau Whakamahara I a Tumatauenga/ Waka Huia TVNZ

Best Children’s Programme/ Let’s Get Inventin – Rocket Skates Episode 1/ Neil Stichbury and Luke Nola
Best Children’s Programme/ The Killian Curse Series 1/ Thomas Robins and Debra Kelleher
Best Children’s Programme/ Maddigan’s Quest – Episode 8/ South Pacific Pictures

Best Lifestyle/Entertainment Programme / Marae DIY/ Screentime and Hula Haka Productions
Best Lifestyle/Entertainment Programme / The Living Room – Series 3, Episode 10/ Mark Albiston – Sticky Pictures Limited
Best Lifestyle/Entertainment Programme / Dancing With The Stars – Series 2, Episode 8/ Debra Kelleher

Best Event Broadcast/ Vodafone X*Air 2006 Post Event Shows – Episode 3/ Warren Green, Jason Naran and Sticky Pictures Limited
Best Event Broadcast/ Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu – 1931-2006/ Derek Te Kotuku Wooster
Best Event Broadcast/ Nā Rātou Mō Tātou – They Did It For Us/ Screentime/Maori Television

Best Sports Programme/ IRB Sevens World Series – Wellington/ Stu Dennison – TVNZ Sport
Best Sports Programme/ The Chosen Ones – Episode 2 John Walker/ Martin Crowe and Ian John
Best Sports Programme/ Code – Episode 32/ Code – Maori Television

Best Reality Series / Piha Rescue – Series III, Episode 1/ Eric Derks
Best Reality Series / Tough Act – Episodes 1 & 5/ Gibson Group
Best Reality Series / Henderson To Hollywood – Episodes 8 & 9/ Ondrej Havas

Performance by an Actress/ Shortland Street – Episode 3642/ Amanda Billing
Performance by an Actress/ Maddigan’s Quest – Episode 2/ Rose McIver
Performance by an Actress/ Outrageous Fortune – Episode 16/ Robyn Malcolm

Performance by a Supporting Actress/ Outrageous Fortune – Episode 14/ Antonia Prebble
Performance by a Supporting Actress/ Outrageous Fortune – Episode 13/ Siobhan Marshall
Performance by a Supporting Actress/ Shortland Street – Episode 3566/ Anna Julliene

Performance by an Actor/ Maddigan’s Quest – Episode 12/ Jordan Metcalfe
Performance by an Actor/ Outrageous Fortune – Episode 7/ Grant Bowler
Performance by an Actor/ Outrageous Fortune – Episode 7/ Antony Starr

Performance by a Supporting Actor/ Outrageous Fortune – Episode 12/ Tammy Davis
Performance by a Supporting Actor/ Orange Roughies – Episode One/ Will Wallace
Performance by a Supporting Actor/ Outrageous Fortune – Episode 13/ Frank Whitten

Presenter Entertainment/Factual/ Vodafone Select Live – Episode 122/ Joel Defries
Presenter Entertainment/Factual/ Hidden In The Numbers – Episode 1/ Te Radar
Presenter Entertainment/Factual/ Dancing With The Stars – Series 2, Episode 8/ Jason Gunn

Script, Drama/ Maddigan’s Quest – Episode 5/ Rachel Lang
Script, Drama/ Outrageous Fortune – Episode 16/ Rachel Lang
Script, Drama/ Outrageous Fortune – Xmas Special/ James Griffin

SDGNZ Achievement in Directing, Drama/Comedy Programme/ Outrageous Fortune – Series 2, Episode 7/ Michael Bennett
SDGNZ Achievement in Directing,Drama/Comedy Programme/ Outrageous Fortune – Episode 11/ Mark Beesley
SDGNZ Achievement in Directing, Drama/Comedy Programme/ Outrageous Fortune – Episode 16/ Simon Bennett

Achievement in Directing, Documentary/ The Magical Word of Misery – Episode 1 Artsville/ Mark Albiston – Sticky Pictures Limited
Achievement in Directing, Documentary/ Pacific Solution/ James Frankham
Achievement in Directing, Documentary/ Love, Speed and Loss/ Justin Pemberton

Achievement in Directing, Factual Programming/Entertainment/ Hunger for the Wild/ Peter Young
Achievement in Directing, Factual Programming/Entertainment/ The Living Room – Series 3, Episode 10/ Mark Albiston
Achievement in Directing, Factual Programming/Entertainment/ Hidden In The Numbers – Episode 2/ Rupert MacKenzie

Achievement in Camerawork Documentary/ Elgar’s Enigma:Biography of a Concerto/ Simon Raby
Achievement in Camerawork Documentary/ Waka Reo Series II/ James Ellis – Ngāi Tahu Communications
Achievement in Camerawork Documentary/ Country Calendar-Episode 22 Cray Coast/ Peter Young

Images and Sound Achievement in Editing Documentary/ Hidden In The Numbers – Episode 3/ John Fraser
Images and Sound Achievement in Editing Documentary/ Try Revolution/ Tim Woodhouse
Images and Sound Achievement in Editing Documentary/ Love, Speed and Loss/ Bryan Shaw

Achievement in Original Music/ Outrageous Fortune – Episode 8/ Joel Haines
Achievement in Original Music/ Hunger for the Wild/ Dianne Swann & Brett Adams – The Bads
Achievement in Original Music/ Maddigan’s Quest – Episode 5/ Victoria Kelly

Images and Sound Contribution to a Soundtrack/ Outrageous Fortune – Episode 8/ Carl Smith and Steve Finnigan
Images and Sound Contribution to a Soundtrack/ Hunger for the Wild/ Beth Tredray
Images and Sound Contribution to a Soundtrack/ Maddigan’s Quest – Episode 2/ Carl Smith, Rodney Larsen and Steve Finnigan

Contribution to Design/ Outrageous Fortune – Episode 8/ Katrina Hodge
Contribution to Design/ Maddigans Quest – Episode 13/ Albedo VFX
Contribution to Design/ Maddigan’s Quest – Episode 1/ Tracey Collins

“Run” – Finalist for Best Short Film

AIR NEW ZEALAND SCREEN AWARDS 2007
FILM CATEGORY FINALISTS

Category/ Name of Programme/ Entrant – Finalist

Images and Sound Best Digital Feature/ You Move You Die/ Ketzal Sterling
Images and Sound Best Digital Feature/ The Devil Dared Me To/ Chris Stapp, Matt Heath and Karl Zohrab
Images and Sound Best Digital Feature/ The Waimate Conspiracy/ Stefen Lewis

Images and Sound Technical Contribution to a Digital Feature/ You Move You Die/ Rhys Duncan
Images and Sound Technical Contribution to a Digital Feature/ The Last Magic Show/ Georgie Hill
Images and Sound Technical Contribution to a Digital Feature/ The Last Magic Show/ Duncan Cole

Rialto Channel Best Short Film/ Fog/ Rachel Gardner and Peter Salmon
Rialto Channel Best Short Film/ Hawaikii/ Michael Jonathan
Rialto Channel Best Short Film/ Run/ Mark Albiston

Rialto Channel Performance in a Short Film/ Run/ Tyrrell Samia
Rialto Channel Performance in a Short Film/ Run/ Helayna Seiuli
Rialto Channel Performance in a Short Film/ Fog/ Chelsie Preston Crayford

Rialto Channel Script for a Short Film/ Uso Brother/ Miki Magasiva
Rialto Channel Script for a Short Film/ The Garden of Love/ Fiona Samuel
Rialto Channel Script for a Short Film/ Run/ Louis Sutherland

Rialto Channel Technical Contribution to a Short Film/ Run/ Simon Baumfield
Rialto Channel Technical Contribution to a Short Film/ Fog/ Ginny Ioane
Rialto Channel Technical Contribution to a Short Film/ The King Boys/ John Harding

Casino Royale director Martin Campbell to attend NZ Awards

New Zealand born director of Casino Royale, Martin Campbell has confirmed he will be taking part in the 2007 Air New Zealand Screen Awards being held at SkyCity Auckland on 1st August.

Campbell will be presenting an Award at NZ’s most prestigious film and television industry awards ceremony as well as appearing as guest speaker at the Screen Directors Guild NZ Q&A Symposium on 31 July.

Most recently Campbell directed the action packed James Bond film, Casino Royale and only last week was signed to direct the movie 36, a remake of the 2004 French-language thriller 36 quai des orfevres. Campbell is considered one of the Hollywood’s top directors and is currently prepping 20th Century Fox’s thriller Unstoppable.

The Air New Zealand Screen Awards which are in their third year celebrates and recognises the craft and creativity of New Zealand film and television. This year’s awards have attracted a record number of entries, with close to 300 entries received across 30 categories.

Finalists for the nation’s best short film, digital feature and television productions will be announced at a special event in Auckland on July 3, 2007 and the Air New Zealand Screen Awards 2007 ceremony will take place at Auckland’s SkyCity Theatre on Wednesday August 1st.

As well as the Finalist Announcement and Awards Ceremony, Rialto Channel will also host two free short film screenings of New Zealand Short Films as part of build up to The Air New Zealand Screen Awards 2007. These will be held at SkyCity’s Bar3 on Tuesday 17th and 24th July from 7pm – 9pm.

For all the latest news and information on The Air New Zealand Screen Awards 2007, visit www.sdgnz.co.nz (click on the Awards tab from the home page).

Weta’s Richard Taylor represents New Zealand at World Entrepreneur of the Year

Richard Taylor, co-founder of Weta Workshop and Weta Digital and representing New Zealand, was one of 47 business leaders from 39 companies competing for the title of Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur of the Year over the weekend. All have won national Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year titles and were in Monte Carlo representing their countries in the world’s only global business award.

Guy Laliberté, the founder and CEO of Cirque du Soleil was named Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur of the Year for 2007. Guy Laliberté represented Canada at the Awards.

Richard said he was thrilled to have been part of the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. “I am extremely honoured to have been among the astounding talent which is here in Monte Carlo. It has been an immensely enriching and rewarding experience to meet and socialise with people from around the world who are at the top of their game,” he said.

Richard says he dedicated his Monte Carlo experience to the team that supported his and partner Tania Roger’s creative vision. “My involvement in this competition recognizes the successes Weta has achieved with the combined support of a team that embody four key traits: passion, enthusiasm, tenacity and talent. Tania and I could not have achieved our creative goals without this crew, and for that, I dedicate this experience to them.”

Richard has been in Monte Carlo for the past week, meeting the international independent panel of eight judges that included former Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year winners and judges.

Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards director Roger Hatrick-Smith, who was with Richard in Monte Carlo, said Richard’s participation in Monte Carlo represents New Zealand’s ability to successfully participate in the global business environment.

“It’s a great barometer of New Zealand business, to have Richard Taylor representing us on the world stage. The opportunity to showcase Richard, his business and New Zealand business within this forum is invaluable,” he said.

Richard commented that all of the 46 other finalists were making impressive and significant contributions to global business and to be part of this group was an honour.

“There were contestants such as Canada’s Guy Laliberté who took Cirque du Soleil to the world and India’s Tulsi Tanti who started Suzlon, which is now the fifth largest wind turbine manufacturer in the world. All of these people had highly inspirational business stories to tell. Meeting them and many others in this environment has been inspiring,” he said.

Richard began what would grow to become Weta as a small effects business, with his partner Tania Rodger, in the back of their Wellington flat in 1987.

Richard Taylor, with his co-directors Peter Jackson and Jamie Selkirk, have made Weta into a multi-million dollar business, which operates out of a 65,000 square foot facility in Wellington and provides physical and digital effects for films, advertisements and television shows, as well as now diversifying into high end collectibles, publishing, commercial chainmaille manufacturing and television production.

Along the way, Richard has personally won five Oscars and been involved with the highly acclaimed The Lord of the Rings trilogy and most recently King Kong.

Entries are now open for New Zealand’s 2007 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, which will be announced at an award banquet on 14 November, 2007.