NZ's international screen accolades signal a bright future

New Zealand’s international screen accolades signal a bright future

New Zealand’s screen industry’s continued international awards success shows local companies are in the vanguard of a changing global industry, says Film New Zealand CEO Gisella Carr.

Following on from The Adventures of Tin Tin’s recent win of a Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature Film, New Zealand enjoyed further success yesterday at the 10th Annual Visual Effects Society Awards. Weta Digital had an unprecedented 10 nominations, with the New Zealand visual effects company announced winners of Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Feature Motion Picture for Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Outstanding Animated Character in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture for the character Caesar.

New Zealand-made productions also claimed success over the weekend at the Annie Awards (commonly known as the animation ‘Oscars’). Of the nine New Zealand nominations, two were announced winners at the weekend’s awards ceremony. The upcoming BAFTA awards and Oscars also have a number of New Zealand nominations.

Film New Zealand CEO Gisella Carr says the slew of wins and nominations clearly demonstrates the outstanding quality of New Zealand filmmakers, as well as underlining the changing nature of the global film industry.

“Creative and technological talent will be the key to screen success this century and New Zealand has significant strengths here as shown by these awards and nominations. Beautiful and diverse locations continue to be an important ingredient of the industry, but it is only as good as our talent and we must continue to focus on this.”

She says the diversity of the nominations is impressive, as is the fact they recognise skills across a broad range of disciplines.

“This creative and technological talent is encompassing both enormous feature films involving thousands of people but also increasingly, in the related industry gaming, can also be an individual sitting at home and generating a multi-million dollar property.”

Ms Carr says New Zealand is also fortunate that people are able to have global careers from home in a way that was unimaginable a generation ago.

“Sir Peter Jackson, Bret McKenzie, Rob Tapert, Andrew Adamson, Sir Richard Taylor and Weta Digital are among those operating from a New Zealand base. It is internationalising our industry, with overseas practitioners at the top of their game deciding to base themselves in New Zealand and people who come here to work on international productions deciding to stay.”

“Internationally New Zealand talent is seen as outstanding in the way we develop and utilise new technologies, in our work practices, and for the significant contribution made to the art of film,” says Ms Carr.

“This ongoing stream of international screen awards attests to our quality. Our people are up against the best in world here. Just to be nominated is an achievement in itself, and to win something else again.

She says the spotlight will continue to be on New Zealand in other upcoming international awards with The Adventures of Tintin nominated in two BAFTA categories, and the Visual Effects on Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Bret McKenzie for his original song Man or Muppet both up for an Oscar.

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