NZ’s stunning achievement at the Oscars

The achievement of the Lord of the Rings in winning eleven awards at this year's Academy Awards was stunning and a proud day for New Zealand, Prime Minister and Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Helen Clark said today.

"It has been an outstanding year for the New Zealand film industry, highlighted by the massive success of the Lord of the Rings, and accompanied by the wonderful achievements of Whale Rider and Keisha Castle-Hughes.

“The awards today are further illustration of the expertise and skill of the film industry in New Zealand. The profile these films have given to the New Zealand industry has been immense. The spin-offs will continue for years to come.

“Congratulations to everybody involved in the Lord of the Rings project. Tonight was their night, and they made it New Zealand’s night too.

“Peter Jackson and the whole Lord of the Rings team deserve our admiration for their amazing achievement" Helen Clark said.

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>