Winning film uses story of Captain Scott to highlight the wilderness values of Antarctica’s Ross Sea

The Last Ocean Charitable Trust celebrated the winners of the Last Ocean Online Short Film Competition at an awards ceremony in Christchurch on Thursday, 15th September as part of Conservation Week.

The overall winner, Bill Morris of Dunedin, used the story of Captain Scott’s journey to Antarctica 100 years ago to highlight the wilderness values of the Ross Sea, Antarctica, the world’s most pristine marine ecosystem.

For his efforts Morris won a voyage to the sub-Antarctic Islands with Heritage Expeditions, valued around $4000. Morris’s film entitled “Captain Scott and the Last Ocean” also won the Open Category, for which he was presented, along with a cash prize, a weekend for two in Wellington and a Panasonic Lumix camera.

Competition judge and award-winning wildlife filmmaker Alison Balance said of the winning film, “A great story that cleverly added a new dimension to the brief”.

The winner of the High School Category was Simon Havas from Western Springs College, with his first foray into filmmaking. The judges, including television presenter Erin Simpson, who also presented the award, thought that while the film was not perfect in terms of production, its ambitious scope, its thoughtfulness and effort more than made up for it. Havas’s film also won the People’s Choice Award.

Entrants were asked to produce a short film exploring “Why the Ross Sea, Antarctica is special”, and were given online access to over 70 clips from top New Zealand cameraman Peter Young and acclaimed NHNZ Moving Images. “We were looking for compelling short films highlighting the values of the Ross Sea and why it is worth protecting,” said Peter Young, who shot footage on a voyage to Antarctica in 2007. Young is currently working on a feature documentary, “The Last Ocean”, to raise awareness about the Ross Sea.

The completed films were uploaded to YouTube and posted into an online screening room (http://lastoceanscreeningroom.co.nz/) for viewing by the public and a panel of three screen-industry judges: documentary maker Alison Ballance, actor Peter Elliott, and TV2 television host Erin Simpson. The judges were impressed with the calibre and diversity of entries. Ballance said of the entries: “What a great collection of films! Really diverse, and interesting. It was a pleasure to watch them, and difficult to judge them.”

The Last Ocean Charitable Trust advocates for the protection of the Ross Sea, Antarctica, identified by scientists as one of the most pristine pieces of ocean left on Earth. Once only the realm of intrepid scientists and explorers, the region is now under threat from a commercial fishing fleet including New Zealand interests. The Trust hopes that the short film competition will foster interest and understanding of the pressures facing the Ross Sea.

List of finalists and winners:
1. HIGH SCHOOL CATEGORY
Winner
Simon Havas – “Ross Sea Competition” (Western Springs College)

Finalists
Tom Hoogerdijk & Klaas van der Oord (Kahiwi Pictures) – “Frozen in Time” (Havelock North High School)
Isabelle Russell (Team IRL) - “Next Wave for Change” (Albany Senior High School)
Drew Brice Ford (Budget Films) – “Last Ocean, Last Chance” (Wellington High School)
Martin Baxalle – “Saving Paradise” (Birkenhead College)

2. OPEN CATEGORY

Winner
Bill Morris – “Captain Scott and the Last Ocean”

Finalists
Nick Garrett & Laura Putnam (Team Bovril) – “The Last Ocean”
Herman Cheung (Team Milkyway) - “On the Edge of Forever”
Tessa Blackett – (Homespun Productions) - “On a Plate”
Matt Cowens – (Team Saki) – the Ross Sea

3. PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD
Simon Havas – “Ross Sea Competition” (Western Springs College)

4. OVERALL WINNER - BEST SHORT FILM
Bill Morris – “Captain Scott and the Last Ocean”

ENDS

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