One Step Closer To The Oscars

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Monday, 12 April 2010

The Six Dollar Fifty Man –
One Step Closer To The Oscars


The Six Dollar Fifty Man has won Best Drama at Aspen Shortsfest, USA.

The win marks the short film’s fourth Oscar®-qualifying film festival award to date- further qualifying it for consideration for an Academy Award nomination in 2011. It’s gone from strength to strength after having its world premiere and gaining Special Distinction at Cannes last year. This year it has already won the Jury Prize in International Short Film making at Sundance, Best Narrative Short at Cinequest Film Festival, USA and also the Cooper Award for Best Short Film at Australasia’s only Academy-qualifying film festival, Flickerfest

The short also won the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), Los Angeles Prize for Excellence, as part of its selection at Aspen Shortsfest.

Written and directed by Wellingtonians Mark Albiston and Louis Sutherland and produced by Wendy Cuthbert, The Six Dollar Fifty Man tells the story of a gutsy 8-year-old boy who retreats into a make believe world to deal with playground bullying.

In announcing the winners, the judges, including actor Meg Ryan, said The Six Dollar Fifty Man was "funny, fresh, fully realised all cinematic elements from music to camera angles and superb cast including the mind boggling, awesome performance of the very young lead (Oscar Vandy-Connor)."

Another New Zealand short film at Aspen Shortsfest, Careful with that Powertool (made by Jason Stutter) received Special Jury Recognition.

Mark Albiston and Louis Sutherland are currently attending Aspen Shortsfest with support from 42BELOW, so were able to accept the award in person. They both say Aspen is one of the best festivals they’ve attended, “The standard of the 100 short films here is amazing, we’re very lucky to have won. It was great to travel to Aspen and we couldn’t have done it without 42BELOW who paid for our trip and also Telecom, who helped us keep in touch with our families.”

The Six Dollar Fifty Man was made with finance from the Short Film Fund of the NZ Film Commission. International sales are handled by NZ Film, which is the sales arm of the NZFC.

Aspen Shortsfest runs from April 6 – 11 and is considered one of the world's premiere international short film and video showcases for the trend-setting art form: the short. Aspen Shortsfest's centerpiece, the six-day Oscar®-qualifying International Competition, offers a lively, thought-provoking, and humorous selection of drama, comedy, animation and documentary: http://www.aspenfilm.org/index.php/events/aspen-shortsfest

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