Rialto Channel NZ Film Awards Announces Winners
Rialto Channel NZ Film Awards Announces Winners
The Rialto Channel NZ Film Awards (nicknamed Moas) were presented last night in a glittering yet irreverent ceremony at Auckland’s ASB Showgrounds.
At times it was a roller-coaster of emotions for nominees as popular favourites cemented wins while other leading contenders were pipped at the post, but in the end a charmer about a boy in the bush took home the most Moas.
Topping off a stellar year of blockbuster box office and critical acclaim, Taika Waititi’s Hunt For The Wilderpeople took a total of 7 awards: Best Film, Director, Screenplay, Actor (Julian Dennison), Supporting actor (Sam Neill), Supporting Actress (Rima Te Wiata) and Visual Effects.
Waititi says: "I never get tired of acknowledgement. Knowing there’s an audience and an appreciation for my work motivates me to do more, to push myself further. It’s a huge honor to be in the same category with (Lee Tamahori) and Alison (Maclean). I’ve always looked up to them and to now stand alongside them is very cool. Obviously filmmaking is a collaborative affair so I share this honour with the cast, crew, and producers of the film, especially Carthew (Neal), who has now established himself as one of New Zealand’s greatest producers. Seeing how many great films are included in the awards this year is very positive, it’s an exciting time to be making movies. Our stories have a unique point of view that is now being appreciated around the world, and that makes me very proud to be a New Zealand filmmaker."
Sam Neill was also there to present the Services to Cinema Award to old friend and collaborator Gaylene Preston for her outstanding contributions to New Zealand film.
The Ground We Won, a beautifully observed study of provincial rugby, for which Miriam Smith and Chris Pryor took home Best Documentary and Documentary Cinematography in the most contested category of this year’s awards.
Best actress was awarded to Miriama McDowell for her role in the Best Self-Funded film winner The Great Maiden’s Blush, while Angela Bloomfield took home Best Short Film Actress in the self-directed short Linda's List. Madam Black, the globally acclaimed short continued its historic awards run by scooping up Best Short.
Academy Award-winning director Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, T2: Trainspotting), was on hand to celebrate kiwi film and was the special guest presenter in a line-up that included Sam Neill, Zac Wallace, James Rolleston, Zoe Bell and many others.
Winners
are:
FEATURE
Rialto Channel
Best Film
Hunt for the Wilderpeople (Carthew
Neal, Leanne Saunders,Taika Waititi, Matt Noonan)
Flying Fish Best Director
Taika
Waititi (Hunt for the Wilderpeople)
flicks.co.nz
Best Screenplay
Taika Waititi (Hunt for the
Wilderpeople)
Man O' War Vineyards Best
Actress
Miriama McDowell (The Great Maiden's
Blush)
Steinlager Tokyo Dry Best
Actor
Julian Dennison (Hunt for the
Wilderpeople)
Manukau Urban Maori Authority
Best Supporting Actress
Rima Te Wiata (Hunt for
the Wilderpeople)
Te Whanau O Waipareira
Best Supporting Actor
Sam Neill (Hunt for the
Wilderpeople)
Park Road Post Best Self
Funded Film
The Great Maiden's Blush (Jeremy
Macey, Andrea Bosshard, Isobel Mebus, Shane
Loader)
Imagezone Best
Cinematography
Robbie Ryan (Slow
West)
Letterboxd Best
Production Design
Kim Sinclair (Slow
West)
Mandy VFX Best
Editor
Michael Horton with Jonathan
Woodford-Robinson (Mahana)
Bigpop Studios Best
Score
Jed Kurzel (Slow West)
Bigpop Studios Best
Sound
Phil Burton (Chronesthesia)
Images and Sound Best Visual
Effects
Curious Film, Weta Digital, Pixel Juice
(Hunt for the Wilderpeople)
Daniel Le Brun Best Costume
Design
Kirsty Cameron (Slow West)
MAC Best Makeup
Design
Vanessa Hurley, Roger Murray, Andrew
Beattie (Deathgasm)
Services to Cinema
Award
Gaylene Preston
DOCUMENTARY
New Zealand Film Commission Best
Documentary
The Ground We Won (Miriam
Smith)
Directors & Editors
Guild of NZ Best Documentary Director
David
Stubbs (Belief: The Possession of Janet Moses)
PLS Best Documentary
Cinematography
Christopher Pryor (The Ground We
Won)
Lotech Media Best
Documentary Editor
Simon Coldrick
(Tickled)
SHORT FILM
Little Island Best Short
Film
Madam Black (Ivan Barge, Matt
Harris)
Halcyon Digital
Best Self Funded Short Film
Not Like Her (Hash
Perambalam, Lucy Stonex, Brendon Donovan)
Actors Agents Association of New
Zealand Best Short Film Actress
Angela
Bloomfield (Linda's List)
Actors Agents Association of New
Zealand Best Short Film Actor
Cohen Holloway
(Feeder)
TELEVISION FEATURE
NZOnAir Best Television
Feature
Abandoned (James Heyward, Liz DiFiore)
Winners were
decided by a judging committee that is totally off-shore
based, taking into consideration a total of 19 drama
features, 9 documentary features and 12 short films in
various categories.
The Rialto Channel New Zealand Film
Awards 2017 are sponsored by:
Rialto Channel, NZ
Film Commission, National Urban Maori Authority, NZ On Air,
Imagezone, Man O' War Vineyards, Images & Sound, flicks.co.nz, Actors Agents Association
of New Zealand, Park Road Post, Flying Fish, BigPop Studios,
Steinlager Tokyo Dry, Daniel Le Brun, Professional Lighting
Services Ltd, Letterboxd, Mandy VFX, MAC Cosmetics,
Directors & Editors Guild NZ, Dominion Law, Lotech.media,
Halcyon Digital, Little Island and Kiriata
Publicity.
Celebrate the
Rialto Channel NZ Film Awards on Saturday February 25 at
5.25pm on Sky’s Rialto Channel 39, featuring red-carpet
coverage with film vlogger Francesca Rudkin chatting to all
the stars and filmmakers.
Rialto Channel, 100% Kiwi-Owned, 100%
Commercial-Free