DOCNZ Announces Film Festival Winners

The DOCNZ Documentary Film Festival has announced this year’s winners. Please find below details of the awards in eight categories:

St Laurence Best NZ Short Doco
Black and White by Director/Producer Kirsty MacDonald

Special Mention
So Far Yet So Close by Director/Producer Sophie Zhang, Executive Producer Alex Lee

St Laurence Best NZ Medium Doco
4 Geese in a Flock by Director/Producer Luke Wheeler

Special Mention
The Black Road by Director William Nessen, Producer Andrew Ogilvie (NZ’der)

St Laurence Best NZ Feature Doco
Ghost Fleet by Director Jonathan Finnigan, Producer Paula Mason

DOCNZ Best International Short Doco
Fine (Scotland) by Director Hazel Baillie, Producer Micky McPherson

Special Mention
Santa is Here (Singapore) by Director/Producer Christina Oer

DOCNZ Best International Medium Doco
Prostitution Behind the Veil (Sweden/Denmark/Iran) by Director Nahid Persson, Producer Jacob Hogel

Special Mention
Songbirds (UK) by Director Brian Hill, Producer Katie Bailiff
Braindamadj’d…Take II (Canada) by Director Paul Nadler, Producer Paul Finklestein

DOCNZ Best International Feature Doco
Me and My Parents, My Parents and I (the Netherlands) by Director Gerrit van Elst, Producer Frank van Reemst

Special Mention
Martyr Street (Canada) by Director Shelley Saywell, Producer Shelly Saywell and Deborah Park.
The Chances of the World Changing (USA) by Directors Eric Metzgar, Producer Eric Metzgar and Neil Carden Grey

Screenrights Best Made for TV Doco
The Black Road by Director William Nessen, Producer Andrew Ogilvie (NZ’der)

DOCNZ Best Emerging NZ Documentary Film-maker
Kirsty MacDonald

Special Mention
Zoe McIntosh

Festival Director Dan Shanan says “the finalists represented diverse and timely subject matter that strike a personal chord, while pointing to larger themes in society. These fit with our tagline this year ‘just because the film ends doesn’t mean the stories do,’ because all of these stories have continued on.”

“Audience numbers at the festival have been strongest at the films which explore parts of the world that are culturally very different from New Zealand, films about personal triumphs over adversity, and those about New Zealanders made by New Zealanders.”

“The jury which included international judges Stuart Menzies, Head of Documentaries at Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Sean Farnel Programming Director of North America’s largest international documentary film festival and New York based Debra Zimmerman, head of international distribution company Women Make Movies, were very impressed with quality of this year’s films. In particular, they praised the DOCNZ international programme which equals the very best films showing in top documentary film festivals overseas, with many of the finalists previous international award winners.”

For those that missed these films during the festival, the Academy Cinemas will be playing the winning films on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday next week. See www.docnz.org.nz or the newspaper for session times.

JUDGING PANEL:

A: Debra Zimmerman Executive Director Women Make Movies USA Jim Marbrook, DOCNZ 2005 Best Feature Documentary Film Winner Leo Kolziol, Director Wairoa Film Festival St Laurence Best NZ Short Doco DOCNZ Best International Feature Doco

B. Sean Farnel, Director Programming, HOTDOCS Canada James Frankham, Film Director, Special Mention DOCNZ 2005 Alison Mau, Journalist/TV Presenter St Laurence Best NZ Medium Doco DOCNZ Best International Medium Doco

Shirley Horrocks, Film Director, Point of View Productions Stuart Menzies, Head Documentaries, Australian Broadcasting Corporation David Baldock, Producer, Head of Ninox Films DOCNZ Best International Short Doco ST Laurence Best NZ Feature Doco

D DOCNZ Trustees Alex Lee, Ewa Bigio, Dan Shanan, Annie Goldson Screenrights Best Made for TV Doco DOCNZ Best Emerging NZ Documentary Film-maker

Synopses of the films can be obtained from the festival program at www.docnz.org.nz

ENDS

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