Alyx Duncan’s The Red House and Craig Newland’s 3 Mile Limit have both added to their awards tallies in the last week, each taking a gong in North American festivals.
The Red House premiered in the 2012 NZIFF, winning Best Self-Funded Film later that year at the inaugural MOA bash. It received very positive reviews and last year had a wider theatrical release in NZ, ending its run with a take north of $71,250.
Last year, the film also racked up lots of air miles as part of Air New Zealand`s in-flight entertainment programme and made a trip to France to play in Bernard Bories’ St Tropez-based Festival des Antipodes.
It’s due for DVD release soon and will in time screen on Maori Television.
Last month, The Red House was announced in competition at the ReelWorld festival in Toronto. Over the weekend it won, taking the gong for Outstanding International Debut over a field that included Kim Mordant`s Laos-shot Australian feature, The Rocket.
How much will it piss off Alyx if we paint it blue next week?
The ReelWorld jury called it
“an intimate and poetic portrait of cross-cultural couple, Jia and Lee. Beautifully shot, the visual language of the film successfully juxtaposes the personal with the global … a lyrical debut from an assured, progressive and unique new voice.”
Presently, Duncan is producing Lani Feltham`s Fresh 10 short, White Noise (funded as Mouse). Duncan`s short The Tide Keeper is in post and beginning the rounds of festival submissions.
Craig Newland’s long-coming 3 Mile Limit has recently concluded its theatrical run here, taking a disappointing $67,055.
On the international festival circuit it’s been a different story, especially in America. The film has achieved selection at 11 festivals to date and picked up five awards. The first of those came at Fargo just before Christmas, the most recent last weekend at the North Hollywood Cinefest (NoHo).
“Another Best Film gong? Whatever. Have we won as many as Whale Rider yet?”
In between it’s been to Charleston, Cleveland, Flathead Lakes and Queens among others. 3 Mile Limit recently won at festivals in Sedona and Washington DC.
