Local productions took an impressive five awards from six finalist nominations at the New York Festivals World’s Best TV & Film Awards. The only show missing out was Bear Claw Productions & Monsoon Pictures’ Davey Hughes Untamed, nominated in the Television – Documentary/Information Programme – Travel & Tourism category.
Lippy Pictures’ Field Punishment No 1
In the same category Zeitgeist Productions’ Radar across the Pacific took a Silver World Medal. Also taking silver was Red Sky Film & Television with Passion In Paradise in the Television – Documentary/Information Programme – Docudrama category.
Two NZ project’s won Gold World Medals. Lippy Pictures’ Field Punishment No 1 took gold in the Television – Entertainment Special Programme – Drama category. NHNZ’s Life Force 2, a co-production with Japan’s NHK and China’s CCTV was a Gold Award winner in the Television – Documentary/Information Programme – Nature & Wildlife category.
Completing the haul, South Pacific Pictures’ The Brokenwood Mysteries won a Bronze World Medal in the Television – Regularly Scheduled Entertainment Programme – Drama category.
Among the honorary Kiwi listings, Australian sister company of NHNZ Northern Pictures won a Silver for Changing Minds: The Inside Story in the Television – Documentary/Information Programme – Human Concerns category. Singapore-based Beach House Pictures, owned by NHNZ, also won a Silver, in the Television – Documentary/Information Programme – The Arts category for Chineseness – Li Chen.
Among several Singapore winners was London and Singapore-based Make Productions, of which expat Kiwi Sarah Macdonals is a founding director. Make won four awards for The Sinking of the Sewol, taking Gold in the Television – News: Programme – Best News Documentary/Special category, Silver in the Television – Documentary/Information Programme – Human Concerns category; and two Bronzes, in the Television – Craft: Programme – Best Direction and Television – News: Programme – Best Investigative Report categories.
Make also took a Silver for Undercover Asia – Freedom or Death in the Television – Documentary/Information Programme – National/International Affairs.
The were several winners from across the ditch, the ones with obvious Kiwi connections being NZTA campaign Mistakes, for which Finch took Gold in the Film and Video – Craft: Films/Productions – Direction category; and the Sam Neill-starring Peaky Blinders, for which BBC Worldwide ANZ took Gold in the Television – Craft: Programme – Best Editing category.
The New York Festivals announced the winners at this week’s NAB Show in Las Vegas.
