Weta Digital staff 'ecstatic' about BAFTA

BY KATIE CHAPMAN

A  team from Weta Digital has taken out the special visual effects award at the British equivalent of the Oscars.

Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham, and Andrew Jones accepted the award in London today for their work on Avatar.

Back in New Zealand, visual effects supervisor Eric Saindon said there was a lot of excitement around the Weta Digital office when news of the win came through by text message.

"Everyone's pretty ecstatic about it, it's pretty fun to get this award."

There would be celebrations tonight, as he was sure the four in London were also busy celebrating.

Weta Digital spent three years on the film, which features an entirely computer generated world and race.

The team is also nominated for an Oscar next month.

Michael Hedges, Brent Burge, Chris Ward, Dave Whitehead, and Ken Saville were up for the best sound award for their work on District 9, but lost out to The Hurt Locker.

Mr Burge said it was a shame to miss out, but a thrill to be nominated as the sound team was entirely Kiwi.

"This was the first time that a wholly New Zealand crew has been recognised."

There was also a consolation prize for the team, which won the Motion Picture Sound Editors best sound editing award for a foreign film, he said.

"We were really stoked by that."

That award went to the entire crew, not just the five nominated for the BAFTA.

Mr Ward said that award was a big achievement, since it was awarded by industry peers. "Especially on such a low budget flick like District 9."

Mr Burge said nominations for both awards was a tribute to the team's hard work.

"It's got a lot to do with how the crew worked together."

The team missed out on an Oscar nomination.

AWARDS FOR NZ FILMS

Meanwhile, New Zealand films have won three of the six major awards in the Generation section of the Berlin International Film Festival over the weekend.

Taika Waititi's latest film Boy won the Best Feature award.

After the ceremony Waititi said he was thrilled with the award, which came with a cash prize.

The much-lauded short film, Six Dollar Fifty Man, received a special mention in the shorts section.

Written by Mark Albiston and Louis Sutherland, is was about an eight-year-old boy who retreats into a world of make-believe to escape playground bullying.

It had already won the International Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah.

The documentary This Way of Life was runner up in the Generation Award.

Shot over four years against the isolated Ruahine mountains and Waimarama beach in Hawke's Bay, the film follows Peter and Colleen Karena as they raise their six children and 50 horses on the brink of poverty.

Director Tom Burstyn said it was amazing that a self-funded, home-made documentary would receive a major prize against a comprehensive field of feature films.

The film was also recently chosen for official selection at the Palm Springs International Festival.

- with NZPA

- © Fairfax NZ News