What a week it was for honouring the many talented women we have in the screen industries in New Zealand, many of whom are members of WIFT NZ. Last Thursday, the AFTA's 2011 Craft Awards saw Tracey Collins win the award for Best Production Design for This is Not My Life, and Sue Rogers' Predicament winning in six out of eight categories for Best Cinematography, Best Original Music, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Make-Up Design, Best Visual Effects in a Feature Film. Wow!
Just up the road from the Craft Awards, the SPADA 2011 Awards followed in a much briefer ceremony where Catherine Fitzgerald won the Independent Producer of the Year award for The Orator, first ever New Zealand submission for Foreign Language Oscar. A couple of days to wash the frock and get ready for the Aotearoa Film & Television Awards on Saturday night where, Annie Goldson won Best Director Documentary forBrother Number One, Sara Wiseman for Best Supporting Actress in a Feature Film for Matariki, and Roseanne Liang for Best Screenplay in a Feature Film forMy Wedding and Other Secrets. Rise-Up Christchurch - Global Telethon received the award for Kordia Best Multi-cam Broadcastwhich was in part produced by our very own WIFT NZ President, Debra Kelleher.
Then there are this year's SWANZ finalists, among them WIFT NZ member Rachel Lang nominated for Best Television Drama Episode for Outrageous Fortune, Season 6, Episode 18, Go Girls, Season 3, Episode 9and Nothing Trivial, Episode 1, Kate McDermott nominated for Best One-Off Television Drama for Nights in the Garden of Spain and Annie Goldson for Best Documentary Script for Brother Number One.
And, although not film-related, congratulations are also in order for previous Executive Director of WIFT NZ, Anne O'Brien, for her appointment as Artistic Director of the Auckland Writers and Readers Festival.