Our warmest congratulations to Bay of Plenty director Alison Titulaer, whose film Manawa Bay won the Gaylene Preston and WIFT Best Female Director Award at the HP48HOURS. It was one of six gongs awarded to Titulaer's film; the others were Best Director (Titulaer), Best Cinematography (James Muir), Best Editing, Best Original Score/Song and Best Use of Required Elements. In her judging comments, Preston said, "The director shows real ability in eliciting a nuanced performance from a well-cast actor� Then paces the film around that performance, so small psychological details make a compelling whole, with sympathetic cinematography shining through. Everyone does good work which is the sign of a strong vision in the director's chair."
Titulaer's team, Tinker Tailor, were given 'musical' as their genre (one of the most dreaded genres!)
And congratulations to Thomas Sainsbury whose direction on Peptok won him Best Director, and the film the 2018 Grand National Champion Award. Peptok is a technological thriller about a woman living with an earpiece device that gives her pep talks throughout her day.
Watch Peptok >>
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A still shot from Manawa Bay