“Shopping” tops New Zealand Film Awards with 7 wins

PanARMENIAN.Net - Shopping, the debut feature from Louis Sutherland and Mark Albiston, dominated the New Zealand Film Awards on Tuesday, Dec 10 winning seven categories and beating out industry veteran Andrew Adamson’s independent feature Mr. Pip, which took out four awards, The Hollywood Reporter said.

The awards, affectionately know as the Moa’s, were handed out at a ceremony in Auckland. A coming of age tale featuring muscle cars, domestic abuse and a boring retail job, Shopping won the major awards including best film, as well as best direction and best screenplay awards for Sutherland and Albiston. Ginny Loane won best cinematography, while the film also won best poster design.

The New Zealand awards cap off a year of critical acclaim for Shopping, including its Grand Prix win (of the Generation 14plus International Jury) at Berlin International Film Festival.

The acting awards were evenly divided between Mr. Pip and Shopping. British star Hugh Laurie won best actor for his turn in Mr. Pip as an English teacher helping the children of the war torn Pacific island of Bouganville gain a love of reading through the works of Charles Dickens. Xzannjah, won best actress. Shopping’s Julian Dennison and Laura Peterson won best supporting actor and actress respectively.

Mr. Pip also proved successful for Ngila Dickson who won best costume design, and Harry Gregson-Williams and Tim Finn, who won best film score.

Jane Campion’s haunting return to television, Top of the Lake was named best TV feature or drama series, and Utu and Goodbye Pork Pie director, Geoff Murphy, received the Legacy Award.