2012 Sorta Unofficial New Zealand Film Awards – nominations

The tumultuous New Zealand awards scene seemed to settle in 2008 when the changing film and television awards merged to become the Qantas Film and Television Awards, which last year was branded the Aotearoa Film & Television Awards. Funding constraints have led to the Screen Directors Guild of New Zealand removing the film categories from this year's awards. In the resulting vacuum, filmmaker Ant Timpson and New Zealand Herald's Hugh Sundae created the Sorta Unofficial New Zealand Film Awards, also known as the Moas (named for the extinct New Zealand birds).

Tusi Tamasese’s The Orator tops the nominees with nods in 12 of 26 categories. Its nominations included the major categories of Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor (Fa'afiaula Sagote), Best Actress (Tausili Pushparaj), Supporting Actress (Salamasina Mataia) and Screenplay. It was the first ever film shot entirely in Samoa, in the Samoan language, with a Samoan cast and story. It was the New Zealand entry to the 84th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film but was not nominated.

Next with 11 nominations was Two Little Boys by Robert Sarkies. In addition to Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay, it picked up a Best Actor nomination for its star Bret McKenzie.

Also nominated for Best Film were How to Meet Girls From a Distance, Good For Nothing and The Most Fun You Can Have Dying.

The 2012 Moas cover the period of August 15 2011 to September 29 2012 for feature films and short films, and August 1 2011 to September 29 2012 for documentaries.

The inaugural Moas will be awarded at the Wintergarden at the Civic Theatre in Auckland on December 4.


Complete nominations for the 2012 Sorta Unofficial New Zealand Film Awards

Feature Film

Best Film
The Orator
How to Meet Girls From a Distance
Two Little Boys
Good For Nothing
The Most Fun You Can Have Dying

Best Self-Funded Film
Netherwood
Good For Nothing
We Feel Fine
The Red House

Best Director
Dean Hewison - How to Meet Girls From a Distance
Tusi Tamasese - The Orator
Mike Wallis - Good For Nothing
Robert Sarkies - Two Little Boys

Best Editing
Simon Price - The Orator
Annie Collins - Two Little Boys
Greg Daniels - Good For Nothing

Best Cinematography
Leon Narbey - The Orator
Jac Fitzgerald - Two Little Boys
Crighton Bone - The Most Fun You Can Have Dying

Best Actor
Richard Falkner - How to Meet Girls From a Distance
Fa'afiaula Sagote - The Orator
Bret McKenzie - Two Little Boys
Matt Whelan - The Most Fun You Can Have Dying

Best Actress
Tandi Wright - Kiwi Flyer
Inge Rademeyer - Good For Nothing
Tausili Pushparaj - The Orator
Madeleine Sami - Sione's 2: Unfinished Business

Best Supporting Actor
John Bach - Rest For The Wicked
Jonathan Brugh - How to Meet Girls From a Distance
Will Hall - Netherwood

Best Supporting Actress
Aidee Walker - How to Meet Girls From a Distance
Jessica Joy Wood - Sione's 2: Unfinished Business
Salamasina Mataia - The Orator

Best Screenplay
Tusi Tamasese - The Orator
Dean Hewison, Richard Falkner and Sam Dickson - How to Meet Girls From a Distance
Duncan Sarkies and Robert Sarkies - Two Little Boys

Best Visual Effects
Steve Cronin and Paul Story - Good For Nothing
Frank Rueter and Jake Lee - The Devil's Rock
Jon Baxter and Puck Murphy - Two Little Boys

Best Costume Design
Tristan McCallum - The Devil's Rock
Kirsty Cameron - The Orator
Amanda Neale - Two Little Boys

Best Makeup Design
Davina Lamont, Sean Foot and Richard Taylor - The Devil's Rock
Linda Wall - Two Little Boys
Ryk Fortuna - Good For Nothing

Best Production Design
Bruce Everard - The Most Fun You Can Have Dying
Jules Cook - Two Little Boys
Rob Astley, Roger Guise and Pouoa Malae Lialia'i - The Orator

Best Score
Grayson Gilmour - The Most Fun You Can Have Dying
Don McGlashan and Dawn Raid - Sione's 2: Unfinished Business
David Long - The Red House
Tim Prebble - The Orator

Best Sound
Tim Prebble, Chris Todd, Richard Flynn, Mike Hedges and Gilbert Lake - The Orator
Dave Whitehead - Two Little Boys
Myk Farmer, Steve Finnigan and Chris Burt - Sione's 2: Unfinished Business

Documentary film

Best Documentary
Pictures of Susan
How Far is Heaven
The Last Dogs of Winter
Maori Boy Genius
Shihad: Beautiful Machine

Best Director
Dan Salmon - Pictures of Susan
Miriam Smith and Christopher Pryor - How Far is Heaven
Costa Botes - The Last Dogs of Winter
Pietra Brettkelly - Maori Boy Genius
Sam Peacocke - Shihad: Beautiful Machine

Best Cinematography
Christopher Pryor - How Far is Heaven
Ben Freedman - Pictures of Susan
Peter Young - The Last Ocean

Best Editing
Christopher Pryor and Cushla Dillon - How Far is Heaven
Cushla Dillon - Shihad: Beautiful Machine
Jonno Woodford-Robinson and Richard Lord - The Last Ocean
Richard Lord and Ken Sparks - When a City Falls

Short film

Best Short
Home
Lambs
Whakatiki
I'm the One
Honk If You're Horny

Best Self-Funded Short
In Safe Hands
Dr Grordbort Presents: The Deadliest Game
The Girl With The Clover Tattoo
Brothers
Swansong

Best Script
Sam Kelly - Lambs
Paola Morabito - I'm The One
Joe Lonie - Honk If You're Horny

Best Actor
Waka Rowlands - Lambs
Jim Moriarty - Whakatiki
Andy Anderson - Honk If You're Horny

Best Actress
Mabelle Dennison - Whakatiki
Maya Stange - I'm The One
Anapela Polataivao - Night Shift

Best Cinematography
Andrew Stroud - Ellen Is Leaving
Ari Wegner - Night Shift
Bonnie Elliott - I'm the One