NZ 'Poppy' film wins international accolade

A New Zealand short film that tells a tale from the WWI trenches has won top honours - for the second time - in an international festival for animation and digital media.

Poppy, directed by Aucklander James Cunningham, was named 'Best of Show' at SIGGRAPH Asia 2010 - a world-renowned platform for showcasing the best in animation and digital media.

Cunningham's Poppy also won the jury prize for SIGGRAPH 2010 at Los Angeles in July this year. The film, made with computer-generated imagery (CGI), was chosen from 750 submissions from around the globe.

Honoured by win
Cunningham, who teaches 3D animation at Auckland's Media Design School, says that he's honoured by his latest win.

"I am thrilled by the honours that the film has picked up, and also humbled by how much people have been touched by it," Cunningham said.

"I think Poppy really shows audiences that computer animation can successfully portray strong emotional stories. It doesn’t have to be only used for spectacle and comedy.

"I’ve had feedback from people of all ages and backgrounds who say they’ve been moved by the film."

Heart-wrenching tale
Poppy tells the heart-wrenching story from the French Western Front of two WWI soldiers that find a crying baby in a muddy ditch.

The Poppy story came from the pen of David Coyle, who wrote the film script.

"David’s great-grandfather is the main character of Poppy, and this has been a family story - as told to the writer when he was a kid. He took the real events and turned them into this very tight, emotional 10-page script," Cunningham said.

"I think as Kiwis, we like to see our stories on the big screen and for people from my generation, who are very removed from the effects of war - it’s a way for us to try and comprehend what our ancestors went through.

"I have had a lot of very positive reactions from audiences here in NZ, with many people telling me they were moved to tears."

Labour of love
For Cunningham, who spent most of 2008 camped out in a spare room at home while making the film, Poppy was a labour of love.

With a couple of helpers, Cunningham reckons that he spent about 4500 hours producing Poppy.

"Passion is what kept me going, even through some of the toughest times. To be honest, even on the worst days of production, I still enjoyed it.

"To be working at home on a funded short film for a year - even if I wasn’t getting paid for it - I knew this was a great opportunity and had to be savoured."

Kiwi film success
Before he took on his media design teaching role, Cunningham worked in Wellington as head of 3D at New Zealand’s premier post-production house, Digital Post.

Cunningham has also worked for Wellington-based Weta Digital, and was technical director on the first Lord of the Rings film.

"I think being a Kiwi has definitely helped me gain success in such a competitive industry. Certainly the industry is smaller in comparison to the US or UK - and it’s easier to be a fish in a small pond than a big sea.

"That said, the education and film industry training, as well as the support in New Zealand is world-class. The New Zealand Film Commission has funded two of my films, and sent me on numerous courses to do with development and production.

"There are a lot of talented and smart young Kiwis who are really making their mark in the world. I’m really privileged that in my current position as 3D course leader at Media Design School, that we see some of them come through our doors."

Media Design School
Media Design School Auckland is New Zealand’s leading tertiary institution for digital creative technologies.

Graduates from the school’s 3D animation programme have gone on to work for facilities such as Weta Digital, Park Road Post, Oktobor, Industrial Light Magic in San Francisco, and Moving Picture Company in London.

"I have always been a big believer in picking talented artists and training them up here in NZ. It means we are constantly nurturing and increasing our talent pool, and making NZ a really desirable destination to come to, not just for a holiday, but to work, live and study," Cunningham said.

James Cunningham's current projects include making short films with his Media Design School students, and "a couple of feature film projects in development with the NZ Film Commission. It takes time to get the story right and it is not easy to raise the finance, but hopefully I’ll get there one day."