The Six Dollar Fifty Man
a short film by Louis Sutherland and Mark Albiston
in competition worldwide
FLICKERFEST 2010
The Six Dollar Fifty Man won the Coopers Award for Best Film at Flickerfest 2010, beating competitors from around the world to take the $5000 prize – and eligibility for Oscar consideration in 2011. Written and directed by Mark Albiston and Auckland Actor Louis Sutherland and produced by Wendy Cuthbert, the film is set in 1970s New Zealand and follows Andy, a gutsy 8 year-old boy who is forced to break out of his make-believe superhero world to deal with playground bullies. The film was previously awarded the Short Film Special Distinction after playing in Competition at the Festival De Cannes in 2009.
SUNDANCE 2010
The Six Dollar Fifty Man has won the top prize- the Jury Prize in International Short Filmmaking- at the 26th Sundance Film Festival in Utah. This award further qualifies The Six Dollar Fifty Man for consideration for an Academy® Award nomination. The Sundance Film Festival is held in and around Park City in Utah each January. This year the festival's short film program comprised 70 short films from U.S. and international filmmakers selected from a record 6,092 submissions.
THE SIX DOLLAR FIFTY MAN ONE STEP CLOSER TO THE OSCARS
Taken from SDGNZ newsletter.
"The Six Dollar Fifty Man directed by SDGNZ members Louis Sutherland and Mark Albiston has won Best Drama at Aspen Shortfest, USA.
The win marks the short film's fourth Oscar® qualifying film festival award to date - further qualifying it for consideration for the Academy® Award nomination in 2011. It's gone from strength after having its world premier and gaining Special Distinction at Cannes last year. This year it has already won the Jury Prize in International Short Film making at Sundance, Best Narrative Short at Cinequest Film Festival, USA and also the Cooper Award for Best Short Film at Australasia's only Academy qualifying film festival, Flickerfest.
The short also won the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), Los Angeles Prize for Excellence, as part of its selection at Aspen Shortsfest.
Written and directed by Wellingtonians Mark Albiston and Louis Sutherland and produced by Wendy Cuthbert, The Six Dollar Fifty Man tells the story of a gutsy 8 year old boy who retreats into a make believe world to deal with playground bullying.
In announcing the winners, the judges, including actor Meg Ryan, said The Six Dollar Fifty Man was "funny, fresh, fully realised all cinematic elements from music to camera angles and superb cast including the mind boggling, awesome performance of the very young lead (Oscar Vandy-Connor)."
Mark Albiston and Louis Sutherland are currently attending Aspen Shortfest with support from 42BELOW, so were able to accept the award in person. They both said Aspen is one of the best festivals they've attended, "The standard of the 100 short films here is amazing, we're very lucky to have won. It was great to travel to Aspen and we couldn't have done it without 42BELOW who paid for our trip and also Telecom, who helped us keep in touch with our families."
The Six Dollar Fifty Man was made with finance from the Short Film Fund of the NZ Film Commission. International sales are handled by NZ Film, which is the sales arm of NZFC.
Aspen Shortfest runs from April 6 - 11 and is considered one of the world's premier international short film and video showcases for the trend-setting art form: the short. Aspen Shortfest's centerpiece, the six day Oscar® qualifying International Competition, offers a lively, thought provoking and humorous selection of drama, comedy, animation and documentary: Aspen Film."