Remember our story in Te Roto about Westlake Girls student Emma Wagner and her awesome short film Operation Sparrow?

To refresh, it was created by four local teens, including cinematographer Emma, and was selected as one of 15 films to feature in the finale of the International Youth Silent Film Festival – NZ Regionals.

The finale was livestreamed on 11 November, and we are delighted to announce that it won Best Director (Timothy Chen) and Best Actor (Sveta Hackett). Now, we all know you don’t win those things without brilliant cinematography! It’s also testament to the strong collaboration amongst the crew – especially Emma and the director.  You can view the short film on the link below. Trust us – it’s well worth a click!

Here’s what the judges had to say.

“There are some clever bits of directing and cinematography all through it, and editing as well – the shooting of the female spy – just her hand drooping, faces out of the frame. The fight scene –  short and snappy enough to avoid being cheesy, the James Bond upright running on the high bridge, the view of the face through the glass door as the male protagonist enters the building, the sweep and lift of his head up from his hair to his triumphant face, finishing with the symmetrical placement of the actor on the seat under the tree at the end. Both artistry and precision, very fine.”

OPERATION SPARROW – Enter at your own risk

Not only did the short film win, the students all received 10 Level 2 NCEA credits for planning and production, and one student also received an extra credit for the poster.

Well done Emma and crew. We hear you are planning on writing and directing your own film next year. We can’t wait!