Short film Joy wins award
Joy, a short film by recent University of Auckland masters graduate Dena Kennedy, is the first work to receive the Geoff Evans Memorial Award for Excellence from Images & Sound.
One of the original owners of Images & Sound, Geoff Evans made the most of every opportunity and was always keen to encourage up and coming talent. He died unexpectedly in 2008 doing what he loved and the Geoff Evans Memorial Award for Excellence allows Images & Sound to carry on this legacy. The award provides post-production work to the value of $7,500 for a student work primarily utilising special effects such as grading and colour aspect.
Grant Baker, Managing Director of Images & Sound, says: “Joy particularly grabbed us with its fantastic performances and huge potential we saw in this director.
“The simple idea with a strong link device carries the viewer through the well paced story allowing the characters to really shine. We loved the casting of all the characters, particularly the cheeky young boys. They were irresistible and their very genuine performances were a clear sign of excellent direction. I think that Geoff Evans, with his cheeky sense of humour would have really engaged with the characters and the dark comedy in this film.”
Senior Lecturer in the Department of Film, Television and Media Studies Dr Shuchi Kothari says: “Given the long standing relationship many of us in Screen Production have with Auckland post-production company Images & Sound, we approached them to partner with us via a prize that would enhance the production value of our best master’s project. We are very pleased with their generous support. Our students have consistently made short films that are selected in local and international film festivals. This prize gives them a chance to compete in that arena with more confidence.”
Prior to entering the Masters in Screen Production, Joy’s director, Dena Kennedy, trained at the Toi Whakaari New Zealand Drama School in Wellington and worked for a number of years as an actress on stage and screen. Her work included roles in Seven Periods with Mr Gormsby, Have Car will Travel and Boston Marriage. A passion for visual storytelling led her to leave her established acting career to study behind the camera in her Masters in Screen Production.
Her first short film, Heaven, produced in 2008, explored the dark side of human nature. Joy, her second film and major work for the masters’ programme, is the story of disconnected lives intertwining to create one miraculous heart-stopping event.
Dena has also directed and edited the documentary Stillwater Rising in 2007. She directed Merge in the Neil Labute short play cycle, Autobahn, in 2009. Her production of Tom Sainsbury’s Sunday Roast led to the current development of the play by Auckland Theatre Company.
