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June 5, 2009
Southern actress wins NZ deaf award
An Invercargill film-maker is thrilled the star of one of two films he entered in the 2009 New Zealand Deaf Short Film Competition came away with best actress at the awards held in Wellington this month.
Chris Tottenham entered Polythene Pam and The Butterfly Dream, with the star of Polythene Pam, Joanne Fraser, taking out best actress award.
Yesterday, Tottenham said it was a first for Southland.
"I'm very excited for her."
Film-making has become Tottenham's fulltime job after he put his Southern Institute of Technology course on hold while he awaits a cochlear implant.
He had been working with film since 2006 but writing stories since he was a teenager, he said.
Polythene Pam was shot during three months, largely because of unpredictable weather, and on a budget of zero.
It was never meant to be compared to Slumdog Millionaire, Tottenham said.
He already had his next film planned and hoped to enter it in the next awards to be held in 2011, he said.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/features/2440220/Southern-actress-wins-NZ-deaf-award
Posted by 4HL on June 5, 2009 11:15 AM
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