Newstalk ZB
A young Kiwi director is helping put New Zealand independent film-making on the world stage after his debut feature film was shortlisted for a prestigious emerging-director award in Cannes. James Fink-Jensen was scrolling through the Young Director Awards website when he discovered his thriller Smoky had been nominated in the awards’ inaugural first feature film category, part of Cannes Lions. The “surreal” moment came as a complete surprise and still hasn’t quite sunk in for the Auckland film-maker, who has been making films since he was 8. “I felt like something finally paid off,” he said of the moment he saw his name on the shortlist. Fink-Jensen is the only Kiwi director shortlisted in the feature film category this year, competing against film-makers from the United States, Turkey, Ireland, and Canada. “It proved that you can make something independently, and it can be shown and appreciated in New Zealand and outside New Zealand.” While he had no firm plans to celebrate the nomination, he said he hopes to travel to France for the awards ceremony on June 25. A mystery with Kiwi roots Smoky centres on the disappearance of a clown and follows the mystery surrounding what happened to him, stemming from Fink-Jensen’s own fascination with the often-misunderstood entertainers. “They’re often portrayed as horror villains, so I thought, what if we flipped it around and made it focused on the clown who went missing?” The film was shot over 15 days across Auckland, with locations including Te Atatū , Rosedale, Mt Eden and Glen Innes. James Fink-Jensen led a local team for the 15-day shoot. Photo / James Fink-Jensen Fink-Jensen said the story was designed to resonate with audiences around the world, despite its local setting. “We’re trying to tell a Kiwi story but also a universal one,” he said. Yet the film’s central mystery is still closely informed by New Zealand’s close-knit communities, where “everyone kind of knows each other”. “I thought, well, if there was a mystery thriller based on someone who went missing, that environment lends itself to the mystery and heightening it.” He drew further inspiration from Twin Peaks, Gone Girl and Prisoners for the film’s visual style and atmosphere. Flying the flag for independent film Fink-Jensen hopes the nomination will shine a light on New Zealand’s independent film sector internationally, showing small-scale local productions can compete on a global stage. “Everyone knows obviously Lord of the Rings and our film history, but I think adding to the equation, other stories about independent successes is only good for the community.” His advice for young film-makers is to keep going, not give up, and be willing to make mistakes, arguing there are more opportunities to make films than ever before. “There’s all sorts of ways to make stuff these days, and you don’t need massive cameras or huge budgets just to pull something together.” James Fink-Jensen hopes the international nomination will help him make industry connections abroad. James Fink-Jensen Fink-Jensen said he goes out of his way to work with other emerging creatives, saying collaboration is one of the strengths of the local industry. “There’s a huge film-making community here and Australia too, so tapping into that and connecting with people.” For his next move, the writer-director has already begun developing several new feature film projects, and hopes the nomination will help him forge new industry connections overseas.
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