LOCAL DIRECTOR WINS GOLD MEDAL IN NEW YORK

Natural history doco Primeval New Zealand, produced, directed and edited by Celia Offwood has won top honours at the highly competitive New York Festivals Film and Television Awards, held in April.

?Primeval New Zealand was awarded the 2013 gold world medal for best nature and wildlife documentary – the latest in a string of international awards for the NZ on Air funded documentary, which aired on TV ONE last year.
 
TVNZ commissioner Jude Callen says: “Primeval New Zealand was one of TVNZ’s first local forays back into the natural history genre for many years and we were thrilled that the six one hour series struck a real chord with our audience when we first screened it in January last year.

Primeval New Zealand has previously earned the Asian Television Award for best natural history or wildlife programme; the International Wildlife Film Festival Award for best scientific content, best graphics/animation and best TV programme under USD$250,000; and the Jackson Hole Science Media Award for Life Sciences.

Other awards include:
Gold World Medal for Best Nature & Wildlife Documentary, 2013 New York Festivals International Television and Film Awards.
Best Natural History Program at Asian TV Awards, December 2012.
Best Life Sciences Program at Jackson Hole Science Media Awards, Sept 2012.
Best Scientific Content at 35th International Wildlife Film Festival, April 2012.
Best Of Category” TV program under $250K at 35th IWFF, April 2012.
Best Graphics / Animation at 35th IWFF, April 2012.

Celia and husband Alistair farm north of Martinborough. Celia hasn’t been accepting work offers lately as they’re all in Auckland or Dunedin and with an eighteen month old daughter Charlotte she does not want to disrupt the family too much and, as she says, “ there’s always plenty of jobs to do on the farm”. To keep her creative self busy she’s been doing lots of still photographic and developing local commercial/promotional video work along with wedding photography.