New Zealand director Julian Shaw's extraordinary film about gay South African political satirist Pieter-Dirk Uys has been awarded twice at the DOCNZ International Documentary Film Festival Awards. Darling! Director Julian Shaw International and local documentary film-makers competed for over $33,000 worth of prizes in Australasia's largest documentary film festival and competition on Tuesday night. Shaw won the St. Laurence Best NZ Medium award and scooped the DOCNZ Best Emerging Film-maker award, with judges praising the story he brought to screens with his film Darling: The Pieter-Dirk Uys Story. “It's a well made, beautifully realized production from a young, emerging film-maker whose next works we look forward to seeing in the years to come,” one judge noted. The documentary shows Uys traveling South Africa wowing and educating students of all backgrounds, believing that he can help to prevent the country's teenagers from joining the ranks of the estimated 5.5 million citizens with the virus. Flagrantly raising the most taboo subjects, Uys is a fearless man with a mission, a mandate and highly influential friends. And his drag alter-ego Evita Se Perron is just as outspoken. A second screening of Darling: The Pieter-Dirk Uys Story is scheduled for 2pm on Tuesday 9 October at SkyCity Cinemas on Auckland's Queen Street. The DOCNZ Festival 2007 continues in Auckland until 10 October, then travels to Dunedin for 11-21 October, Christchurch from 25 October to 4 November, and Wellington for a 8 until 21 November season. Ref: DOCNZ (m)
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Thursday, 4th October 2007 - 3:11pm