Wētā FX VFX supervisor Erik Winquist is part of the Kiwi contingent heading to Hollywood for the Oscars on Monday (NZT) Photo / Getty, Wētā FX.
Wētā FX VFX supervisor Erik Winquist is part of the Kiwi contingent heading to Hollywood for the Oscars on Monday (NZT) Photo / Getty, Wētā FX.
The awards season showdown hits Kiwi screens on Monday, March 3 (NZT), with the 97th Academy Awards set to celebrate the best of the best in the film industry.
But where can you watch this year’s Oscars? And how do our talented Kiwi nominees feel about heading over to the US and having a shot at bringing a statue home?
Mitchell Hageman reveals all you need to know.
From CGI chimps to madcap musicals, the films vying for an Academy Award this year are as diverse as they come.
Hosted by talk show host and comedian Conan O’Brien, viewers can expect a night full of glamour, impassioned speeches and possibly some shock upsets.
Amid the battle for Best Picture, The Brutalist, Conclave and Emilia Perezare looking like the frontrunners considering their slew of other award wins, and the Best Actress contest could easily be clinched by The Substance actress Demi Moore.
Timothée Chalamet’s portrayal of singer Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown could also put him in the running for taking out the Best Actor gong after a surprise win at the SAG Awards last week.
New Zealand talent will also be front and centre, with Wellington’s Wētā FX nabbing three visual effects nominations, the most individual for the company’s history.
People can watch the action at The Dolby Theatre unfold on air from about midday on Monday March 3, with Kiwis able to stream the event on Disney+ if they have a subscription with the service.
The Herald will also be live blogging the event and red carpet.
Wētā FX has gained three Academy Award (Oscar) nominations for its work on Better Man, Alien: Romulus and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.
Erik Winquist, a VFX supervisor, will be one of the lucky Kiwis from the Wētā FX contingent at the theatre’s hallowed halls come Monday.
Winquist and his colleagues have a record three films nominated in the Best Visual Effects category, which recognises excellence in technical and visual effects.
While he is there representing his work on blockbuster Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, other Weta FX colleagues will be championing their work on Better Man and Alien: Romulus, the other two nominated in the category.
It’s not Winquist’s first rodeo either, having attended the ceremony 10 years ago for his work on another Apes film: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.
“It’s been quite a ride so far, with all of the accolades Kingdom has garnered for its visual effects work,“ he said of this awards season, with the film also nominated for a coveted Bafta nomination a few weeks ago.
“Going into the Oscars is, of course, quite a thrill given the calibre of visual effects on display this year.
“We’re up against some films which were huge hits at the box office, so the competition is formidable”.
Erik Winquist is 'enormously proud' to be representing Aotearoa at the Academy Awards this year with his Weta FX team. Photo / Weta FX
Another big part of the event is networking with other film industry colleagues, and Winquist hopes he’ll get the chance to meet the filmmakers behind Nickel Boys, which is nominated forBest Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.
"If you haven’t caught up with that one yet, I highly recommend it. It is a challenging watch at times, but a deeply human and beautiful film."
Winquist said whatever the outcome, it was “humbling and a privilege” to represent the work of the 1000-strong Wētā FX crew and New Zealand as a whole.
“I am enormously proud to be representing Aotearoa,” he said.
“I originally came to New Zealand for what I thought was going to be six months of work on The Lord of the Rings.
“Twenty-three years later, I’m still here and loving it. And it’s because of the talent I’m surrounded by every day at Wētā FX”.
The fact that more than 300 films were nominated for the Visual Effects Oscar - and Wētā FX worked on three of the five nominated films - was a testament to Kiwi creativity and hard work, Winquist said.
“Good things happen when we support the arts in Aotearoa.”
Matt Aitken, the head of VFX at Wētā FX, shared a similar sentiment and encouraged the rest of Aotearoa to tune in and show their support.
“Whether we win or lose, we hope the country joins us in celebrating the incredible feats our entire Wētā FX crew has achieved by being recognised with multiple Oscar and Bafta nominations this year.”
While this year there are no Kiwis nominated for acting, directing or producing nominations, there have been plenty of notable past nominees and winners.
Jane Campion and Sir Peter Jackson both have Best Directing Oscars to their name (for Power of the Dog and The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King respectively), and Taika Waititi won a Best Original Screenplay Oscar for Jojo Rabbit.
