Oscars a step closer for Wellington film makers

Mark Albiston (left) and Louis Sutherland. Photo / Mike Heydon

Wellington film makers Louis Sutherland and Mark Albiston have made the 2011 Academy Awards short-film long list, with their multi-award winning film The Six Dollar Fifty Man.

The film, based on their experiences together at primary school on the Kapiti Coast, has had a successful run at festivals all over the world, winning awards at A-list festivals like Cannes and Sundance.

"That's elating news!," Louis Sutherland said this morning when woken with the news by nzherald.co.nz.

"We'd kinda forgotten about it until yesterday when we knew it was coming up, so we started wondering if we got across the finish line for the final ten or not."

The news comes days after it was revealed New Zealand documentary This Way Of Life has made the equivalent long list in the Academy Awards' documentary category.

Both now have to wait until the finalists are revealed on January 25th.

"Knowing you're in the top ten is like being really hungry, and mum going 'oh dinner's in 15'," says Sutherland.

*The Six Dollar Fifty Man will play on Sky's Rialto Channel throughout January and February - starting January 1st at 5.55pm