Two Kiwi film-makers nominated for Oscars

New Zealander Andrew Adamson was nominated for best animated feature film for his blockbuster sequel Shrek 2. File picture / Paul Estcourt

Two New Zealand film-makers Andrew Adamson and Taika Waititi have been nominated for this year's Academy Awards.

In the nominations announced in Los Angeles, Andrew Adamson was nominated for best animated feature film for his blockbuster sequel Shrek 2, and Taika Waititi received a nod for his film Two Cars, One Night in the live action short film category.

Adamson's film is up against The Incredibles and Shark Tale.

He won an Oscar for the first Shrek film. This is Waititi's first nomination.

Two Cars, One Night is an 11-minute film, telling the story of two children who meet in the car park of a rural pub.

It has won 10 awards at international film festivals, making it one of the most awarded short films in New Zealand history.

Waititi's second short film Tama Tu, about the Maori Battalion in World War 2, has been selected to screen at the Sundance Film Festival in the United States this month.

Adamson's film Shrek, the uproarious anti-fairy tale that proved a monster hit at the box office, last year won the first ever Oscar for a full length animated feature.

This year Shrek 2 surpassed Finding Nemo as the highest grossing animated film ever.

Since June, Adamson has been shooting The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in New Zealand.

The latter project could evolve into a big franchise similar to the Lord Of The Rings, since it is based on one of author CS Lewis' seven Narnia chronicles.

Two Cars, One Night took four nights to film and cost $70,000 to make.

The film was funded by the New Zealand Film Commission.

Waititi said the nomination would change people's expectations of his work, but even an Oscar win was unlikely to change his life.

"I've talked to Oscar winners before, and they say it doesn't change their lives," he said on National Radio.

- NZPA