What began as an intriguing online contest has become a “perfect screen opportunity” for one Auburn woman.
Without professional filmmaking experience, Kristi L. Simkins considered herself a long shot when she entered the 100% Pure New Zealand Presents Your Big Break short film competition.
As it turned out, the judges liked her style.
Simkins’ bold and moving entry, “Something Special”, was one of five short films recently chosen by Academy Award-winning producer Barrie Osborne (“The Lord of the Rings”) and a panel of judges. Simkins was one of the more than 1,000 aspiring directors from around the world who entered a screenplay for a three-minute short film that captured the spirit of New Zealand.
“I’m a little bit stunned by the news,” said Simpkins, a 37-year-old computer support technician who lives in Auburn with her husband. “I had a lot of odds to overcome … so they’re taking a chance on me.”
Simkins was one of only two Americans awarded a trip to Queenstown, New Zealand, where she will work with Osborne at a world-class post-production facility. Collectively, they will shoot and direct a three-minute film, capturing the essence of the world’s youngest country.
“It’s an amazing country. I’ve always wanted to go but never have had the opportunity,” said Simkins, who left for New Zealand’s majestic South Island on Tuesday.
Simkins is allowed two days to shoot “Something Special” on location and three weeks to produce her script within a $71,000 budget. She will have the help of a small crew and director Peter Jackson’s post-production facilities in Wellington.
“I have a lot to learn while I’m doing this,” Simkins said. “I believe I can do this. I believe I can do this well.”
Jackson, an Academy Award-winning director, ultimately will select the winning entry among the five finalists. After Jackson personally views and judges the films, he will choose the overall winner whose film will air on the Independent Film Channel prior to the Spirit Awards live broadcast on March 5 (8 p.m. PST).
In addition, the finalists’ films will premiere at the 25th Film Independent Spirit Awards and on the Your Big Break Web site, www.your-big-break.com.
Simkins joins Aya Tanimora (Santa Monica, Calif.), Andrés Borghi (Buenos Aires) and Tim McLachlan and Rajneel Singh (both from Auckland, New Zealand) in the final field of five.
For Simkins, filmmaking always has caught her imagination. She was creative, always thinking visually as a youngster.
“I would create stories and find ways to make those stories come to life in movies,” said Simkins, who grew up in Michigan, attending college there before earning a masters degree in international relations at Syracuse University. “I love the way movies move and inspire people.”
In “Something Special”, the protagonist in Simkins’s film seeks to fulfill a promise with his trip to New Zealand. The short film is actually two stories in one, with one man exploring the New Zealand landscape while relieving the painful memory of his friend lost in combat. In a tribute to his fallen friend, the protagonist, Jimmy, communicates with his friend, Miles, in spirit and soul while discovering the beauty of the land, just as his friend described.
“It helps him come to terms with his friend’s death and fulfills a promise to see New Zealand,” Simkins said. “It is such a spectacular place. So much of the country is untouched, pure. It’s the perfect place for someone to connect with a friend who is no longer with them.”
Simkins hopes she can parlay the New Zealand experience into a career as a feature film director.
“It’s an amazing opportunity,” she said. “I’m hoping this could possibly come into something else. We’ll just have to wait and see. I’m going to make the most of it.”
