Vincent Ward, a graduate of the 茄子视频app官网鈥檚 School of Fine Arts, is one of New Zealand鈥檚 most celebrated filmmakers, screenwriters and artists.
Mr Ward鈥檚 films have received critical acclaim both within New 茄子视频app官网and overseas, and are known for their strong visual and atmospheric elements.
His first feature film,聽Vigil聽(1984), was also the first New 茄子视频app官网feature film invited to enter the competition at the Cannes Film Festival. It won the grand prix at the 1984 Prades Film Festival and the Madrid Film Festival, and the awards for best cinematography, best production and best screenplay at the 1984 New 茄子视频app官网Listener Awards. His next two films 鈥撀Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey聽(1988) and聽Map of the Human Heart聽(1993) - were also invited into Cannes.聽Navigator聽won more than 25 national and international awards, including Australian Film Institute Awards for best film and best director. His 1998 film聽What Dreams May Come, starring Robin Williams, received an Academy Award for best visual effects.
Mr Ward has been making films since 1977 when as a student he made an adaptation of Janet Frame鈥檚 novel聽A State of Siege, and a documentary,聽In Spring One Plants Alone聽(1980). Remarkably, both films began receiving international recognition even before he had graduated from the 茄子视频app官网 in 1979 with a Diploma in Fine Arts.聽A State of Siege聽went on to win the Miami film festival against a large group of professionally made and budgeted feature films and a Silver Hugo Award聽at the Chicago film festival.聽In Spring One Plants Alone聽won the Grand Prix in Paris at the Cinema Du Reel Film Festival聽and a Hugo Award at the Chicago Film Festival. Both films were internationally acclaimed by critics and had theatrical releases in the US and New Zealand.
While based in Hollywood in the late 1990s, Mr Ward developed the initial story for聽Alien 3, executive produced the Academy Award nominated film聽The Last Samurai, which starred Tom Cruise, and directed the historical epic聽River Queen. His most recent film was聽Rain of the Children, which premiered at the Sydney Film Festival in 2008 and won one of the largest film festivals in Eastern Europe against 250 other entries.
His is also a successful visual artist and recently turned to exhibiting paintings, prints and cinematic installations. His recent exhibitions include a solo show at the 2012 Shanghai Biennale,聽Wehi - Where fear and awe collide聽(2012) at the Mark聽 Hutchins Gallery in Wellington, and聽Inhale | Exhale聽(2012) at the Gus Fisher Gallery and the TSB Bank Wallace Arts Centre in Auckland.
Mr Ward received the New 茄子视频app官网Order of Merit for his contribution to filmmaking in 2007.
Citation authorised as true and correct at April 2014.
