Poppy wins at SIGGRAPH Asia 2010   11 Nov 2010

Media Design School 3D animation course leader James Cunningham has picked up yet another accolade for his award-winning short film Poppy – this time at SIGGRAPH Asia 2010.

Poppy, a heart-wrenching CGI short film about two World War I soldiers on France’s western front who find a crying baby in a muddy ditch, has won the top prize, ‘Best of Show’.

Cunningham, who directed Poppy, said he was honoured to have won ‘Best of Show’ at the third annual SIGGRAPH Asia.

“SIGGRAPH Asia is a world-renowned platform for showcasing the best in animation and digital media. I think Poppy really shows audiences that computer animation can successfully portray strong emotional stories. It doesn’t have to be only used for spectacle and comedy. I’ve had feedback from people of all ages and backgrounds who say they’ve been moved by the film.”

Poppy also won the jury prize for SIGGRAPH 2010 at Los Angeles in July this year. The film was chosen from 750 submissions around the globe, with entries from professional studios and students alike.

Director Cunningham made Poppy as a labour of love, spending most of 2008 camped out in a spare room at home while making the short film. Cunningham, with the help of one or two others, spent 4500 hours producing Poppy.

Prior to taking on the role of 3D course leader at Media Design School, Cunningham worked as Head of 3D at New Zealand’s premier post-production house, Digital Post and also as a Technical Director for the first Lord of the Rings film while at Wellington’s Weta Digital.

Media Design School is New Zealand’s leading tertiary institution for the digital creative technologies, located in Auckland. The school’s 3D animation programme is world-class, and graduates have gone on to work for facilities such as Weta Digital, Park Road Post, Oktobor, Industrial Light Magic in San Francisco, and Moving Picture Company in London.

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