Strong Kiwi presence in TV’s Emmy awards
Wellington’s Wētā FX received an Emmy nomination yesterday for some of its team’s visual effects work on the Netflix series Ripley.
VFX supervisor Chris White, VFX producer Libby Hazell and sequence VFX supervisor Francois Sugny were recognised for their work on episode three, when Tom Ripley goes for an ill-fated boat ride with rich American playboy Dickie Greenleaf.
Their work earned them a nomination for outstanding special visual effects in a single episode, along with six other nonWētā FX workers who also contributed to the show’s VFX.
Ripley received 13 nominations in total. The 76th annual Emmy nominations also bring overdue acknowledgement for two Kiwi-created shows, Reservation Dogs and What We Do in the Shadows and fresh competition, including Shogun actors Hiroyuki Sanada and New Zealand born Anna Sawai.
Sawai, who started her professional acting career at the age of 11 after moving to Japan with her family, has earned a nomination in the lead actress in a drama series category.
What We Do in the Shadows, by Jemaine Clement, which is based on his and Taika Waititi’s 2014 film of the same name, received a nomination for outstanding comedy series. Matt Berry, the show’s lead actor, also earned a spot in the outstanding actor category.
Waititi and Sterlin Harjo’s Reservation Dogs was also nominated in the best comedy series category, for what is its final season. D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai of Reservation Dogs, will compete for lead actor in a comedy.
Netflix leads with 107 nominations for programmes including Baby Reindeer and Ripley. FX comes in second, bolstered by the continued roar of The Bear and newcomer Shogun. HBO has 91 nominations.