Kiwi film industry professionals have lavished praise on a Christchurch student’s award-winning short war film, calling it “fantastic”, “technically flawless” and “incredible”.
Inspired by the work of one of his cinema heroes, Steven Spielberg, 16-year-old Kenta Lord swept the board in this year’s national OnScreen 2025 – a short film competition for school students that is decided by a panel of 23 respected movie and media figures.
His World War II-set film Zippo – which depicts a group of American soldiers who receive orders to advance inland following the Normandy landings – centres on Private Dams, who receives a zippo lighter in the mail from his parents.
