Sash Nixon's Star Wars homage film wins at Comic-Con

A Star Wars homage film by a University of Waikato graduate has taken out Best Acting award in the Lucasfilms Star Wars film competition, at the recent Comic-Con International in San Diego.

It’s the biggest fan film competition in the world, and the 22 finalists got the opportunity to put their work in front of Star Wars creator George Lucas himself.

Galaxy Makeover

Shot partly in the University’s new Student Centre and partly by the Waikato River, Star Wars:Hunter was written and directed by Sash Nixon, who’s a screen and media graduate and currently works in the University Library.

The film follows the adventures of wanted man Rek Daggard, played by Nixon himself, who lays a trap to capture a Jedi in order to win a full pardon from the Empire. Unfortunately, the plan backfires. Quite what George Lucas made of Hamilton – and the Student Centre – as a stand-in for a galaxy far, far away we may never know.

But the acting talents of Nixon and a group of Waikato students, including Hillary scholars Shoshana Sachi and Jeremy Mayall, certainly impressed the judges.

Epic Win

Eight awards were made at a ceremony at the San Diego Comic-Con International last month, and Nixon was there in person (and in costume) to pick up his double droid statuette. He says he never expected to hear his name read out. “My legs were like jelly,” he confesses. “And it wasn’t until I got to the podium that I remembered I was dressed as Rek Daggard.”

Nixon says seeing his movie playing on two gigantic screens in front of an enormous audience of the biggest Star Wars fans and Star Wars filmmakers in the world was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“It was an amazing experience winning the award and then seeing Hunter screened for the audience it was made for. Nothing will ever equal that presentation.”