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A State of Siege is the story of a retired art teacher dealing with isolation and loneliness, culminating in a stormy, terrifying night. Vincent Ward's acclaimed short — adapted from a Janet Frame novel — was made when he was at Ilam art school. The Evening Post called the taut tale "the most sensitive and intelligent film that has ever been made in New Zealand". San Francisco Chronicle praised: "Ward creates more horror in this low budget movie with his play of light and shadow than Stanley Kubrick was able to create in the whole of The Shining."
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I don't think I drew breath for the whole of the scene from A State of Siege. I read Janet Frame's book some years ago and that was nervewracking enough but Ward has snuck right inside Frame's character.
How do I see the whole of the film?
Vincent Ward and Tim White
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Film, 1990 (Trailer and Excerpts)
An acclaimed Jane Campion film about Janet Frame
Television, 1977 (Full Length Episode)
Anne Flannery acts in this historic epic
Television, 1963 (Full Length)
Another young filmmaker's experiments with sound & image
See all interviews › Related interviews:
Vincent Ward is one of our most acclaimed movie directors. His films have regularly won praise overseas for their originality, atmosphere and imagery. In this interview with Clare O'Leary, Vincent talks about his career...
1978 Chicago Film Festival
Golden Hugo (best short film)
1978 Miami Film Festival
Special Jury Prize
Finalist - Most
Outstanding Website
The ONYAs 2010 & 2011
Best Entertainment Website
Finalist – Website design
Qantas Media Awards 2009
NZ ON SCREEN 2012
This website has been made with funding from NZ ON AIR ›
Paul Ward | website
Posted at 10.32AM - 12.01.2012
@Judy: we screened the film in full for a limited time as part of our Janet Frame Collection, but then had to revert to an excerpt as part of our license agreement. You could try contacting Vincent directly at his website (let him know you came via NZ On Screen!): http://vincentwardfilms.com/vw/contact/general-enquiries/