Ink and Gold: An Artist's Journey to Olympic Glory
‘Ink and Gold: An Artist’s Journey to Olympic Glory’ is a short form documentary that follows the journey of New Zealand artist and athlete, Zakea Page, winning the Lausanne 2020 Youth Olympic Games medal design competition and fulfilling a lifelong dream to perform at the opening ceremonies.
The film was shot over the course of one week in Lausanne, Switzerland, at the 2020 Youth Olympic Games and weaved together with self-taped footage of Zakea’s younger years as an athlete and artist. Accompanied with interviews of his family, ‘Ink and Gold’ highlights the connection between art and sport in bringing together peoples of diverse cultures and backgrounds to bridge barriers of language and foster connections, mutual understanding, and respect for one another. It also aims to dismantle the requirements of young people to choose between the two.
The story, artwork and design work in the film are a reflection of Mr. Page’s non-traditional upbringing as the child of international teachers and the many different cultures and experiences he was exposed to in New Zealand, Kuwait, Viet Nam, England, Bangladesh and China. These experiences are the foundation for his medal design, entitled “Beauty in Diversity”, to embody the Olympic celebration of respect, friendship and excellence, honouring every athlete's (and in this case, artist’s) journey to the Games.
A poetic and uplifting portrait of a young man looking for connection with humanity combining art and sport in expressive form, Ink and Gold is filled with hope and the limitless possibility of tomorrow.
Awards
2023 Film Festival Official Selection & Awards
• 4theatre selection (Italy) - Best Documentary Short Award
• Accolade Global Film Competition (CA, USA) - Best Documentary Short & Best Editing Awards
• Boden International Film Festival (Sweden) - Semi-Finalist, Best Documentary Short Award
• Cambodia Film Festival (Cambodia) - Official Selection
• Dilmun International Film Festival (Bahrain) - Best Documentary Short & Best Poster Awards
• Doha Independent Film Festival (Qatar) - Best Documentary Short Award
• Emiratis Film Festival (Oman) - Official Selection
• Golden Nugget International Film Festival (London, UK) - Nominee for Best Documentary Short
• Gulf Tiger International Film Festival (United Arab Emirates) - Best Documentary Short Award
• Gwangju International Film Festival (Republic of Korea) - Best Documentary Short Award
• Havelock International Film Festival (India) - Best Documentary Short, Best Director, Best Editor & Best Producer Awards
• Indo French International Film Festival (India) - Best Documentary Short Award
• Indo Singapore International Film Festival (India) - Best Documentary Short, Best Editor & Best Concept Awards
• International Film Festival Belgium (Belgium) - Best Documentary Short Award
• International Online Web Fest (Italy) - Best Documentary Short, Best Young Director & Best Original Song Awards, as well as
Nominee for Best Editor, Best Cinematographer & Best Sound Design Awards
• International World Film Awards (Slovakia) - Official Selection
• Lion city International Film Festival (Singapore) - Best Documentary Short Award
• Liverpool Indie Awards // LIA (UK) - Official Selection
• Muscat International Film Festival (Oman) - Best Documentary Short Award
• Nitiin International Film Festival (Malaysia) - Best Documentary Short Award
• Osaka International Film Festival (Japan) - Official Selection
• Paris Short Film Festival (France) - Official Selection / Screened & judged in 2024
• Poombukar Independent Film Festival (India) - Best Documentary Short Award
• Qatar Indie Film Festival (Qatar) - ‘Critics Choice’ Best Documentary Short Award
• Rohip International Film Festival (India) - ‘Special Mention’ Best Documentary Short Award
• San Antonio Independent Film Festival (Ecuador) - Best Documentary Short Award
• Santa Dev International Film Festival (India) - Best Documentary Short & Best Editing Awards
• Saudi Arabia International Film Festival (Saudi Arabia) - Best Documentary Short Award
• South Pacific Film Festival / NZ Independent Film Festival (New Zealand) - Quarter-finalist, Best NZ Short Award
• Stockholm City Film Festival (Sweden) - Official Selection
• Suwon-Si International Film Festival (Republic of Korea) - Best Documentary Short Award
• Tekka International Film Festival (Singapore) - Best Documentary Short Award
• The IndieFEST Film Awards (CA, USA) - Official Selection
• Tylos International Film Festival (Bahrain) - Best Documentary Short Award
• Wisdom Tree International Film Festival (India) - Official Selection
Press Gallery
For more information and updates on the film, please visits our News & Grooves page
or hop over to the official INK & GOLD page.