Mark Albiston

History

Mark Albiston is an award winning commercial, feature film, TV and documentary director whose received plaudits all over the world. Mark’s commercial work has achieved recognition from major award shows, including Cannes, D&AD, Creative Circle, Spikes Caanz AXIS and Adfest. Mark's latest short film 'Green Datsun' is funded by the New Zealand Film Commission. The Green Datsun is a proof of concept for his feature film 'The Wall'. Both are set in NZ. His short documentary Billy and the Kids screened in the 2019 NZ International Film Festival and is now on the international festival circuit. Mark’s award winning documentaries and arts shows were made with his own production company Sticky Pictures which also produced Mark’s short films Run and The Six Dollar Fifty Man which he wrote and directed together with childhood friend Louis Sutherland. Both of these short films went on to win in competition at the worlds most prestigious international film festivals, both winning jury prizes at the Cannes Film festival and a host of others. But it was the exceptional success of The Six Dollar Fifty Man which went on to win best international short at the Sundance film festival that allowed the duo to make their debut feature Shopping that premiered in competition at Sundance and then went on to win the Grand Prix for the best feature in Generation 14plus International at the Berlinale. Mark works as a commercials director globally for advertising production company The Sweetshop and is working with Sweetshop and Green to develop his film and TV projects .

Movies

Datsun
Datsun
Director
Fourteen-year-old Matt takes his dad’s yellow Datsun for one last wild joyride with his best buddy and kid brother in tow.
Billy and The Kids
Billy and The Kids
Editor
An insightful look inside the boxing academies run by champion Kiwi boxer Billy Graham, through the eyes of the kids whose lives they have changed.
Billy and The Kids
Billy and The Kids
Director
An insightful look inside the boxing academies run by champion Kiwi boxer Billy Graham, through the eyes of the kids whose lives they have changed.
Shopping
Shopping
Writer
Living in New Zealand in 1981 amid high racial tension, Willie, a half-Samoan teenager, is coming into his own. With an unpredictable father, Willie spends most of his time working at a department store or taking care of his little brother, Solomon. A chance encounter at work with an eccentric and charming “shopper” named Bennie lures Willie into a world without rules. As Willie begins to find a place in Bennie’s reckless nest of criminals, Solomon grows increasingly vulnerable to their father’s violent tendencies.
Shopping
Shopping
Director
Living in New Zealand in 1981 amid high racial tension, Willie, a half-Samoan teenager, is coming into his own. With an unpredictable father, Willie spends most of his time working at a department store or taking care of his little brother, Solomon. A chance encounter at work with an eccentric and charming “shopper” named Bennie lures Willie into a world without rules. As Willie begins to find a place in Bennie’s reckless nest of criminals, Solomon grows increasingly vulnerable to their father’s violent tendencies.
Blakey
Blakey
Director
The life and times of sailor and adventurer Sir Peter Blake, one of New Zealand's favourite sons.
The Six Dollar Fifty Man
The Six Dollar Fifty Man
Writer
It's hard to look after yourself in the playground when you're different. Set in 1970s New Zealand, The Six Dollar Fifty Man follows Andy, a gutsy eight year-old boy who lives in a make-believe superhero world where his imagination allows him to perform extraordinary physical feats, to deal with playground bullies. But when Andy gets in trouble with the headmaster, he realises that to save himself & his only friend Mary, he must face up to the real world.
The Six Dollar Fifty Man
The Six Dollar Fifty Man
Director
It's hard to look after yourself in the playground when you're different. Set in 1970s New Zealand, The Six Dollar Fifty Man follows Andy, a gutsy eight year-old boy who lives in a make-believe superhero world where his imagination allows him to perform extraordinary physical feats, to deal with playground bullies. But when Andy gets in trouble with the headmaster, he realises that to save himself & his only friend Mary, he must face up to the real world.
Run
Run
Director
A Samoan brother and sister live in fear of their over-protective widowed father who rules with a military regime in order to protect his children from a bleak future. The children learn that only together can they show him that he is their biggest obstacle.