An anti-war short film Danny Alexander shot in Auckland, set partially in Basra, Iraq, and screened at an international film festival in New York, is helping a group of Unitec graduates kick-start their film careers.

The film's student writer, Alison Davie, has based her story on her own experience as a soldier, serving as a medic with the British army in Bosnia. The film's director, Tony Wright says the film's authenticity and professional style helped it to get noticed by the US festival's organisers. An anti-war short film Danny Alexander shot in Auckland, set partially in Basra, Iraq, and screened at an international film festival in New York, is helping a group of Unitec graduates kick-start their film careers.

The film's student writer, Alison Davie, has based her story on her own experience as a soldier, serving as a medic with the British army in Bosnia. The film's director, Tony Wright says the film's authenticity and professional style helped it to get noticed by the US festival's organisers.

Danny Alexander, made by and starring students from Unitec's Bachelor of Performing and Screen Arts (BPSA), was made last year and screened in competition at the Ivy Film Festival, Rhode Island, New York, last week.

Danny Alexander has a free public screening at Unitec on 20 April. Wright, says it was a labour of love for all involved and this was reflected in its high-quality production values.

"I've been told that Danny doesn't look like a student film - the look and feel of it could almost pass as a commercial film - and I think that's because everyone, from the actors to the crew were really fired up and passionate about this film."

Danny Alexander is about a former soldier struggling to adjust to civilian life after the trauma experienced while serving as an army engineer in Iraq.

"Of the hundreds of short films that were submitted for the festival only 36 were chosen. It was in competition at the Ivy Film Festival and a lot of the films it was screened alongside have been at the Sundance festival, so it's good exposure."

The pivotal scene in
Danny Alexander is a flashback of a bombing aftermath in the city of Basra. The student filmmakers managed to get military vehicles and weapons, an army armourer and the burnt-out shell of a bus for the scene, which was filmed in an abandoned freezing works in Onehunga.

"We called in lots of favours and it all just fell into place," says Tony. "It was an exciting and intense scene to film."

The score for the film by Bobby Kennedy from the band Op Shop included music by an Iraqi musician. "Don McGlashan (from the Mutton Birds), a guest lecturer on movie scoring at Unitec, put us in touch with Mardo El-Noon, a musician from Iraq," says Tony. "Mardo helped with the score and even recorded some dialogue for us to dub into the Iraq scenes."

Students from the BPSA's acting, writing/directing and screen arts majors collaborate on films and stage plays throughout the three years of the degree and Tony says this was an advantage when it was time to make Danny Alexander as his final-year short film project.

"The crew, lead actor Ora Simpson and I had all worked together on other student films and everyone went well beyond the call of duty to make the film as good as possible."

Tony graduated from Unitec this year and is looking for funding for his next project, a comedy/drama about a dysfunctional rugby league team. He says that he hopes having Danny Alexander to show potential investors will help.

"I'm planning to use Danny Alexander as my calling card."

What: Screening of short film, Danny Alexander
Where: Building 12, Entry Two, Unitec New Zealand, Carrington Rd, Mt Albert
When: 6.30pm, Thursday 20 April