The picture was nominated for 7 New Zealand Film and TV Awards in 2001 including Best Actress - Vicky Haughton, Best Juvenile Performer - Sally Andrews, Best Supporting Actress - Liddy Holloway and Best Contribution to a Soundtrack. In the end, movie won three gongs, which were for Best Design, Best Make Up and Best Costume Design.
Despite his American roots, Californian filmmaker Mark J. Gordon through extensive research wrote a compelling and quintessentially Kiwi / New Zealand story that captured the essence of this tiny island nation and its people at a critical juncture in their history.
The film took about sixteen years to make from development with the script to realization on the big screen. Twelve years after its inception, the film was finally set for full production. Eight weeks later the cameras would roll.
What would possess the movie's American filmmaker Mark J. Gordon to write a story set in 1953, from the perspective of a young New Zealand girl? For him, it began with a love of independent films, such as "My Life as a Dog," "The God's Must Crazy" and "Cinema Paradiso".