New Zealand cinematographer Dave Garbett has won an Emmy at the Children's and Family Emmys for his work on the Netflix show Sweet Tooth. Photo / Louise Garbett
New Zealand cinematographer Dave Garbett has won an Emmy at the Children's and Family Emmys for his work on the Netflix show Sweet Tooth. Photo / Louise Garbett
The second annual Children’s and Family Emmys took place over the weekend, and while Disney+ and Netflix tied with nine wins each, there was one Kiwi who stood out.
Hosted by Hamilton star Christopher Jackson, the awards show took place at Westin Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles and featureda win by New Zealand cinematographer Dave Garbett.
Having worked on the hit Netflix show Sweet Tooth, the series was named as a finalist in the Cinematography For A Single-Camera Live Action Programme category, against Jane, Lost Ollie,The Mysterious Benedict Society, The Santa Clauses and Waffles + Mochi’s Restaurant. But it was Garbett’s work on the New Zealand filmed show that took out the win.
Garbert is an Auckland-based cinematographer who has worked on many popular productions, including the recently released horror film Evil Dead Rise.
Dave Garbett accepts the Outstanding Cinematography for a Live Action Single-Camera Programme award for Sweet Tooth. Photo / Getty Images
Sweet Tooth received 11 nominations in nine categories, including Art Direction/Set Decoration/Scenic Design, Costume Design/Styling and Visual Effects for a Live Action Programme. However, it lost out to big Disney+ and Netflix titles.
The post-apocalyptic fairytale series filmed its first season in Aotearoa during 2020′s Level 3 and Level 2 lockdowns and featured many iconic locations Kiwis will know well, such as Auckland’s Hunua Falls, Kingseat Hospital and Adrenaline Forest, among others.
As for cast and crew, the show - which was based on the DC Vertigo comic series by Jeff Lemire - was executive-produced by Hollywood heavyweights including Susan Downey and Robert Downey Jr, but mostly consisted of Kiwis creators, including Garbett directors Toa Fraser, Robyn Grace and local producer Mel Turner.
The show is set 10 years after a population-decimating pandemic which sees a highly infectious virus transmit through the world, killing the majority of people and causing every baby born to be a human-animal hybrid. It follows three main characters: Gus (Christian Convery), Bear (Stefania LaVie Owen) and Tommy Jepperd (Nonso Anozie) as they search for a new beginning.
Sweet Tooth, which was shot in NZ, with some episodes directed by Toa Fraser, was recently named in Netflix' all-time top 10 shows for viewership, with 60 million streams.
As well as plenty of Kiwi crew members and creatives, the show also features many Kiwi actors, including actress Amie Donald, singer Marlon Williams and young actor Tom Kerr.
The first season of Sweet Tooth was released in 2021 and the second season in April this year. It was confirmed in May that the hit show will return for it’s third and final season in 2024 and follow the characters to Alaska.
Speaking about the upcoming season, showrunner Jim Mickle told Tudum by Netflix, “[It’s] another road trip story like season one, but [presented] in a very different way. Season three is an Arctic story with exciting new adventures and what we hope will be a satisfying conclusion to this epic tale. Gus is going to see a side of the world and humanity that he didn’t see in season one or two.”
He continued to say the show will take a darker turn, “Gus is growing alongside the series, starting to mature as the themes get darker. There’s a lot he has to deal with, and it’s peak Sweet Tooth intensity.”
The first and second seasons of Sweet Tooth are available to watch on Netflix.
