It was straight back to reality for one of the stars of Reporoa documentary The Ground We Won after picking up one of the country's biggest film awards; getting up the next morning to milk the cows.
The documentary following the on-field exploits of the Reporoa Rugby Club, as well
as the off-field antics of the men balancing farming and fatherhood, won awards for Best Documentary and Best Documentary Cinematography at the 2017 Rialto Channel NZ Film Awards on Saturday night.
Kelvin Thomas, one of the main characters, made the trip to Auckland to accept the awards on behalf of the film team; who took the top honour against major box office hits like Poi-E and Chasing Great.
"Rubbing shoulders with A-listers was a bit bizarre," he said.
"But coming back to milk cows on Sunday morning brought me straight back to reality."
Mr Thomas described the experience as a bit of a rollercoaster and said he even had to give an acceptance speech in a room of actual celebrities.
"I wasn't even drinking," he said. "Usually I'd want a few beers under my lap."
The documentary, filmed in 2013, has been named by critics one of the most influential New Zealand films of the past 10 years.
It was directed by Chris Pryor and produced by Miriam Smith.
"Chris and Miriam were driving past on their way home from filming another movie. They saw the rugby club and thought 'I wonder if we could make a movie out of that'," said Mr Thomas.
"We all just thought 'what's this rooster up to?'."
Mr Thomas said himself and "the boys" who appeared in the film just went about their normal daily lives, and the film was a true reflection of that.
"I don't have much prowess on the rugby field, or even as a farmer, but now I have an award for just my general life," he said.
The trophy for Best Documentary, a moa, was brought home to the Reporoa Rugby Club trophy cabinet on Saturday evening.
While his twin sons took the trophy to show off at Broadlands School today , Mr Thomas was singing the praises of director Pryor.
"He just had a little old camera, like something out of the '90s," he said.
"It had bits of cardboard and duct tape; he did an amazing job to get best cinematography."
Ant Timpson, executive producer of the awards, created the event alongside Hugh Sundae in 2012, wanting to create a night to pause and appreciate the work of the New Zealand film industry.
"The judging for the awards was done offshore which we feel is a very impartial way to do things," he said.
"The Ground We Won spoke to those judges who recognised the powerful humanity in its portrayal of small town rugby."
Pryor is in New York on the Harriet Friedlander Arts Residency, and woke to the news of the win.
"It was a real surprise given the impressive line-up of outstanding documentaries nominated this year," Pryor said.
"We're thrilled that Kelvin and his twins were able to attend the awards in Auckland on our behalf and we were mightily impressed that they managed to get back in time for milking the next morning, too."
For those who missed the film in the cinema, DVDs are available from Madman Entertainment or the film can be seen online at iTunes or NZ Film On Demand.