Poppy

Directed by:
James Cunningham

Written by:
David Coyle

Poppy is set on France’s western front in World War One, two New Zealand soldiers are trapped behind enemy lines. They find a baby in a muddy ditch, under its dead parents. One of the men wants to save it – the other does not.

Based on true events, Poppy was written by the great-grandson of one of these soldiers.

Writer David Coyle was 18 years old when he wrote Poppy as a student. After discovering the script Director James Cunningham was determined to make it as a CGI short film. Poppy took 15 months to make. The driving ethos of the film was to create an emotive, affecting and dramatic CGI animation. The approach James took was to harness the gold that actors bring with their performance to take the CGI short genre into a new realm. Poppy is not cute, quirky or a film for children.