Rachael Patching and Roland Kahurangi have won best New Zealand emerging talent at the Reel Earth Environmental Film Festival.
It came on top of the best short-film award they won at the Documentary Edge Film Festival.
"The awards give us kudos and acknowledges the work that has gone into the film," Ms Patching said.
"It shows that it's not just our mums that like it; other people enjoy the story as well."
The film was made in Naseby as part of the pair's masters in science communication at the University of Otago and features the traditions of outdoor curling - a sport that might become a thing of the past due to climate change, she said.
"The idea had it all, incredible characters ... We wanted to make an environmental movie but instead of an environment at risk, it's a Western cultural [tradition] being destroyed by the environment," Ms Patching said.
The Reel Earth jury said the film-makers demonstrated a "fine eye" for composition.
"Their talent is evident in the way they were able to construct a narrative that not only revealed the story of curling in New Zealand, but also how climate change is threatening its outdoor existence."
It was a story about community and the people, rather than sport itself, she said.
The pair were fundraising hard so they could take their movie to film festivals in Edinburgh and Toronto, countries where curling was also played.
"With three weeks to go we've got $8000 but we still need $21,000."
