[pima.nius] PR: Auckland City Council media release: New Zealand film industry in international spotlight

Auckland City Council
Media release

24 September 2009

New Zealand film industry in international spotlight

 

A selection of the best of New Zealand cinema will be shown at an international film festival in Germany from tomorrow.

New Zealand is to be featured as the 'Deluxe' country at Filmfest Hamburg this year, which runs from 24 September to 1 October.  Being selected as the feature country is a coup for New Zealand's film industry. Auckland City Council, Film Auckland, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise  and the New Zealand embassy in Germany, the New Zealand Film Archive and the New Zealand Film Commission worked together to put New Zealand in the leading role.

Six New Zealand cinema classics dating from 1964 to 1987 will have their German premiere at the festival, showcasing our film potential and locations to an international audience of approximately 35,000.

Filmfest Hamburg Deluxe will showcase lesser-known films to demonstrate the breadth of New Zealand's film industry that goes beyond the internationally famous works of the likes of Jane Campion (The Piano) and Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings 1-3). The films on show include Ngati, Angel Mine, Off The Edge and Runaway.

Auckland and Hamburg signed a strategic alliance in 2007 to support opportunities for growth in key sectors and to encourage best practice learning.

A special focus has always been placed on creative industries, including annual involvement in the Hamburg Animation Award, a guest speaker from Hamburg at the DOCNZ Summit 2009 and a best practice videoconference on creative industries between industry experts from both cities.

Auckland City Council City Development Chairperson Aaron Bhatnagar said that New Zealand and Germany signed a film co-production agreement in 2005, making New Zealand a popular destination for German production companies.

"Aside from the internationally renowned Whale Rider, three other New Zealand feature films - Flight of the Albatross, Among The Cinders, and Te Rua - have had investment from or have been co-productions with Germany. In addition, some recent German TV productions have been joint projects with New Zealand and this has provided a welcome boost to the local industry," says Councillor Bhatnagar.

The Auckland region is a key global film destination and the city plays a pivotal role in the nation's film industry. In 2007, the screen production industry in Auckland city generated GDP of $377 million and the film sector continues to grow.

Hamburg is a major European media centre and hub of film and television production with more than 1,140 companies working in the film industry. New Zealand is a popular destination for German production companies, especially those producing television commercials.

Ends

For media assistance or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Glyn Jones, Communications and Marketing on ph (09) 307 7750 / 027 475 897

Notes to editor:

Films and screening times:

Runaway / 26.09.2009 / 20:30 Zeise 1 / 102 Min.  [NZ 27.09.2009 7:30am]  
Off the Edge / 27.09.2009 / 18:00 Zeise 1 / 77 Min.  [28.09.2009 5am] 
Runaway / 28.09.2009 / 17:00 / Kino 3001 / 102 Min. (WDH) [29.09.2009 4am] 
The Experimental Archive / 28.09.2009 / 19:15 Zeise 2 / 80 Min.  [29.09.2009 6:15am] 
Angel Mine / 29.09.2009 / 21:45 Zeise 2 / 79 Min.  [30.09.2009 8:45am] 
Off the Edge / 29.09.2009 / 17:00 Kino 3001 / 77 Min. (WDH)  [30.09.2009 4am] 
Angel Mine / 30.09.2009 / 17:00 Kino 3001 / 79 Min. (WDH) [1.10.2009 4am] 
Carry Me Back / 30.09.2009 / 19:45 Zeise 2 / 84 Min.  [01.10.2009 6:45am] 
Ngati / 01.10.2009 / 21:45 Zeise 2 / 93 Min.  [2.10.2009 8:45am] 
Ngati / 02.10.2009 / 17:00 Kino 3001 / 93 Min. (WDH)  [3.10.2009 4am] 
Patu! / 03.10.2009 / 17:30 Zeise 1 / 113 Min. [4.10.2009 4:30am] 

Additional background:

• Auckland City Council facilitates an additional $55 million of GDP to the Auckland city economy each year through its international relations programmes.
• Auckland City Council is committed to a sustainable screen production industry through sponsorship of Film Auckland.
• Auckland's film industry is growing and the region is a key global film destination
• Auckland plays a pivotal role in the nation's film industry. Auckland is home to over half of the country's screen production employment, and three quarters of national television employment. In 2007, the screen production industry in Auckland city generated GDP of $377 million.

 

·       There is a link between Among The Cinders and Te Rua and the films screening in Hamburg. Both were produced by Pacific Films, which also produced Runaway and Ngati. John O'Shea, the producer and director of Runaway was a writer on Among The Cinders and a producer on Te Rua. Barry Barclay, the director of Ngati, also directed Te Rua.

1       There have also been some recent German TV productions (screening on ZDF) that have been joint projects with NZ. These have included: 

·       Kreuzfahrt ins Gluck – Hochzeitsreise nach Neuseeland
1       Sehnsucht nach Neuseeland
2       Das Paradies am Ende der Welt

• New Zealand and Germany signed a film co-production agreement in 2005. In addition, some German-New Zealand co-productions are eligible for the New Zealand Screen Production Incentive Fund (SPIFF), created in July 2008 by the New Zealand Government.

 

• Hamburg is one of Germany's major film and television production locations (together with Berlin, Munich, and Cologne). Hamburg has more than 1,140 companies in the film industry, most of them producing cinema and television films but companies producing talk shows, series, innovative/creative film making and cartoon/animation are also widely present. Every year around 150 feature films and TV series are shot here.

Hamburg offers good post-production services, including established post-production companies, numerous production companies, sound studios, dubbing studios, film printing works, movie distributors and a number of acting and media agencies. A number of institutions offer training in TV and film work, including the cinematic faculty at Hamburg University, the Academy of Fine Arts (HfbK, Hochschule für bildende Künste), the new Hamburg Media School, and societies such as the Foundation for Vocational Training and the Association for M

 

Charlotte Haycock
Media Communications
Auckland City Council

Ph: (09) 307 7452
Mobile: 027 297 4966
Location: Bledisloe House, 24 Wellesley Street, Auckland
www.aucklandcity.govt.nz

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