Yes, movie-making is about boosting the economy, says Film Commission boss — but it’s also about NZ’s sense of identity

With filming on a lockdown hold, borders closed and MIQ spaces rationed, David Strong knows the screen sector, like other industries, has been hit hard. But he also knows that when it comes to MIQ beds, it has to wait its turn.

The Film Commission has been talking to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and the Ministry for Culture and Heritage in the hope of negotiating a few spaces for key film personnel to come to New Zealand, to help with both local and international productions. Allowing those people into the country will potentially create hundreds of jobs for Kiwis working in the film industry and in the many businesses that provide support, he says.

“I am hopeful that there will be an opportunity for a small number of MIQ spaces to be made available to enable these shows to go ahead next year, but we know there many pressures on MIQ,” Strong says.

Those few spaces can make the difference between a feature film going ahead or failing, he says. If a high-quality New Zealand feature film is to sell overseas, it will usually need international actors.

“If you want to get international money to come in to help fund your New Zealand film, that generally means you must have international cast. And if you can’t get MIQ rooms and you can’t get international cast, you will struggle to make your show in New Zealand.”

He points to Dame Jane Campion’s latest film The Power of the Dog, filmed last year in the South Island and starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Kirsten Dunst. Campion is now attending the Venice International Film Festival, where The Power of the Dog will premiere.

The film will be released in New Zealand theatres on November 11, and on Netflix on December 1.

Award-winning Kiwi film makers like

Campion and Taika Waititi have the same status in the cultural world as elite sports players do in their sphere, representing New Zealand on the world stage.

“In addition to sports people being our brand ambassadors, our films are also our brand ambassadors,” Strong says.

Like many industries, the film business hasn’t been helped by Covid19 and lockdowns. The latest lockdown put an abrupt stop to production and post-production work on 24 New Zealand feature films, documentaries and TV shows. In addition, two international films and a television series closed down, one with just four days left to shoot.

After last year’s lockdowns, the Government allocated $13.4 million towards a Screen Production Recovery Fund, allowing production companies to claim compensation for losses. With $3.7m still left, that fund has been reactivated, Strong says.

But lockdown has also affected films that were already completed. The feature film Juniper, starring awardwinning British actor Charlotte Rampling, was due to premiere in Auckland last month but has been postponed until later in the year. And the lockdown couldn’t have been worse timing for Kiwi films Coming Home in the Dark and The Justice of Bunny King, released recently in theatres.

However, Strong and his team are heartened by this week’s announcement that the planned $35m extension to the Auckland Film Studio in Henderson will go ahead, after doubts following the news of Amazon’s departure.

“We’re really happy about that because international productions look at the quality of New Zealand studios as one of their considerations to come here. Having good studios is certainly an incentive for them to come over here.”