Anniversary screenings of When A City Falls sell out in London

More than $22,000 was raised for Christchurch earthquake relief at the sold-out British premiere of When A City Falls.

About 700 people, mainly expatriate Kiwis, attended two screenings of Gerard Smyth’s quake film yesterday at London’s Ritzy cinema in a fundraiser for the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal.

Organiser Trevor Sutton said it was a chance for Kiwis in Britain to show continued support for Christchurch.

New Zealand high commissioner Derek Leask opened the event, which included a video message from Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker and a perform- ance from the Ngati Ranana London Maori Club.

Former Press journalist Rebecca Todd, now working in London, said there were ‘‘lots of tears’’ in the cinema but she enjoyed seeing the ‘‘strength of the Christchurch community’’ on the screen.

‘‘I was really glad to have something special to do on the day as, being so far away, it can be very hard to feel connected with what is happening in the city.

‘‘The fact my house just got red-zoned has brought the enormity of what has happened to my hometown crashing back down on me, which makes the anniversary even more poignant.

‘‘The emotions I felt that day [February 22 last year] are the strongest memories I have of any event in my life, and I still think about what happened most days.’’

When A City Falls attracted 348,550 viewers when it premiered on TV3 on Wednesday.