Wellington New Zealand named UNESCO City of Film

Wellington’s film community has just been recognised by UNESCO, naming New Zealand’s capital as an international City of Film, alongside Mumbai (India), Potsdam (Germany), Valladolid (Spain) and Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina).

Part of UNESCO’s Creative Cities network, Wellington was one of 66 new cities to join the 246 strong network which recognises cities who put emphasis on developing their creative sectors within music, arts and folk crafts, design, cinema, literature, digital arts or gastronomy.

The Mayor of Wellington, Andy Foster says film is a huge part of Wellington’s cultural identity.

“This accolade really recognizes Wellington’s talented film community – our screen sector employs more than 2,500 people and we’re lucky people like Gaylene Preston, Taika Waititi, Thomasin McKenzie, Julian Dennison, Sir Peter Jackson, Sir Richard Taylor, Libby Hakaraia, Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement do – or have –  call Wellington home.

“Being a film city isn’t just about the films that have been made here such as Avatar, Lord of the Rings and Hobbit Trilogies, Shopping, What We Do in the Shadows, Daffodils and Planet of the Apes.

“It recognizes the vibrancy of our entire film community. We’re a place that flocks to events like the New Zealand International Film Festival, the Māoriland Film festival, 48 Hour Film Festival and Roxy5, we have a strong screen education sector and a very talented creative community.”

WellingtonNZ’s head of screen, Nicci Boucher, says becoming a City of Film is a great recognition of Wellington’s film industry, but there is still a lot of work to be done to ensure the sector is sustainable in years to come.

“Wellington has an incredible film heritage, but we want to ensure it has a bright future. Much of the industry’s work has centered around large productions, which have put Wellington on an international stage as a film location. But we need better balance, with a more sustainable pipeline of locally made projects and businesses to ensure our whole industry continues to flourish.

“Entertainment is an incredibly dynamic, ever-changing industry and we need to adapt with it. Film is only one part of our screen sector and we need to ensure we have different types of projects, a strong pipeline of talent and better access to funding.

Weta Cave Family Photo

“We also want to ensure locally made content is more accessible to Wellingtonians right across the region and ensure we’re inspiring the next generation of filmmakers and storytellers.”

Catherine Fitzgerald of Blueskin Films and Chair of the New Zealand International Film Festival Board – one of the producers of Oscar-nominated Two Cars, One Night, Vincent Ward feature Rain of the Children and Venice-award winning The Orator – says being a City of Film is wonderful recognition for the industry and film-loving locals.

“This recognizes how Wellington embraces film as audiences. The film festival in Wellington has perhaps the highest per capita attendance in the world. As filmmakers the symbiotic relationship between the local and international film industries in Wellington is so rewarding for both new and experienced talent.”

Ms Boucher says there will now be a programme of work developed with the industry to prepare for the future of the screen industry, develop young talent and leverage the sector for further economic and cultural gain.

New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO Chair, Robyn Baker, says one of the key advantages of being part of the Creative Cities network is the opportunities for collaboration with the other cities in the international network.

“Because these are all cities with drive and energy for culture, collaboration between them can spark exciting new projects. We’ve seen film festivals established across countries, knowledge and technologies swapped between cities and ventures between private and public partners engaging new audiences.

“It’s about bringing creativity to our cities in a sustainable way. Wellington has worked hard to become an iconic city of film, and we’re thrilled it’s been named a UNESCO Creative City, alongside Dunedin as a City of Literature and Auckland, a UNESCO City of Music. Between these centres I expect there will be synergies and opportunities to work together.”

The existing members of the City of Film designation include: Bitola (Macedonia), Bradford (United Kingdom), Bristol (United Kingdom), Busan (South Korea), Galway (Republic of Ireland), Lodz (Poland), Qingdao (China), Rome (Italy), Santos, Sofia (Bulgaria), Sydney (Australia), Terrassa (Spain), Yamagata (Japan).

Visitors to Wellington are invited to take a tour through Wellington’s filmmaking history by exploring the following locations where the magic of the movies has been brought to life:

• Wellington Airport: As soon as you land be immediately immersed in Welly’s filmmaking history – Greeting you in the arrival hall are three massive Middle-earth giants – Gandalf and the eagles, Gollum and his fishes, and Smaug the dragon.
• Thunderbirds Are Go Behind the Scenes Experience: Visit the Thunderbirds Are Go shooting stage at Weta Workshop and discover the genuine props, models and miniatures behind the modern-day remake of this popular television series.
• Weta Cave & Weta Studio Tour: The first stop for film buffs and LOTR fans, Weta Cave is the shop front of the multiple Oscar-winning Weta Workshop, the brainchild of Sir Peter Jackson and Sir Richard Taylor.
• Stone Street Studios: Co-owned by the Oscar-winning trio of Sir Peter Jackson, Sir Richard Taylor and Jamie Selkirk, Stone Street Studios’ facilities were extensively used by New Line Cinema, Universal Pictures and Warner Brothers for the production of The Lord of the Rings, King Kong and The Hobbit Trilogy.
• Park Road Post Production: Developed by Sir Peter Jackson for filmmakers, it houses a unique combination of services; from a world-class laboratory, through telecine, digital intermediate and HD post-production, to Academy Award® winning sound post-production.
• Victoria Street: Wellington doubled for a futuristic version of Hong Kong in the film adaptation of acclaimed Japanese manga Ghost in the Shell. Shot at Stone Street Studios, Avalon Studios and on location at Victoria Street in the central city, it was the first time urban New Zealand had been showcased as a sci-fi setting on the silver screen.
• Museum of NZ Te Papa Tongarewa: The film community make their mark on Wellington not just through movies, but also through their art. Izzat Design, whose artists created props for films such as Avatar, The Lord of the Rings and King Kong, has contributed to a range of exhibitions at Te Papa, including recreating seven extinct birds of New Zealand for the Blood, Earth, Fire exhibition.
• Lyall Bay: A cliff face by Lyall Bay, a popular surf beach along Wellington’s rugged South Coast, was the setting for Dunharrow in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. On their days off during filming Billy Boyd (Pippin) and Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn) learned to surf at Lyall Bay.