Ground breaking agreement on film co-operation signed Between New Zealand and Korean film Industries
Opens door to “huge opportunities”
A first-ever agreement between New Zealand and Korean film producers to work on co-productions represents a major
breakthrough for the film industries of both countries, says Peter Rive (pron Riv) chairman of Film Auckland.
Mr Rive who is leading the biggest-ever New Zealand delegation of film makers to Korea, signed a Memorandum of
Understanding between Film Auckland and the Korean Film Producers Association.
Signing for the Korean group was Mr Joondong (J.D.) Lee, vice president of the Korean Film Producers Association – whose
film Never Forever premieres in Korea this week.
“There is huge opportunity for us here as a result of this agreement to cooperate in exploring and developing
productions but to make co-operation really fly, we need the two governments to sign a co-production treaty,” says Mr
Rive.
“The Korean industry is very large but it needs to break into the world markets more. That’s why they want to deal with
us. Apart from the high level of technical skill in production and post-production that they can tap into in New
Zealand, we know how to develop products for the western markets.
They give us access to the Asian market and notably the 48 million strong Korean market. Also, there is commercial
opportunity for us to do a lot of the work on their productions,” he says.
Mr Rive says that co-productions are already happening on a case-by-case basis but a co-production treaty at Government
level would provide better access to investment funding.
“We can manage without a treaty – Phillippa Campbell’s film Black Sheep is an example of that – but with a treaty we can
do even better,” he says.
“In fact, in Asia cultural understanding must be established before you can do any real business. Film making –
exchanging stories about ourselves – is a classic way to help establish that cultural understanding and so film is in
many ways paving the way for other trading opportunities. This will be especially true when the Free Trade Agreement is
signed between China and New Zealand,” he says.
The New Zealand delegation was a joint exercise between Waitakere City Council and Film Auckland, with Waitakere
expecting to attract films to the new sound stage at Henderson Valley Studios.
Due to open in late August, the sound stage is the largest in New Zealand One up- coming joint production Laundry
Warrior is exploring the possibilities of using the studios later this year. Another prospect is Christmas Cargo.
Laundry Warrior features the Asian mega stars, Don-Gun Jang from Korea and Zhang Ziyi of China. They are regarded
respectively as the Brad Pitt and Angela Jolie of Asian cinema.
“The possibilities for us in Asia are just huge,” says Mr Rive. “The MOU is not just about feature films – it opens the
door on television productions and even TV commercials in which New Zealand is highly respected internationally.”
“And this is not just about Auckland. Film Auckland and Waitakere City put this delegation together but whatever we gain
here will be shared with the whole New Zealand film industry.
“We took this initiative because somebody had to and the Auckland region is home to about 70% of the New Zealand
industry,” he says.
The delegation last week visited China where it met with similar levels of success. In China the party was led by
Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey, a long time contributor to New Zealand film who is highly respected in China where he is an
honorary citizen of Ningbo City.
The party was told at the most senior levels of the Chinese film industry, that the door to China was open to New
Zealand film makers. In addition, Steven O’Meagher’s film Out of the Blue – the story of the Aramoana massacre - was
featured in the Shanghai International Film Festival last week. Mr O’Meagher is also hoping to have Out of the Blue
accepted for the Busan Film Festival in Korea, in October this year.
ENDS
Delegation members are: Peter Rive - The original Cut; Robyn Scholes (Deputy Chair of Film Auckland) – Eyeworks
Touchdown TV; Steven O’Meagher - Desert Road; Philippa Campbell – Escapade Pictures; Paul Carran – Film Factory; Anzak
Tindall – JoyRide Films; Garry Little – Digipost; Peter Mayo – Flying Start Pictures; James Hudson – Toybox; and Dr Tina
Hong, - associate professor and executive head of the School of Performing and Screen Arts for Unitec