FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
19 May 2009
Film Festival evolves in 2009
15 New Zealand cities and towns will this year host the annual International Film Festival which for the first time will
relinquish its various regional names to be called the New Zealand International Film Festival.
“With this evolution of the Festival name we celebrate that the Festival is a national event taking place throughout New
Zealand. As far as we know ours is the only national film festival of its kind in the world – one in which a centrally
curated programme is delivered in different forms to different regions within the one country,” says Festival Director
Bill Gosden.
The Festival which runs in Wellington from July 17 will travel around the country finishing in Whangarei in November.
Until now each region has been promoted with the region’s name despite sharing a common programme and artwork since
2002. The Festival has grown nationally since the merging in 1984 of the Auckland International Film Festival (founded
in 1969) and the Wellington Film Festival (1972).
This year’s logo and poster artwork, developed by Wellington design company Ocean Design, reflects the theme of a
travelling event.
“Ocean have done an outstanding job refreshing the logo with the Festival taking the form of a luxury express train
moving through a distinctively Kiwi townscape. Cinema has that ability to transport us to other places and times and
this year’s logo is all about trains, boats and planes.” says Gosden.
A number of films have already been announced for the 2009 programme, including NZ feature The Strength of Water,
Soderbergh’s Che, Oscar winner Departures and major German hit The Baader Meinhof Complex. Further updates will be made
on the Festival website www.nzff.co.nz until the full programmes are announced for each city from mid-June.
In 2009 the NZIFF will be held in Wellington, Auckland, Dunedin, Christchurch, Palmerston North, Napier, Tauranga,
Hamilton, New Plymouth, Nelson, Greymouth, Masterton, Levin, Gisborne and Whangarei. The Festival is operated by the New
Zealand Film Festival Trust, a charitable trust established in 1996.
ends