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MEDIA RELEASE April 24

Stan Walker’s Hit Movie MT ZION on DVD June 5.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment announces the New Zealand DVD release of MT ZION in stores from June 5. It will also be available to download from iTunes and Vodafone InHome TV the same day.

The DVD extra features include behind the scenes footage from the movie and the music recording sessions as well as the music video of “Take It Easy”, the Stan Walker hit single from the film’s soundtrack, which features scenes from the film. “Take it Easy” was recently chosen as the official anthem for The Salvation Army Australia's Red Shield Appeal.

The Australian DVD release will follow on July 11.

MT ZION, starring Stan Walker, Temuera Morrison, Miriama Smith, Troy Kingi, David Wikaira-Paul and Darcey-Ray Flavell-Hudson, stormed the NZ box office in its cinema release, opening at No 1 with a spectacular $200,707 on Waitangi Day and going on to total more than $1.29 million (it is still playing in some locations). A limited release in 11 selected Australian cinemas in March earned $A189,000 and it is still playing on the Gold Coast.

The MT ZION trailer is proving to be a hit in its own right, ranking at No 15 of all-time most viewed videos on the popular NZ On Screen site nzonscreen.com, where it spiked to “No 1 most viewed today” on April 22, the day after Stan Walker’s debut as a judge on TV3’s X-Factor New Zealand. The trailer also has over 101,000 views on youtube at http://bit.ly/UQSp6Q

Also highly viewed on YouTube is Walker’s hit song from the movie, “Take It Easy” http://bit.ly/WJAo6a
(over 770,000 views via SonyMusicNZ and StanWalkerSings channels), which has inspired several fan cover versions, most notably this one: http://bit.ly/VRJ1Pf

In MT ZION, Turei (Stan Walker) is a young man with a big dream; a dream that goes beyond the paddocks of Pukekohe and a hard life of spud-picking with his whanau.

When it’s announced that his idol Bob Marley is looking for a support act for his 1979 Auckland show, Turei sees his chance. Together with his brother Hone (Troy Kingi) and best mates Reggie and Pou (David Wikaira-Paul and Darcey-Ray Flavell-Hudson) they audition for a shot at being the opening band.

But Turei’s ambition challenges the traditions and values of his upbringing and sets him at odds with his father (Temuera Morrison), a true man of the land who settled long ago for a life of hard work and responsibility. Turei soon learns a tough lesson about balancing his own personal dream and his obligations to his family.

From the reviewers:

4* “a smart, finely-observed, heartfelt drama of good humour and decent tunes against an authentic local setting.” - Russell Baillie, NZ Herald

4* “I commend Mt Zion for how it filters its by-the-numbers themes through the values of traditional Maori communities, producing something fresh and wholesome.. And be prepared to hum those tunes days after you’ve left the cinema..” – Liam Maguren, flicks.co.nz

4* “It is a special thing to see an actor playing a role which looks so effortless and natural that it could be the real them. This is what Australian Idol winner Stan Walker has done in his debut film Mt Zion.” – Laura Frykberg, tv3.co.nz

Mt Zion DVD is available to own at The Warehouse, JB Hi Fi, Countdown and MightyApe.co.nz or to rent at all leading rental stores from June 5th.
Also available to download from iTunes and Vodafone InHome TV on the same day.

Mt Zion facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mtzionmovie
trailer: http://bit.ly/UQSp6Q
Take it Easy music video http://bit.ly/WJAo6a

ENDS

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