11 September 2006

Two New Zealand films Out of the Blue and Black Sheep will have their world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival this month (September 2006).

Robert Sarkies’ controversial and gripping drama Out of the Blue, which tells the story of the 1990 Aramoana massacre, has been selected for the Discovery section of the festival, where Whale Rider, In My Father’s Den and The World’s Fastest Indian have premiered in previous years.

Jonathan King’s debut film, comedy horror Black Sheep about a genetic engineering experiment gone wrong, will premiere in the Midnight Madness programme which showcases the best in off-kilter genre flicks including sci-fi, horror, outlandish comedy and outrageous documentaries. The film’s special effects were created by Weta Digital known for its work on The Lord of the Rings trilogy and King Kong.

New Zealand Film Head of Sales and Marketing Kathleen Drumm, who will be in Toronto to promote the films, has high hopes for both.

“Toronto is acknowledged as the key platform into the North American marketplace and it positions the films and New Zealand film industry very strongly,” Ms Drumm says.

Of the films she remarked, “I think Out of the Blue is one of the most compelling and powerful films ever made in New Zealand and Black Sheep is one of the wackiest.”

To have two films selected at this year’s festival is already a huge accolade. Toronto is considered one of the world’s most important film festivals alongside Cannes, Berlin, Venice and Sundance where buyers (distributors), sellers, talent scouts, actors, film critics, festival directors and consumers converge. It was where Whale Rider won the People’s Choice Award and In My Father’s Den the Critics’ prize, which was an indication of the films’ future box office appeal. The World’s Fastest Indian also received a lot of positive press coverage from its Toronto debut.

“When you consider how many films get selected for Toronto (10 films for the Midnight Madness programme and 19 in the Discovery section) and where we fit within their overall programming, we’re pretty pleased,” Ms Drumm says.

She believes New Zealand’s inclusion in the festival over the past few years has been due to the quality of the film making, story telling, direction and distinctive point of view.

“People are attracted to the sensibility expressed in filmmaking from New Zealand. Every film stands on its own merits, but what a cluster of successful films does over a number of years is provide ready access to key distributors who have confidence that our films will perform.”

Investment New Zealand North American Regional Manager, Catherine Ragan, who is based in Los Angeles, says the films’ inclusion at Toronto also had flow on benefits.

“When our films are screened at established film festivals they raise the profile of New Zealand and demonstrate our creative talent to the world. In many cases the films illustrate our gorgeous locations, which can also support tourism attraction,” Ms Ragan says.

For more information, please contact:

catherine.ragan@investmentnz.govt.nz

+1 310 460 4426