01 March 2004

1 March 2004

The spectacular Oscars® success of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King highlights the strength of New Zealand filmmaking and the strength of its creative and technological talent, say New Zealand Government officials.

The Return of the King, the final instalment of Director Peter Jackson’s epic trilogy scooped the Best Picture and Best Director at today’s ceremony, as well as winning Oscars® for Best: Visual Effects, Costume Design, Song, Writing (adapted screenplay) Music (Score), Sound, Film Editing, Make-up and Art Direction.

In all, 11 New Zealanders won awards, with the trilogy creating cinematic history by winning all the awards it was nominated for.

“This is an amazing achievement and shows that New Zealand filmmaking is up there with the world’s best and a successful part of the global film industry,” says Paul Voigt, Screen Production Investment Manager for Investment New Zealand.

“The Lord of the Rings was made entirely in New Zealand and almost entirely by New Zealanders. Its success shows our industry is riding high.”

Speaking from Los Angeles, Voigt said New Zealand filmmaking had gone from strength to strength since The Lord of the Rings got under way in the mid-1990s.

“We’ve got creativity, world-leading special effects, great locations, talented crews, and a ‘can-do’ attitude. In fact, we’ve got it all.”

Mr Voigt said that New Zealand’s global success in film can be attributed to its independence of spirit and a culture that celebrates fresh, unconventional thinking.

“Our space and freedom inspires creativity and innovation. We’re drawn to compete internationally by being better and smarter than the conventional.”

He said The Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson deserved his success for pulling together the most ambitious project in filmmaking history.

That was demonstrated by the fact that more major Hollywood productions are being shot and produced in New Zealand, including 2003’s The Last Samurai and the upcoming King Kong and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Other recent and upcoming productions shot or produced in New Zealand include Sylvia (with New Zealand director Christine Jeffs, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Perfect Strangers (director Gaylene Preston, starring Sam Neill), Without a Paddle (director Stephen Brill, starring Seth Green and Burt Reynolds), Boogeyman (director Rob Tapert), River Queen (director Vincent Ward), New Zealand thrillers Spooked (director Geoff Murphy) and In My Father’s Den (starring Miranda Otto), and several US TV productions including Carlton America’s Maiden Voyage and Sony’s Lucy – The Lucille Ball Story and Murder in Greenwich.

Investment New Zealand, Tourism New Zealand, Wellington City Council and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise were involved in the world premiere of The Lord of The Rings: The Return of The King in Wellington in December 2003 and in worldwide publicity and leveraging of the event.

Their contribution was endorsed when Director Peter Jackson thanked the New Zealand Government and local councils in his speech at the Oscars® ceremony.

Paul Voigt says New Zealand’s Government is committed to attracting Film and TV projects and has recently committed to offer financial incentives for medium- and large-budget screen productions.

New Zealand is investing heavily in new studio facilities in the largest city, Auckland, and in capital city Wellington where The Lord of the Rings trilogy was made.

A New Zealand post-production mission has been in Los Angeles for the last week and the New Zealand Film Commission is leading the country’s presence at the American Film Market.

“We don’t think The Lord of the Rings is the end of New Zealand’s success,” says Paul Voigt. “It’s just the beginning.”

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Contact for media enquiries:
sandeep.bhim@nzte.govt.nz