Central-Lakes an oustanding film location

• Published date: 19 August 2021

A studio would change that.

The Silverlight Studios team of Weta Digital veteran Mike Wallis, double Oscar nominee Ra Vincent (The Hobbit and Jo Jo Rabbit) and film accountant Jonathan Harding was given approval by the Government to apply for a fast-tracked consent application under special Covid-19 legislation earlier this year.

The company’s $280million development plans for the site, 3.5km from the edge of Wanaka, were published by the Environmental Protection Authority after it determined the application was complete.

The decision on whether to approve it now lies with an expert consenting panel.Even without a studio, Central Otago and the Queenstown Lakes District has featured as location in its own right, or like an actor, played the role of a location elsewhere — from Middle Earth to Kashmir.

In the past few years larger-scale film and TV series production Film Otago Southland has tracked as being filmed in both districts traverse multiple genres (excluding TV commercials, documentaries and online content).

They include; Mulan (2020 — international feature), Only Cloud Knows (2019 — international [Chinese] feature), Black Christmas (2019 — international feature), One Lane Bridge (2020-2021 — NZ TV series that sold overseas), The Power of the Dog (2021 — forthcoming international feature), Sweet Tooth (2021 — international TV series), Under the Vines (forthcoming — Australia/NZ TV series), Mission: Impossible — Fallout (2018 — international feature), The Letter for the King (2020 — international TV series).

Film Otago Southland operates as a not-for-profit trust and co-ordinator Kahli Scott said it worked to support screen production in the region in collaboration with council film offices.

‘‘We do this by being a central point of contact for initial inquiries, facilitating permits and permissions, promoting our region’s locations and screen capabilities, and supporting the development of our local sector.’’

The work was often in collaboration with the national film agency, the New Zealand Film Commission.

The advent of Covid-19 had potentially slowed the number of productions made in the district.

But the numbers still averaged about five per year, Ms Scott said.

In the international film and TV space, the Central Otago and Wanaka areas were often chosen for their cinematic locations.

‘‘Wanaka’s mountains and lakes have back-dropped fantasy films, while Central Otago landscapes work well for Westerns and period dramas.’’

The region was well placed...