Wellington screen capital gets set to grow

Official figures released today show Wellington remains the country’s film capital, with businesses in the region earning $645 million from feature film revenue in the last financial year.

Wellington’s share of post-production and digital effects work has increased with $481 million earned in post-production, representing 82 percent of New Zealand’s total post-production, according to Statistics New Zealand’s 2014 Screen Industry Survey.

The forecast continues to look bright for the Wellington region, with screen activity in New Zealand expected to increase in 2015, says regional economic development agency, Grow Wellington.

“2015 looks to be a cracker,” says Gerard Quinn, Grow Wellington CEO. “We expect to see steep growth next financial year as the revamped government screen incentives begin to produce more project revenues, jobs and wider benefits from tourism and technology.

“International co-productions such as Disney’s Pete’s Dragon, Legendary Pictures’ Krampus, ITV/Pukeko Pictures’ Thunderbirds and Thunderbirds Season 2, as well as many New Zealand-based projects are already making this year a successful one for the region.”

The survey showed a fall in sector revenues and jobs nationally. “This reflects recent nationwide industry volatility,” says Mr Quinn. He says that while Wellington’s statistics for 2014 show a fall in production and post-production revenue from previous years they are still impressive. “The Wellington region has weathered the cycle well and the diverse activities of the screen businesses we have here has ensured their ongoing success.”

New data collected by Statistics New Zealand also shows the number of completed co-productions increased from 60 in 2013 to 79 in 2014, highlighting important partnerships between New Zealand producers in the key markets of Asia, Australia, North America and Europe.

Mr Quinn says that Grow Wellington’s screen strategy focuses on attracting investment, talent and fee-for service projects to the region, as well as providing businesses and producers that are already here with support and assistance. “This enables our screen industry to grow, building scale and creating more jobs. We help businesses and producers to access markets, international investment and partnerships and thus build sustainable businesses.”

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