LOTR Stars Descend On Wellington With Nature Power

MERIDIAN ENERGY & ROADSHOW FILM DISTRIBUTORS (N.Z.) LIMITED

MEDIA RELEASE

THE LORD OF THE RINGS STARS
DESCEND ON WELLINGTON WITH THE POWER OF NATURE

November 20, 2001 - Roadshow Film Distributors (NZ) Ltd today announced that it had secured Meridian Energy as the exclusive sponsor of the Australasian Premiere of the THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING – which will premiere in Wellington on 19 December.

Roadshow’s General Manager, Lisa Hubbard, said that Meridian Energy’s sponsorship was significant. It meant that the Premiere could be a celebration for all New Zealanders - many of whom have had direct involvement or know somebody who has worked on the film.

“We are delighted that Meridian Energy’s involvement gives us all the opportunity to celebrate the talent, passion and vision of the many New Zealanders who have been instrumental in pulling together an epic of this proportion.”
“By hosting the Australasian Premiere in Wellington, Meridian Energy is helping us all to take stock of what an achievement this movie is for New Zealand”. There is a natural fit for us with Meridian being 100% New Zealand owned”.

Keith Turner, Chief Executive of Meridian Energy, added that the company felt a real affinity with this great New Zealand achievement.

“Like many of the Lord of the Rings set locations, we’re also found in some of New Zealand’s most remote and awe inspiring places. In fact, during filming in the Ohau Basin region, the production company used some of Meridian’s facilities”. Like those working on Peter Jackson’s production our people have a huge passion for what they do. And at Meridian, above all, we value creative thinking – because we believe this lets us achieve things you might not ordinarily think possible.”

Dr Turner said he was also honoured to be able to announce the stars that would be attending the Australasian Premiere on 19 December.

“We are thrilled that Elijah Wood, who plays lead role Frodo Baggins, will be accompanied by (in alphabetical order), Orlando Bloom (Legolas), Billy Boyd (Pippin), Dominic Monaghan (Merry) and Hugo Weaving (Elrond) in Wellington, said Keith Turner.

“It will be the first time the actors will be back in the Capital since they finished filming and we anticipate Wellingtonians will give them a great welcome at the Premiere.

Dr Turner said that the stars would walk down a red carpet, leading to the entrance of the newly renovated Embassy Theatre. This would ensure that the people of Wellington would get a good opportunity to see them close at hand.

New Line Cinema’s THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING is directed by Peter Jackson and produced by Barrie M.Osborne. The film features a strong international cast that includes (in alphabetical order) Sean Astin, Sean Bean, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Sir Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Sir Ian McKellen, Dominic Monaghan, Viggo Mortensen, John Rhys-Davis, Liv Tyler and Elijah Wood.
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING is distributed by Roadshow Film Distributors NZ Limited and is released in cinemas throughout New Zealand on December 20, 2001.

ENDS

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