Premiere in Sundance for Taika Waititi's "Boy"

Press Release
for Immediate Release - Thursday, 3rd December 2009

World Premiere in Sundance for Taika Waititi's New Feature Boy

Taika Waititi's latest feature film, BOY, has been selected in competition at the Sundance Film Festival, held in and around Park City, Utah each January and widely regarded as the premiere US showcase for American and international independent film. This year 14 films were selected from 1,022 worldwide submissions for Sundance's World Cinema Dramatic Competition.

Inspired by Waititi's Oscar nominated short Two Cars, One Night, BOY is the hilarious and heartfelt coming-of-age tale about heroes, magic and Michael Jackson. Written and directed by Waititi, the film was shot in his childhood home town of Waihau Bay on the East Coast of New Zealand. BOY is the debut feature for James Rolleston as 11 year old Boy and Te Aho Eketone-Whitu as his younger brother Rocky. Waititi plays their father Alamein, who is the subject of Boy's fantasies and whom he imagines as a deep sea diver, war hero, rugby legend and close relative of Michael Jackson. In reality Alamein is an inept, wannabe gangster who has been in jail for robbery.

Waititi's short film Two Cars, One Night (2004) and debut feature Eagle vs Shark (2005) both premiered to acclaim at Sundance Film Festivals. "It is very special to me that Boy has been selected to screen at Sundance. I have a long connection with the Sundance Institute and Festival and to take this Sunny East Coast NZ film to play in the snowy mountains of Park City, Utah is pretty awesome."

Taika Waititi will attend Sundance as a guest of the Festival. James Rolleston will also attend along with producers Ainsley Gardiner, Cliff Curtis and Emanuel Michael.

BOY is financed by the New Zealand Film Fund, NZ Film Commission, Unison Films, NZ On Air, Maori Television Station and Te Mangai Paho. NZ Film, the sales arm of the NZFC, is handling world sales of the film.

BOY will be released in NZ through Transmission Films.

About the Sundance Film Festival (www.sundance.org)

Sundance was founded in 1981 by Robert Redford. Inclusive and eclectic in its programming approach, the Festival has grown to include film culture events, panel discussions, youth programs, online exhibition, and live music. Attended by more than 45,000 people from around the world each year, the Sundance Film Festival creates a vibrant, unique community of artists and audiences that extends well beyond the mountains of Park City, Utah. With streaming of short films and live Festival coverage. New Zealand films Whale Rider (2003) and No. 2 (2005) have both won the World Audience Prize at the Festival. The Festival will take place from 21 - 31 January 2010.

ENDS

© Scoop Media