19th May 2012
NZ Needs The Hobbit
30th October 2010
Should anyone ever say the film industry is a trivial business,
ask them to talk to the New Zealand government.
Prime minister John Key had been in urgent talks with the
production bosses at Hollywood studio Warner Bros, which is
financing the $500 million-plus two movies based on the fantasy
epic The Hobbit.
He was battling to keep the production on New Zealand soil
…and has won. Just!
The government's dialogue with Hollywood came after Warner Bros
and its New Line division threatened to film the movies
elsewhere.
They were angry with the local actors' union and sister
organisations worldwide for seeking to boycott the set when the
studio refused to recognise unions during pay negotiations.
New Zealand was the production ground for the Lord Of The Rings
trilogy, which like The Hobbit, are based on the novels of JRR
Tolkien. The trilogy's Oscar-winning director was Kiwi Peter
Jackson, who is also helmsman of The Hobbit.
The Lord Of The Rings helped boost the New Zealand economy and
tourism significantly. And the Hobbit is expected to yield the same
benefits.
Industry experts even attributed a recent slump in New Zealand's
currency to fears that Warner Bros might take The Hobbit to another
country.
That's when the government got involved with the negotiations. And
local citizens even took to the streets, pleading for the Hollywood
studio to change its mind and film in New Zealand. Their
actions obviously worked.
Photographer Alessandro Saponi
From the exhibition Strange Bedfellows 1