Christchurch awarded ‘Film Friendly’ status
12 November 2003
Christchurch will officially become a ‘Film Friendly’ city
next Monday 17 November.
The title awarded to the Christchurch City Council by Film NZ is to be
launched at a function hosted by Christchurch Mayor Garry Moore and attended
by the Minister for Industry and Regional Development, Jim Anderton; film
industry representatives; and invited guests.
This ‘Film Friendly’ accreditation follows long term efforts
by the Council to provide a supportive environment for filmmakers, as well
as recent steps to adopt the best practice processes laid out in the Local
Government New Zealand Filming Protocol. As part of this accreditation,
Film NZ has agreed to promote Christchurch to local and international filmmakers.
“We have always welcomed filmmakers here but in recognition of this
rapidly growing industry and the substantial economic benefits that it can
bring to our city, the Council has taken its level of service to a new stage,” Christchurch
City Council Leisure Unit Manager Alistair Graham said.
Among its most recent steps have been the refining of filming approval
processes and the appointment of a Council filming co-ordinator.
A ‘Filming in Christchurch’ brochure and a ‘Film Friendly’ website,
www.ccc.govt.nz/filming have also been created to make it easier for the
screen industry to obtain information about Christchurch and Council filming
requirements. The website is also connected to Canterbury’s regional
film office, Film South, which is core funded by the Council
“While the Council has been involved in about 50 screen industry
projects in the last year, we have attracted only a small percentage of
the industry’s national turnover,” Christchurch Mayor Garry
Moore said
“We think our beautiful city deserves a bigger slice of the cake.
With good guidelines in place that balance the needs of filmmakers and the
local community, the benefits of becoming film friendly could be tremendous.”
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