Christchurch became officially Film Friendly last month.

The title was awarded to the City Council by Film NZ after long-term efforts by the Council to provide a supportive environment for filmmakers, as well as recent steps to adopt the bestpractice processes laid out in the Local Government NZ 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,” says Alistair Graham, the Council Leisure Unit Manager.

Among recent steps have been the refining of filming approval processes and the appointment of Roy Taylor-Hayhurst as Council filming coordinator.

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 about 50 screen industry projects in the last year, we have attracted only a small percentage of the industry’s national turnover,” Mayor Garry Moore says.

“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.”