Irene Gardiner: Screen Production Association President on kiwi film stars purchasing local film studio

Actors Cliff Curtis and Jason Momoa, and director Taika Waititi, have purchased Auckland-based Studio West with the goal to bring more jobs and Polynesian storytelling to the country.

"It's still a pretty tough time for the screen industry, but it is some positive news in the middle of all of that," Screen Production and Development Association President, Irene Gardiner said. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):
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Speaker 2 (00:17):
Jason Mamour take Away, Ted and Cliff Curtis have bought
a West Auckland Film studio and they're planning to turn
it into a major production hub. The aim is to
attract international projects, to create jobs and to showcase local
New Zealand storytelling to the world. So Irene Gardner as
the president of the Screen Production and Development Association and
is joining us this Easter Monday morning, abording to you.

Speaker 3 (00:37):
Irene, Good morning, Andrew.

Speaker 2 (00:39):
So I thought they missed out on the studio. I
thought they didn't get it, But now they've got it.

Speaker 3 (00:46):
Two different studios, which, yeah, which studio is this? This
is Studio West. The other one was the Auckland Film
Studios and yeah, a different consortium bought the other one,
and then these guys have come back and have got
this one.

Speaker 2 (01:04):
So so two consortiums buying Auckland studios that that's going
to be a good sign.

Speaker 3 (01:10):
Well, yes, I mean it's obviously it's great when the
big studios stay in New Zealand. Hands and this one
with Jason, Cliff and taker I think people in the
endustry feel particularly good and positive and about this one
because this is like actual production people who've made it

(01:31):
on the world stage, but who care about New Zealand
and you know, work for New Zealanders and telling New
Zealand stories, telling Polynesian stories. So yeah, I think people
do feel very positive about this one.

Speaker 2 (01:45):
That's this thing because of course Attiger currently is promoting
Hup for the Wilder People, and there's interviews in the
paper of the course of this weekend where he talked
about how he doesn't like the Hollywood system, he doesn't
like making movies in Hollywood, but he really loves the
authenticity of a New Zealand story with Mama and Curtis
and White Titi bringing big money into maybe New Zealand

(02:06):
stories because this mean a a glossier New Zealand film industry.

Speaker 3 (02:11):
Well, I guess that's the hope is that. I mean,
obviously the studio will continue to be a studio for
hire for all kinds of productions, local and international. But
I guess the hope is that with those people involved,
they might be bringing bigger type productions of their own here,
which will perhaps be New Zealand stories, and so that

(02:34):
would be a step up, I think, And so, yeah,
I guess that's what people are thinking, is that, you know,
they're going to try and make some bigger New Zealand
stories that go to the world out of the studio.

Speaker 2 (02:46):
And Mamar in particular seems to have extraordinary pulling power
to get money from producers.

Speaker 3 (02:53):
Well he's yeah, I mean he's hot at the moment, isn't.
He's just in that career stage and we're lucky that
he seeks to for some reason, consider himself to be
an honorary New Zealander and I think we're very happy
to have him. So yeah, because I mean, you know,
he's worked here on Minecraft and Chief War and all
kinds of things. So yeah, I mean he's an interesting
part of the three of them. Yeah, it's very good

(03:16):
that he is in the mix.

Speaker 2 (03:17):
It is as very good. So when do you think
they'll start making some movies there?

Speaker 3 (03:23):
Well, I'm not actually, I haven't seen anywhere where the
actual handover occurs, and obviously it takes a while to
get things through development and out, but I mean I
would hope that it's going to start having a positive effect,
you know, sometime in the next few months. We also
had a little tweak to the settings on our international rebate.

(03:44):
The screen production Reybak for internationals start at the beginning
of this year, and I would hope that the fruits
of that might be starting to come through soon as well.
So yeah, I mean it's still a pretty tough time
for the screen industry, but there's some positive news in
the middle of all of.

Speaker 2 (03:59):
That, absolutely, Irene, which is why we talked to you
on Easter Monday, and I thank you so much that
as Oren Gardner, President of Screen Production and Development Association.

Speaker 1 (04:07):
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