Nine New Zealand feature films and eight shorts have winged their way to Latin America to take part in a travelling roadshow through eleven cities in seven countries.
Kicking off on 11 May in Buenos Aires, the Roadshow will travel through Argentina, Cuba, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Colombia where it will conclude in September.
The Latin American Roadshow is a collaboration between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), the Ministry of Culture and Heritage (MCH) and the New Zealand Film Comission (NZFC) and has been funded by MCH’s Cultural Diplomacy International Programme (CDIP).
“While we regularly collaborate with other Government agencies, this is the largest project we have undertaken in partnership with MFAT and MCH, as well as being the largest collection of New Zealand films to screen together in Latin America. It is an amazing opportunity for us to share our stories, ” says NZFC CEO, Dave Gibson
Susan Budd of MFAT initiated the Roadshow and has liased with diplomatic posts, and Lesa MacLeod-Whiting has project managed the Roadshow materials and schedule for the NZFC with support from Rajeev Mishra.
The feature films included in the programme are Mahana, The Dead Lands, The Dark Horse, Born to Dance, Hip Hop-eration, Boy, Whale Rider, White Lies and The Ground We Won. The short film programme includes Ahi Ka, Ellen is Leaving, Feeder, Madam Black, Maria, Ross and Beth, Spring Jam and Tits on a Bull. All the feature films have been subtitled into both Spanish and Portuguese, and the shorts into Spanish.
Creating multiple materials in different language versions has been a mammoth undertaking and would not have been possible without the support of Park Road Post, Images and Sound and RPM.
Filmmakers Miriam Smith and Chris Prior who are currently residing in New York courtesey of the Arts Foundation’s Harriet Friedlander Award will attend screenings of their film, The Ground We Won, in Cuba.