Hawke's Bay to host first film premiere since 1983

In 1983 the highly acclaimed movie Utu had its New Zealand premiere at the Napier Municipal Theatre and now Hawke’s Bay is preparing to host a second movie premiere.

The Hawke’s Bay Opera House in Hastings is to play host to the inaugural screening of the sci-fi mystery Eternity on Friday 9th November as part of the (FAWC) Hawke’s Bay Food and Wine Classic.

Executive Producer of Eternity, Hawke’s Bay based Hal Josephson says “When you compare the stories of Utu and Eternity you can see how far the world has evolved. Utu was based around the brutal land wars of the 1870’s when the words computer and internet had not been dreamed up. Eternity is a murder mystery which involves a police detective taking part in a computer simulation. While the story lines may be poles apart, there is a common link in that they will both have their New Zealand premieres in Hawke’s Bay, albeit with a gap of 29 years.”

“Another interesting link between the movies is that Utu was producer Geoff Murphy’s second feature film after Goodbye Pork Pie. Eternity is producer Alex Galvin’s second feature film after When Night Falls which he made in 2007,” Hal Josephson says.

Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule says “Council has joined with a number of local businesses and organisations in supporting the production of Eternity and it is particularly gratifying that the Hawke’s Bay Opera House has been chosen for its New Zealand premiere. The Opera House is iconic to Hawke’s Bay and will provide a magnificent setting for the premiere. ”

“The New Zealand film and TV industry has become a huge part of the country’s economy, with over $3 billion being injected into the economy by the sector in 2011. Hawke’s Bay boasts some fantastic scenery which lends itself to movie production and we hope that Eternity will be the catalyst that will lead to other movies being produced in our region.”

Eternity is a sci-fi thriller that is set in the near future where a police detective, who takes part in a computer simulation, must solve a seemingly impossible murder mystery to save his own life. The movie was filmed in Hawke’s Bay, Wellington, the Kapiti Coast and Hong Kong and will be screened at the Cannes Film Festival in February 2013.

Tickets to the New Zealand premiere of Eternity on Friday 9th November at the Hawke’s Bay Opera House are available from Ticketek. The movie is scheduled for distribution throughout New Zealand in 2013.

Historical facts from 1983 when Hawke’s Bay last hosted a movie premiere:

• Sir Richard Harrison was the National MP for the Hawke’s Bay electorate and Speaker of the house
• Sir Robert Muldoon was the Prime Minister
• Miss New Zealand, Lorraine Downes was crowned Miss Universe in the USA
• In music, DD Smash cleaned up at the New Zealand music awards and CD’s go on sale for the first time in the USA
• The most popular film released in 1983 was Star Wars Episode V1-The Return of the Jedi.