Wellington's Film Revival

It feels like the city and the film business have come a hell of a long way in just three months. From barely daring to believe we might be able to work again, to that damned ‘re-emergence’ (Sorry Auckland. .We know you’re doing it tougher than us right now.) to one of the busiest months we have ever had at the Crew Wellington office.

Out in Miramar and other spaces around the city, the Avatar just keeps on turning, taking up a huge part of the city’s film workers for a project that won’t commit to an end date. Meanwhile, a slew of smaller jobs, small features and funded shorts, as well as the usual TVC’s and corporate jobs are all struggling to play catch-up with 2020. Crew are back to picking between jobs and actually having to keep a close eye on their diaries to avoid double bookings.

Walking home just now, across Te Aro and the central city, I passed three small film crews all hard at work. Three. At 8.30pm on a Monday night, all within a kilometre or two of my home. The last time I saw anything like it, I was living in Grey Lynn.

Long may it continue.