The awards won by The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring at the Oscars are excellent news for the New Zealand film industry, says Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Pete Hodgson.

The awards for visual effects, makeup, cinematography and original score underscored the technological prowess available to film-makers in New Zealand, Mr Hodgson said.

“The presence of New Zealanders amongst the nominees and on the awards stage was a reminder to the world that this country is home to world-class creative talent,” Mr Hodgson said. “This talent has been advertised to the world in compelling fashion and the result is a significant boost to our creative industries.”

Mr Hodgson said the continued popular success of The Lord of the Rings, with two more movies in the series yet to be released, would ensure New Zealand continued to get excellent exposure as a film-making destination.

“Peter Jackson’s brilliant movie has alerted Hollywood to the fact that New Zealand is a great source of creative minds and innovative technology. That success is telling in our favour and will continue to do so.”

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