Press Release: Hoyts Distribution NZ Ltd & MediaMix Publicity
For Immediate Release: Thursday, June 25, 2009

Tom Scott’s SEPARATION CITY

World Premiere at Embassy in Wellington on Wednesday August 5
(Opens in Cinemas everywhere from Thursday, August 6, 2009

Hoyts Distribution NZ Ltd and the NZ Film Commission are proud to announce Tom Scott’s “Separation City” will celebrate a World Premiere on Wednesday August 5 at Wellington’s iconic Embassy Cinema (some tickets will be available for sale to the general public).

“Separation City” is a bittersweet comedy drama about falling out of love for the very first time, how unrequited love lasts forever while requited love comes with a use-by date. This is a sophisticated, contemporary story about courtship, mate-ship and jumping ship. From Thursday August 6, 2009 “Separation City” will open in more than 44 cinemas nationwide.

Elizabeth Trotman, General Manager of Hoyts Distribution NZ said, “We’re thrilled to be working with Tom Scott and the producers of Separation City. Tom has written an amazing screenplay of strong, intelligent humour with real audience appeal for above 25 year olds. Hoyts is proud to continue distributing and marketing New Zealand films, as we did for “In My Father’s Den” & “Black Sheep”, we believe it’s important to ensure that New Zealand stories stay on the big screen!”

Writer and political cartoonist Tom Scott, best known in New Zealand for his dry wit and political savvy, penned the first draft of the draft of “Separation City” over twenty years ago. “It has taken me twenty years to evolve into the writer I needed to be for this project. The play “The Daylight Atheist” that I wrote about my father has made me more emotionally honest and given me more courage as a writer. The script of “Separation City” has grown and matured accordingly…I had to do something at this age, it might as well be a feature film. It was either that, or lawn bowls” said Tom Scott.

New Zealand born and raised Director, Paul Middleditch, acclaimed as the top commercial director in the Southern Hemisphere and currently number two in the world, returned to his home town of Wellington to helm his third feature film "Separation City” which was shot in Wellington, New Zealand and Berlin, Germany. Principal photography commenced on the 29th of September 2008, shooting a six day week over 30 shooting days.

Leading the impressive international ensemble is Australian actor Joel Edgerton (“Kinky Boots”, “The Secret Life of Us”); British actor Rhona Mitra (“Boston Legal”, “Underworld – The Rise of the Lycans”), German actor Thomas Kretschmann (“King Kong”, “The Pianist”), stunning Kiwi actress Danielle Cormack (“A Song of Good”, “Rude Awakenings”); and fellow Australian Les Hill (“Underbelly”, “Thank God He Met Lizzie”).

“The script is very funny but also is a hard-hitting honest look at relationships and marriage. To me it is a curious mix of being confronting but also really comical at the same time” said Joel Edgerton.

“Separation City” is based on an original screenplay by Tom Scott; Director: Paul Middleditch; Producers: Tom Scott, Mark Overett, Angela Littlejohn; Cinematographer: Steve Arnold; Editor: Mike Horton; Line Producer is Emma Slade and Production Designer: Iain Aitken
“Separation City” is a New Holland Pictures and Direct Hit Production. It was made with finance from the NZ Film Commission in association with NZ on Air, Eltham Strathmore Pictures Pty Limited and K5 International.

Further Information, production notes, stills, trailer: http://www.hoytsdistribution.co.nz/main/seperationcity_main.html

ENDS