NZ Creativity in the Spotlight for World IP Day Celebration

NZ Creativity in the Spotlight for World IP Day Celebration

Student audience treated to Tropfest NZ winning short film
and ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’

Auckland, 19 April, 2013 – Tropfest NZ winning film, Cappuccino Tango and The Perks of Being a Wallflower screened for around 150 industry guests including Tropfest’s award winning director, Dave Smith, to mark the 14th World Intellectual Property (IP) Day (April 26).

Hosted by Hoyts and the New Zealand Federation Against Copyright Theft (NZFACT), in partnership with Westlake Girls High School, World IP Day recognises the role of the value of creativity and innovation in shaping creative sectors around the globe.

Dave Smith, winner of the 2012 Tropfest delivered a ‘behind the scenes’ perspective on creating content in New Zealand today. Thanks to winning Tropfest NZ in New Plymouth in January this year with his film ‘Cappuccino Tango’, which can be viewed by clicking here, Mr. Smith will travel to Los Angeles in November to take part in a film immersion workshop and the American Film Market.

“As a committed supporter of IP protection, World IP Day offers fans and consumers an insight into how artists produce and sell content online. For me, today is about recognising the role of the internet in helping to bring content and consumers closer together.

“The internet’s a great place for fans to find content they love – and equally it’s a great place for artists to discover new audiences and markets. I like to be able to have the choice to either share my material for free, but I do need to try and make a living from my work. If I can’t do this, then I won’t have the means to allow me to keep creating,” Mr. Smith said.

Sam Beyer, Westlake Girls High School’s Head of Media Studies, said: “Today is about recognising and celebrating creativity. It’s about acknowledging the home-grown originality and creativity of our filmmakers, and the importance of respecting their intellectual property rights.

“My students have a passion for local and international film and TV content. Today, we’re encouraging them to really value the production process that will help to better support the future development of creative enterprise within our local film and TV industry,” he said.

Tony Eaton, Managing Director of NZFACT, said World IP Day is an opportunity to celebrate the vast wealth of home-grown creative skills and talent we have in this country that makes the New Zealand screen industry the recognized global brand it is today.

“It’s encouraging to see more legitimate online options coming on stream to access film and TV content. The rollout of the Ultra-Fast-Broadband network will help to encourage this market.

“But to allow new businesses to succeed, we need a fair, workable and affordable legislative framework that values the economic, social and cultural contribution of our screen economy. Without this, there’s no incentive for creators and distributors to embrace online models where IP protection is fundamental to a sustainable business model,” said Mr. Eaton.

ENDS

© Scoop Media