100% Pure New Zealand and Peter Jackson Launch YOUR BIG BREAK

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - Academy award winning film director Peter Jackson will judge New Zealand's Your Big Break short film competition.

The short film competition, 100% Pure New Zealand Presents Your Big Break, will give the top five entrants time working with the Academy Award-winning team responsible for The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

The Your Big Break finalists will shoot and direct their own short films on location in New Zealand, with the assistance of The Lord of the Rings executive producer Barrie Osborne and world class post-production facility Park Road Post. The five finalists will then have their completed films personally viewed and judged by Peter Jackson.

Your Big Break is asking people to capture the essence of 100% Pure New Zealand and tell the world their story of how they see the youngest country on earth, says Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive George Hickton.

The importance of having two film industry legends involved with Your Big Break is immense. Their support will help ensure the project is noticed by the world's film industry, give it international reach and, we hope, result in some great stories.

Barrie Osborne, who will be on hand to provide advice during the production period, says he is excited by the prospect of working with young film-makers and returning to New Zealand's incredibly varied landscapes.

"It's got awe-inspiring beauty all the way from the mountain ranges and lakes of the South Island, to the fiords and the ski fields, to the almost sub-tropical areas of the North Island."

Osborne also encourages would-be film-makers to start working on their submissions:

"As producer of The Lord of the Rings, I can tell you New Zealand is an incredible place to shoot in and anyone who has the opportunity to get their work judged by Peter Jackson has an opportunity of a lifetime."

Visit www.your-big-break.com to get advice and insights from Peter Jackson and Barrie Osborne, and download the competition brief. Submissions and voting will open on 9 December, 2009. To enter the first round of the film competition, aspiring directors must submit a screenplay and any supporting content they think will help their selection for the New Zealand shoot.

The screenplay must be for a three-minute short film that captures the spirit of New Zealand. Members of the public can vote for the People's Choice finalist and four further finalists will be chosen by an expert panel including Barrie Osborne.

This competition is closed