Expansion of Silverdale film village linked to South American interests

Harvey Weinstein

Plans to expand the Kelly Park film village north of Auckland will soon be unveiled by a businessman hooking up with South American interests.

Kelly Park director Matthew Barker declined to detail the role of his company and other New Zealand investors in a reported US$50 million ($63.5 million) Latin American Film Fund.

The fund - and the involvement of Kelly Park - was announced at the Cannes Film Festival in May.

It was to invest in 10 to 14 films over three or four years for the United States film company Weinstein & Co.

Not uncommonly for such funds, it has been slow in coming together.

Barker said he was bound by confidentiality agreements not to discuss the deal, although he expected to outline full plans in a fortnight.

He confirmed they would include expansion of the Kelly Park studio facilities, located at a greenfields site near Silverdale.

The fund would finance the development of a new production facility near Buenos Aires called "Kelly Park Argentina".

The deal for the high-profile brothers Harvey and Bob Weinstein would finance Latin American films with budgets of US$4 to $10 million.

It is expected to be able to access taxpayer subsidies for film in some South American countries.

Kelly Park has in the past provided a large undercover space for big film productions.

The involvement of a relatively small New Zealand company in the complex world of international film finance has raised eyebrows in the local industry.

But Barker insisted that the project would go ahead.

Barker has also been a director of La Luna Film, which is planning an animated feature, The Magic Shoes, with estimated budget of $20 million.

The Magic Shoes is being made by an Argentinian filmmaker, Cristina Casares de Monguzzi, now based in Warkworth, who is the other director of La Luna Films.

Barker is also a director and holds half the 100 million shares in the New Zealand Film Fund.