NZ film gets showing at elite festival

Paolo Rotondo is a man of many talents. Picture / Bradley Ambrose

A New Zealand short film will have its world premiere at the Telluride Festival in Colorado this weekend.

Dead Letters is a love story between a film projectionist and a post office worker in New Zealand during World War II. It screened at this year's International Film Festival in July and at last week's Screen Awards won best screenplay for a short film.

Dead Letters was written by Jolisa Gracewood, adapted for the screen by actor-writer-director Paolo Rotondo and produced by fellow Shortland Street actor Fraser Brown and Jolisa's sister, Gemma Gracewood. Brown and Rotondo will be at at the festival, which has premiered films as well known as Capote, Lost in Translation and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.