KEY POINTS:
A $7 million film sound studio at Henderson is to be opened today by Prime Minister Helen Clark and Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey.
The new facility at the Henderson Valley Studios is already being used for a Korean-United States fantasy action movie called the Laundry Warrior.
The facility was built by Prime West - which the Waitakere City Council has a 44.5 per cent interest in.
Prime West chairman Ross Jewell said yesterday the facility was busy until the end of the year and after that there were two "pencil bookings" for productions.
The nature of these was confidential.
"We are optimistic about the present level of interest and what we think will be the future demand for the facility.
"We think it will bring another level of film-maker into the city because such a facility was not available previously." The sound stage is 15m high and has 2000sq m floor space, allowing enough room for sets such as a double-storey house or a helicopter hanging from the rafters.
Wellington director Peter Jackson's Stone St sound stage facility has more floor space but the sound stage is 12m high.
The facility is built next to the four fully booked studios which the council converted from a former fruit coolstore five years ago.
Mr Harvey, a former deputy chairman of the Film Commission, said he wanted to turn Henderson Valley into the "Hollywood of the South Pacific."
He said the new facility was as good as anything in the world and also increased capacity for television and commercial production.
New Zealand and international feature films, television programmes and advertisements have been filmed at the studios, including the movie The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.
