The Light Between Oceans will have a private screening at the Rialto Cinema next Wednesday before its public release the following day.
As the movie is released, Enterprise Dunedin business adviser Antony Deaker has filled a re-jigged film support role at the council, and hopes to make the most of the good publicity to bring more productions to the city.
He said he had already met location scouts and hoped ''a really exciting project'' could be coming to Dunedin next year.
The Light Between Oceans, shot partly in Dunedin and St Bathans in 2014, is the story of a lighthouse keeper (Michael Fassbender) and his wife (Alicia Vikander) who live off the coast of Western Australia and raise a baby they rescue from a drifting rowboat.
The movie was shot at locations including Fletcher House and nearby Clearwater St, in Broad Bay; the former Dunedin Prison building; Portobello Rd; Highcliff Rd and George St, in Port Chalmers; an office in the Allied Press building in Lower Stuart St, and St Bathans in the Maniototo.
Mr Deaker said he would be using the event of the launch to send ''little media missiles'' to the film industry internationally.
''Dunedin's got beautiful locations, we've got great heritage buildings and heritage street scenes.
''We also have stunning coastal locations, and the light is amazing.''
The director of the movie had made specific mention of the light in media articles.
Mr Deaker said the film-makers also found ''a really willing and supportive community''.
The city was ''bustling with creative geniuses'' who could make anything needed for props, and skilled film crews.
Mr Deaker has officially been in his role for two weeks.
His role was a ''rebooted regional film officer'' in Dunedin.
There were staff who helped out in the past, but now he was in place ''to support on a more energetic proactive level'' film projects, both from overseas and in Dunedin.
Mr Deaker is also co-ordinator of Dunedin arts and culture strategy Ara Toi, something he said was a good fit.
He had already been involved in the film role, having dealt with location scouts who helped bring Australian television series Wanted, which started filming yesterday, to Dunedin.
There was also a ''really exciting project'', following a request to deal with a helicopter-load of location scouts who wanted to land at Aramoana about two months ago.
''It might turn into a feature movie coming to Dunedin in the near future.
''They loved the coastal locations they found.''
Once a film company found a suitable location it would look for more nearby.
''That's what happened next after that.''
Mr Deaker said Dunedin already had strengths and expertise in film, from NHNZ to the 48-Hour film festival, to people good at making props.
He planned a survey of that expertise so he could create a ''library'' of what was available to companies that came here, to help a local industry where work was intermittent.
''Films will go where it's easy to work and where they can pick up the crew without having to rent out hotels and accommodation for incoming crew.''