Good For Nothing, a New Zealand-made Western filmed on a shoestring budget in Central Otago premiered to invited guests in Queenstown last night before general admission from today.
Dunedin-born director Mike Wallis and his fiancée Inge Rademeyer, also co-producer and lead actress, attended the Western-themed screening at Reading Cinemas Queenstown.
Mr Wallis said this week he was eager to credit "good old South Island generosity" with the film being made at all.
"Local cinemas have welcomed the movie with open arms and we've found them to be really supportive, but also excited about seeing a Western back on the big screen," he said.
"When we were shooting in Central we had so much support from the farmers and local businesses, whether it was the local butcher helping us feed the crew in Cromwell, to the owners of the Kingston Flyer who let us use the train for free."
Good For Nothing entered its third week in cinemas up and down the country and for two weeks running has listed in the top 10 movies watched by New Zealanders.
"The movie is a Kiwi take on a 'spaghetti Western' - Westerns that were shot in Italy and Spain in the 1960s, such as the Dollars trilogy by Sergio Leone starring Clint Eastwood," Mr Wallis said.
"Sergio Leone was famous for using the scenery in Italy as a stand-in for the Wild West and so they became known as the 'spaghetti Westerns'.
"We've done the same by re-creating the American West, but using New Zealand landscapes - that's why we've dubbed it the world's first 'pavlova Western'."
Mr Wallis said the couple were especially looking forward to attending the premiere screening in Queenstown.
"I spent seven years working in the town. It's like a second home to me," he said.
