Thousands of New Zealanders have taken part in protests against possible plans to make the adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit outside of the country. Stephanie West investigates. Organisers of the protests said they coincided with the visit of Warner Brothers movie executives, who are due to meet New Zealand Prime Minister John Key on Tuesday to discuss moving the two-part adaptation from the country where the Lord of the Rings trilogy was shot. Rallies were held in Wellington, Auckland, Christchurch, Hamilton, Queenstown and Matamata, where the Hobbiton sets have been built.
Category: Events
Hollywood studio bosses go into talks tomorrow in Wellington with a loud and clear message that The Hobbit should be filmed in New Zealand.
Thanks to Hunter Abbey for sending in this video of the Wellington Rally of Hope!
It’s a serious topic for the hundreds of film and tourism workers among the 2000-strong crowd, but Wellington’s Save the Hobbit rally had a terrific positive energy. The party atmosphere was helped by the music – Wellington bands like Fly My Pretties (I think!), Poi E! from the movie Boy, and when the time came to concentrate our attention on the subject at hand, a beautiful rendition of Pokarekareana.
The crowd fell silent and after an introduction from our newly-elected mayor (Celia Wade-Brown, who’s something of a tech geek), we heard Richard Taylor address the crowd, which he did with his usual blend of sincerity, passion and gentle humour. Continue reading “Party Atmosphere at Wellington Hobbit Rally”
Cad Monkey writes: Just a quick review of the rally that’s just finished in Auckland. A slightly disappointing turnout of around 250 people, plenty of news media, radio & tv. Mark Harrison the Auckland actor who has organised the nationwide rallies spoke very well and at length about the impact that LOTR had on tourism and the economy in NZ and that if Warner Bros want to make the best movies they can (and make plenty of money too ) then NZ is the only place to shoot them: NZ is middle earth. Each point he made was greeted by loud cheers and applause. A statement by Peter Jackson was read out at the end thanking everyone for their support.
Were you at a rally in New Zealand? Send your pics and video now!
New Zealand is not going down without a fight! Join the effort to keep The Hobbit in New Zealand by participating positive rallies throughout the country. A facebook page has been setup for the effort, including dates and times when rallies will be taking part in your town. If you are in New Zealand, join your fellow Kiwis this Labour Day Monday! [Facebook Page] [Rally Event Page to RSVP]
If you do attend, please send in your reports to spymaster@theonering.net. We’d love to hear from you all.