Jackson protégé applies apartheid to aliens

Neill Blomkamp's District 9 is set to be released in August.

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New Zealand film director Peter Jackson is backing his 29-year-old South African protege, Neill Blomkamp, as the young filmmaker's District 9 movie gears up for release.

Blomkamp was working in visual effects and directing commercials and shorts when he was offered a directorial debut: a big-budget adaptation of the shoot-'em-up video game Halo to be produced by Jackson.

But when that project imploded in 2006, Jackson decided to carry on and "godfather" Blomkamp through the process of directing another film, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Jackson's wife and frequent collaborator, Fran Walsh, suggested that Blomkamp adapt one of his short films, Alive in Joburg, into a feature and Jackson helped him shape the script while his production company put together the independent financing.

The result – the $US30 million ($NZ47.7m) science fiction movie District 9 – will screen from August 14 as a "documentary" about aliens who land on Earth and are segregated apartheid-style into an alien ghetto and forced to work for humans who revile them as refugees.

"District 9 had an organic birth," Blomkamp told the Los Angeles Times by phone from New Zealand, where he is finishing post-production on the film. "I ended up in a much better situation, working on something that's very much me. It's also backed by Pete, which is incredible and puts more of a spotlight on it."

Jackson told the newspaper he felt gratified to have enabled Blomkamp's potent and provocative filmmaking vision.

"Neill has made something that's completely original," he said. "At this moment in filmmaking, everything is a sequel or a remake or some re-imagining of a '70s TV show. I'm really proud of this movie. It's unlike anything I've seen before."

Viral marketing is used to promote District 9: the official website for the film, D-9.com is "run" by Multinational United (MNU), a fictitious company from the film. The website presents the viewer with a short instructional video and two options: enter the site as human or "non-human".

There is also a fictional blog, MNUSpreadsLies.com which argues that Multinational United is oppressing the non-human race.

And this month signs on bus benches reading "BUS BENCHES FOR HUMANS ONLY" have began appearing in major cities overseas, with "no aliens" posters being posted in shops.

Jackson is expected to talk about the movie at a major USA conference, the San Diego Comic-Con which runs for four days from July 23.

-NZPA