The makers of Kiwi Flyer have locked in a date for the film's Nelson premiere.

The feelgood family film, inspired by the Nelson Trolley Derby, will hit the big screen at the Theatre Royal on September 18.

The red carpet will be rolled out, and the film will be widely released by Rialto in cinemas across the country, including Nelson's State Cinema, on September 29.

Kiwi Flyer, directed by Tony Simpson and starring more than 30 Nelsonians alongside actors Tandi Wright, Vince Martin and Dai Henwood, is about a young boy who sets out to win the local trolley derby in memory of his father.

He learns about life along the way, confronting cheating Australian opponents, dodgy loan sharks and a mother who has banned him from racing.

The film's $1.1 million budget includes funding from the New Zealand Film Commission, NZ on Air, the Nelson City Council and a top-up from Nelson investor group Venture Accelerator Ltd.

Actors and Kiwi Flyer crew members were in Nelson in August and September last year, filming at various locations.

Helpers included Nelson Intermediate School, the Nelson Trolley Derby Club, the hot rod club, Scouts, and Stoke vehicle restoration business owner Gordon Dacombe, of Autofocus, and Steve Lovell, from Advanced Composite Engineering, who created the movie's special racing trolleys.

Mr Simpson took Kiwi Flyer to the TIFF KIDS International Film Festival in Canada in April, which aims to present outstanding children's films from all over the world. One of the screenings was for children aged nine to 11.

"I certainly became aware of the feeling of a totally new and foreign audience watching a very Kiwi film. Some of the jokes would have gone over their head but overall, they were a very involved and responsive audience," he said.

Mr Simpson also plans to get Kiwi Flyer accepted into other film festivals and to sell the world rights to an international distributor. He said the Nelson premiere would be a full red carpet affair, with about 350 people who helped with the film's production invited to see it.

The Kiwi Flyer trailer on YouTube has had about 4500 hits since the end of May.

- © Fairfax NZ News