Red phone box, now red carpet

ROBERT CHARLES/Taranaki Daily News

LOOKING BACK: Eltham Business Association president Judith Rodgers gets a feel for one of the Predicament props, the red phone box.

Relevant offers

Hawera and Eltham are gearing up for the region's premiere of Predicament on Friday, August 20.

In Hawera the South Taranaki District Council is organising a red carpet event, while Eltham is doing up the town to attract visitors to locations featured in the film, based on the Ronald Hugh Morrieson novel of the same name.

Hawera's Princes St will be closed from High to Napier streets for the premiere.

After a pre-screening event in a marquee outside Cinema 2, both theatres will simultaneously show the film.

Plans are afoot for vintage cars to deliver the stars to the red carpet, although the filmmakers have not yet said who is attending the event.

Fiona Greenhill, the South Taranaki District Council's tourism manager, went to the film's first screening at the New Zealand International Film Festival in Wellington two weeks ago.

She said that as well as recognising the locations where scenes were filmed, in and around both the towns, there were plenty of familiar, local faces who played extras.

People could reserve seats for the charity gala premiere through the council and the proceeds would go to the Taranaki Cancer Society, she said.

Meanwhile, shop windows on Eltham's Bridge St will go back in time with old-fashioned props and replicas to simulate the displays used during filming last year.

The Eltham Business Association is organising a Predicament movie memorabilia display in the town hall to run from August 20 to September 11.

President Judith Rodgers said the association had three weeks to collect any props or costumes being lent for the window fronts and exhibition.

The Predicament production crew left behind bits and pieces from the film, including the old telephone box they gave to Carac Couplings who let them use many of the buildings on Bridge St.

Ms Rodgers said Eltham planned to keep the celebration going after the public release date of the movie on August 27.

"We want to encourage people to visit the town to see where the movie was filmed and also to give everyone the opportunity to see some of the props and costumes used in the movie first hand," Ms Rodgers said.

The council is putting together a Predicament movie trail brochure pointing out locations featured in the film.

- © Fairfax NZ News