51 days and 6 hours before the world premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, on November 28, Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown today hosted a media conference at the Embassy theatre, the venue for the world premiere.
Wellington will be calling itself The Middle of Middle-earth during the week of the premiere and Mayor Wade-Brown presented a list of events and opportunities for Wellingtonians and visitors to immerse themselves in Middle-earth.
Among the events supporting the premiere, Mayor Wade-Brown revealed:
- A count-down clock atop the Embassy Theatre which she proceeded to launch as the final event at the press conference outside the theatre along with Matt Dravitski of Wingnut Films.
- Stunning artwork inspired by The Hobbit Trilogy to welcome visitors at Wellington International Airport
- A Hobbit-inspired Artisan Festival in Waitangi Park, showcasing the various craftspeople and talent involved in The Hobbit Trilogy leading up to the premiere night event. Including Weta, of course!
- Free outdoor public screenings of The Lord of the Rings trilogy leading up to the premiere night event.
“Wellington sits at the very heart of New Zealand’s innovative and thriving film industry”, said Mayor Wade-Brown.
“It’s also the city that has been integral in bringing the fantasy world of JRR Tolkien to life ion the big screen. So for a week around the premiere, Wellington will be known as The Middle of Middle-earth.
The film’s director, Peter Jackson, said in a press release: “I’m absolutely thrilled that The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will have its world premiere in the Middle of Middle-earth”.
“Nowhere else in the world does a premiere quite like Wellington and I’m very grateful for the support of the Mayor, the Council and all Wellingtonians. It’s special showing any film to an audience for the first time, but even more so when it’s in your home town”.
Mayor Wade-Brown also unveiled the logo for The Middle of Middle-earth – designed by Daniel Reeve, who designed the cartography and calligraphy for the Hobbit Trilogy, as well as, of course, Weta’s range of fine art and prints from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
500 metres of red carpet will be laid out in Wellington’s Courtenay Place, all the way from Taranaki Street to The Embassy. Peter Jackson will be joined on the carpet for the invitation-only premiere by cast members, Hollywood stars and executives.
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