PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN

Evening Star, Issue 19552, 10 May 1927, Page 14

PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN

DOMINION'S FILM OUTPUT ’ ’ ■ [Special to tixe ‘ Stab.’] WELLINGTON, May 9.. Thirty ■to forty films reported ■ by London cable to be now screening in English picture houses are the vosn!r : of and accumulation of the State’s Government Publicity Office. Arrangements have been made for distribution of these films through the High Commissioner’s office, and the dominion publicity campaign is now working well. New Zealand’s output of official films now totals 500,000 ft a year, representing some 800 copies o feach weekly feature, which is made in the Government laboratory. This laboratory is now too small for’tho requirements, avid, is to be rebuilt on a site close to the city as soon as the i ecc-ssary land is obtained. The new structure will bo designed to suit the altered conditions of production. and the work will be done by private contract. The dominion now sends four copies of weekly picture to England and six to Australia. In the Commonwealth the system of distribution has been perfected, and it takes a film two years to travel throughout its destined circuit, so that at the*present moment between 600 and 700 publicity films are screening there. To England the supplies have been regular only of more recent date.. Previously the department was not in a position to send supplies every mail, and the result is that circuits arc still being built up there. A new departure will bo made this week, when the first negative film is to he sent to America under Government contract will) the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer firm.' Two hundred copies each of a series of weekly negatives are to be printed and distributed throughout the United States. The first film to.bo sent will deal with deep-sea fishing. The department reports that there'is now a keen demand for films from Australia, and that the financial side of the work is mry satisfactory. The intention is to widen the field and not to restrict productions m the scenery of the dominion. National life, industries, customs, and recreations are to be treated, and an endeavor will bo made to make all features as attractive as possible.