The Waitaki and Canterbury regions are back in the international film spotlight, with Sydney-based actress and novelist Isla Charlotte-York arriving in New Zealand to begin filming Five Kingdoms II: The Desert.
The production, part of the expanding Five Kingdoms fantasy trilogy, is shooting across Oamaru, Otago, Christchurch and North Canterbury this week, with several local actors joining the cast.
Charlotte-York — known for roles in The Secrets She Keeps, Saving Grace, Crime Investigation Australia, Social Murderer and Academy — is playing Effina, the Scottish mother of the town’s mayor.
Filming has already begun at Port Levy and Woodend, with upcoming scenes to include a Gillies Ball and a haggis feast at the fictional “Kiloch Castle” in Otago. While in New Zealand, Charlotte-York is also promoting her soon-to-be-released debut novel Black Sheep.
The first Five Kingdoms film, described as a “New Gothic Trilogy,” has screened internationally at leading venues including London’s Electric Cinema, Venice’s Dante Cinema and Christchurch’s Lumiere Cinema, and has featured at both the Cannes and Venice film festivals. Local director Sam Miller says the second instalment will deliver “exotic, fantastical scenes” set in a world of wind, steam and early gunpowder.
Woodglen Studios and global distributor Human Scale Films say they are seeking a wide range of local talent and crew as the New Zealand-based shoots continue, with hopes the sequel will further showcase Oamaru, Christchurch and Otago to international audiences.
