Pork Pie in hot pursuit of international markets after zooming into Australian cinemas

Tom Hern, producer of the film Pork Pie, is heading to Cannes Film Festival to try sell the Kiwi remake to global distributors. Photo / Ted Baghurst

Pork Pie is set to zoom its way onto the screens of prestigious Cannes Film Festival.

Tom Hern - producer of the remake of the 1981 Kiwi cult classic Goodbye Pork Pie - will travel to France later this month for the acclaimed movie's showing at the world's most famous film festival; which is this year celebrating its 70th anniversary.

Pork Pie's screening at Cannes will thrust the flick into the limelight in front of international distributors who will play a major role in deciding the fate of the film in the global market.

"Cannes is kind of like the event of the year in terms of media connecting with financiers and distributors and sale agents," he said.

"So we all arrive in that town on the French Riviera and hustle our wares for a couple of weeks," he said. "I'll be there with bells on."

Cannes is considered the world's leading film festivals.

Previous New Zealand movies to have aired there include Rain, Utu, Crush, Ngati, The Navigator and Vigil. Several Kiwi short films have also screened at Cannes, including Night Shift, Blue, Meathead and The Six Dollar Fifty Man.

And the overseas exposure set to be enjoyed by Pork Pie - which follows three random acquaintances as they journey the length of New Zealand in a stolen Mini Cooper - isn't restricted to Cannes.

The movie has also earned an invite to a prominent American film festival this year - the details of which are still under wraps.

The film also opened the Gold Coast Film Festival in April and showed at an open-air cinema on Sydney harbour which Hern described as "amazing".

Pork Pie has even had a small industry screening in Los Angeles.

"We have got quite a bit of interest in the American market off the back of that screening," said Hern.

"Any sales into international territory would be fantastic. I'd be hopeful that we could make multiple sales. It would be fantastic to close an American deal and sell into at least a couple more foreign territories."

Pork Pie opened in Australian cinemas on Thursday, with Hern saying advanced reviews across the ditch "all look really awesome, which is great."

"It seems to have got a really great reception offshore, which is awesome because it's such a distinctively Kiwi film. But it seems the comedy and action aspects are travelling really well."

Pork Pie made $1.2 million at the New Zealand box office.

Hern also has a number of other projects in the glove box, which saw him having to depart ways with an important piece of Pork Pie history.

He sold a Blondini Mini Cooper S, which starred in the film, for more than $30,000 on TradeMe last week.

Hern brought the two-door orange manual, one of four Minis used in the film, from the production company last year to inject some cash flow into the movie and help get it over the line.

"It's a pretty mean car actually for that money.

"It's the most pimped version of the Mini Cooper S that you can get. It's got all the specs of twin turbo, a reversing camera and leather interior - so all the bells and whistles.

"I've still got one Mini in my driveway at the moment, which is the one that did most of the crazy stunts so I will probably hold on to that one."

Hern said the top secret project he planned to use the money for was a "very unique and distinctive Kiwi comedy".

The third Mini which was blown up for the film is on display at Bill Richardson Transport World in Invercargill and the fourth has been sold.

Hern said they will know whether the film has been picked up by any more international distributors by the end of the month.