Waipukurau premiere for Kiwi film This Town

Robyn Malcolm and Rima Te Wiata in a scene from This Town, which premiered in Waipukurau on Tuesday night. Photo / Supplied

The red carpet was out and the alpacas were on site for the world premiere of the first Kiwi film to be released post-Covid lockdown - This Town.

Writer, director and actor David White, left, arrives at the Civic Theatre in Waipukurau with co-star Robyn Malcolm, for the film's premiere. Photo / LABEN Photography

Written, directed by and starring David White (Meat), the movie was filmed in Central Hawke's Bay in 2018, and the premiere at Waipukurau's Civic Theatre this week drew a capacity crowd.

The film also features Robyn Malcolm, Rima Te Wiata and Toi Whakaari graduate Alice May Connolly in lead roles.

Malcolm and White were in attendance at the event, along with a supporting cast of dozens of Central Hawke's Bay locals all eager to see the finished product.

In a live cross to TV1's Seven Sharp at the event, White said after growing up in Central Hawke's Bay it had always been a dream to come back and make a movie in his hometown.

The film combines a murder mystery and a love story, as Sean (White) tries to shake off a murderous reputation and an obsessed ex-cop Pam (Malcolm) who is determined to run him down. Sean in the meantime pursues romance, with mixed results.

The film is quirky, endearing and quintessentially Kiwi, with plenty of the humour Kiwis expect from our film industry. We love to laugh at ourselves.

White has used the location to its fullest. Broad backdrops of scenic Central Hawke's Bay alternate with gnarly atmospheric shots ... he's taken full advantage of knowing the region to sniff out interiors and facades with a patina of use.

"It's such a beautiful part of the world, it's special. And when I went looking for locations ... for example going into the back room at Central Print and seeing all the old files I was delighted. I didn't even have to do anything to dress the set, it was all there. We just plonked a table in the middle of it."

White said the premiere was a fantastic evening with "beautiful feedback" from the audience of locals.

"The whoops and hollas from the audience when they saw local people on the screen - it was so special to have that feeling that people were so engaged in the film. We were rapt with the reception."

Robyn Malcolm said one of the things the film manages well is the mix of good comedy and darkness.

"You definitely go to a dark place in the middle then there are big moments of comedy coming out of it," she said.

White said he is looking forward to seeing how the rest of the country reacts to the film, which is officially released today.

"It's going to be special seeing the reaction, away from the film's 'home town'."

Public screening times are up on Waipukurau Civic Theatre's website now. Go to civictheatre.net.nz for information