The upcoming release of Disney’s Mulan, featuring the Waitaki district, and recent filming of the Netflix production The Power of the Dog and Japan’s Somewhere Street in Oamaru set the stage for several tourism opportunities, Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher said.
"It is great for the town and the district," Mr Kircher said.
On Wednesday, film crews took over Oamaru’s Victorian precinct to record a scene for The Power of the Dog, directed by New Zealand’s Jane Campion, and the town was abuzz with reports of sightings of Hollywood stars Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons.
The pair dined at Cucina restaurant on Tuesday night and were spotted visiting Steampunk HQ on Wednesday.
The North Otago town had also endeared itself to a film crew capturing it for a Japanese television programme over the past two weeks.
NZ Network Co filmed the Victorian precinct for Somewhere Street, which shows a different location around the world for each episode.
It is filmed almost entirely by a person with a "steadicam" who walks along the street and stops to admire features and talk to local people.
NZ Network Co production co-ordinator Makoto Murata said Oamaru, which had also featured in a 2008 episode, was chosen "because of the combination of the historic buildings and quirky, creative people — and penguins".
The film crew was in Oamaru from February 21 to March 3.
"The filming went well, thanks to good weather and people’s kindness and patience," Mr Murata said.
"Oamaru is so underrated. The town is just beautiful and people are extremely friendly."
The Somewhere Street episode on Oamaru would be screened in Japan in May or June. Its main audience was people aged 40 to 60 who enjoyed travelling.
Disney’s live-action remake of Mulan is scheduled to be released in the United States on March 27. It was filmed, in part, in Waitaki in 2018; Omarama’s Clay Cliffs and the Ahuriri Valley are known locations.
Mr Kircher said the council was "cautiously optimistic" about Mulan’s impact and he wanted the district to capitalise on any opportunities.
"There’s some really great scenes of the Waitaki district in the trailer. I do think there will be a reasonable amount of footage in the film featuring our beautiful place," he said.
"We’re certainly looking to see how we can leverage off it ... unfortunately it’s not great timing with the coronavirus."
The council was investigating the use of storyboards and interactive "augmented reality" displays for tourists and developing plans to manage visitor safety and minimise the impact on landowners and the environment at filming locations.
The Power of the Dog and Somewhere Street would also be "great" on-screen exposure for the district, he said.
