Marlborough is film friendly
Marlborough is unique
The region is a rich canvas waiting for your film project with alpine reaches, waterways, rivers, beaches, tussock-clad hills, native bush, and vineyards.
Marlborough is accessible
Marlborough is just a 20-minute flight from Wellington, and a 50-minute and 90-minute flight to Christchurch and Auckland respectively. Marlborough has an easy location permitting system and infrastructure in place for any scale of production.
Marlborough is affordable
Finding a place to film without interruption is easy, saving time and money. Even in Marlborough’s most populated areas, filming is a relatively simple process with the help of Screen Marlborough.
Sawmill Studios
Sawmill Studios is a local studio facility in the heart of Marlborough used for film and television. Set on a six-hectare fully fenced site it includes a covered studio and workshops, production offices, and an extensive backlot where filmmakers can shoot outside scenes in an enclosed space. The 900 m2 space is home to short films and music videos.
Filmmaker meetups and festivals
Marlborough has a strong grassroots movement of aspiring filmmakers, writers, directors, actors, producers, stage builders, and cinematographers. They’ve organised themselves in active groups such as the Top of the South Filmmakers and Random Directions Film. They collaborate on community-building and growing the local screen sector through their productions, workshop programmes, and film festivals.