Film Otago Southland

What Film Otago Southland does

Film Otago Southland is a not-for-profit Trust established in 1993 and headquartered at the Queenstown Lakes District Council offices at 10 Gorge Road, Queenstown, New Zealand. The Trust supports and promotes screen production across six regions in southern New Zealand — Queenstown Lakes, Dunedin, Southland, Central Otago, Waitaki, and Clutha — serving as a centralized coordination hub for international and domestic film, television, and commercial productions seeking cinematic locations in the Otago and Southland region.

The organization delivers its services through a suite of web-based directory and advisory products. Core offerings include a Location Directory (searchable database of filming locations across the region), an Industry Directory (curated database of local crew, equipment suppliers, and production support services), a Sustainable Filming Directory (waste and circular-economy solutions), Studio Facilities Information (sound-stage and warehouse space listings), and Film Permit Facilitation (guidance through permit processes spanning multiple councils, the Department of Conservation, Land Information New Zealand, and iwi consultation bodies). Distribution is conducted via direct enterprise consultation, self-serve website access, and partnerships with the Queenstown Lakes District Council Film Office and Film Dunedin.

Film Otago Southland does not monetize production services directly. It operates as a publicly funded facilitation body, receiving grants and endorsements from five institutional partners: Central Otago District Council, Dunedin City Council, Queenstown Lakes District Council, Waitaki District Council, and the Southern Institute of Technology. Advisory and facilitation services are provided at no direct cost to productions; revenue-generating activities (permits, equipment, crew fees) are conducted separately with local councils and suppliers. With 11-50 employees and over 30 years of operational history, the Trust has facilitated globally significant productions including the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies, The Power of the Dog, Mulan, Mission: Impossible — Fallout, and Alien: Covenant.

Name

Film Otago Southland

Legal name

Film Otago Southland

Website

https://filmotagosouthland.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Film Otago Southland is a not-for-profit Trust, established 1993 and based in Queenstown, that provides free location, permit, and crew facilitation services to film, television, and commercial productions across six regions of southern New Zealand. It is funded by regional councils and partners with the Queenstown and Dunedin film offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Queenstown, Otago

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Trust Operations and Council Funding: Film Otago Southland is a not-for-profit Trust funded and endorsed by multiple regional councils including Central Otago District Council, Dunedin City Council, Queenstown Lakes District Council, Southern Institute of Technology, and Waitaki District Council. The organization does not generate revenue from production services but operates as a publicly funded facilitation body.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Film Otago Southland is a not-for-profit Trust that supports and promotes screen production in the Otago and Southland regions of New Zealand. It provides location directories, industry/crew directories, film permit facilitation, sustainable filming guidance, and studio facility information to film and television productions seeking to film in the lower South Island. The organization acts as the central regional film office, connecting productions with local resources, crew, and government approvals across six regions.

Product overview

Film Otago Southland is a not-for-profit Trust that supports and promotes screen production in the Otago Southland region of New Zealand. Rather than offering a traditional software product, the organization provides a suite of directory and advisory services including the Location Directory (a searchable database of filming locations across six regions), the Industry Directory (local crew and production support services), Film Permit Facilitation (guidance through the permitting process across multiple districts), the Sustainable Filming Directory (environmentally-focused waste and recycling solutions for productions), and Studio Facilities Information. These services collectively serve as turnkey resources for film and television productions seeking to shoot in the region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Location Directory
• Industry Directory
• Film Permit Facilitation
• Sustainable Filming Directory
• Studio Facilities Information

Quantifiable outcome

• Productions can access snow in July and sunflowers in February due to Southern Hemisphere seasons opposite to Northern Hemisphere markets
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers26 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC Film Office)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFilm Otago Southland collaborates with the Queenstown Lakes District Council's in-house film office to provide support, advice, and information to productions and filmmakers in the Queenstown Lakes region. The QLDC film office helps with location permits on council-owned land and facilities.
• Dunedin City Council (Film Dunedin)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFilm Otago Southland collaborates with the Dunedin City Council's Film Dunedin office, which provides in-person support for visiting scouts and producers. Film Dunedin coordinator Stefan Roesch assists with permits and coordinates with other agencies.
• Central Otago District CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCentral Otago District Council provides funding and endorsement to Film Otago Southland. The council has had an official Film Friendly Policy since 2011 and a dedicated Film Activity Notification Form process.
• Waitaki District CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWaitaki District Council provides funding and endorsement to Film Otago Southland and processes filming approval applications through its service team.
• Southern Institute of TechnologyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Southern Institute of Technology in Invercargill offers screen production courses and provides a pipeline of trained talent for the regional film industry. Their Invercargill campus supports film production education.
• Department of Conservation (DOC)coreOthersDOC administers New Zealand's national parks and conservation estate. Productions filming in DOC-controlled areas must apply for concessions through the DOC permissions system. Film Otago Southland provides guidance on the DOC concession application process.
• Aukaha (Local Iwi Consultation)coreOthersAukaha provides consultation with local iwi (Māori) for filming that involves Statutory Acknowledgement areas, Nohoanga sites, Topuni sites, significant landscapes, and major waterways. Contact: (03) 477-0071.
• Te Ao Marama Inc (Murihiku Takiwā)coreOthersTe Ao Marama Inc represents the rights and interests of Nga Runanga ki Murihiku within the LGA and RMA space. They handle mana whenua approvals for consents within the Murihiku Takiwā region. Contact: [email protected]

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• South Australian Film Corporation: South Australia's state-owned screen production and development body offering studio facilities, location services, and production support — a comparable regional film office competing in the broader Australasian market for international production.
• VicScreen: Victoria, Australia's state-level screen attraction and investment body offering location facilitation, production funding, and studio support — competing for international productions across the Tasman with overlapping incentives and crew-base offerings.
• Screen Queensland: Queensland's state screen agency delivering location promotion, production incentives, and crew infrastructure — a like-for-like regional film office competing with FOS for international productions evaluating Australasia.
• Screen NSW: New South Wales government agency supporting screen production through incentives, location services, and crew directories — a comparable regional film office with broader studio infrastructure and stronger urban production ecosystem.
• Film London: London's film office providing permit facilitation, crew directories, and location services for one of the world's most active production hubs — a structurally similar regional film office, though serving a much larger urban production market.
• Creative BC: British Columbia's provincial screen agency administering film incentives, production services, and crew resources — a comparable regional facilitator anchored by Vancouver's substantial studio infrastructure competing for the same North American production budgets.

Direct peers

• Screen Auckland: Auckland's regional screen attraction body offering comparable location facilitation, permit support, and crew directory services. Competes directly with FOS for inbound international productions evaluating New Zealand as a whole, particularly large features and high-end TV series.
• ChristchurchNZ Screen Office: Canterbury-based screen attraction function operating under ChristchurchNZ, providing location and production support services to international productions — competing for New Zealand-bound shoots with the same value proposition of diverse geography and experienced crew.
• Screen Wellington: Regional film office for the Wellington region operating under the same not-for-profit/public-facilitation model as FOS, supporting feature film, series, and commercial production in a different New Zealand region with overlapping production customers and competitive overlap for inbound international projects.

Broad incumbents

• New Zealand Film Commission: National-level body that funds New Zealand film production, administers international screen strategy, and coordinates with regional film offices including FOS. Operates at broader national scope with funding, development, and marketing mandates rather than a single-region facilitation focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/filmotagosouthland
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/film-otago-southland

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Film Otago Southland