Kelly Rogers is a specialised film distributor who has distributed a wide range of films during his time in the business. He was a founding investor and former CEO of the Rialto Cinemas in NZ, which at its peak had 26 screens nationwide. Kelly is also a co-owner of the highly successful Bridgeway Cinemas in Auckland; the recently opened 5-screen boutique cinema complex in Howick, Auckland, The Monterey; and the 3-screen upmarket Rialto Tauranga.
The first film Kelly bought was GHOSTS OF THE CIVIL DEAD, followed by SHALLOW GRAVE. Now 20 years later, he is still a specialised film distributor with offices in both Melbourne and Auckland. Given that independent distribution entities can rarely last more than a few years in this risky business, this staying power is testament to his considerable knowledge and market savvy abilities in assessing and releasing independent film in a tough and uncompromising market.
Over the years Kelly has distributed, across all platforms, a variety of successful titles including AMAZING GRACE, AMERICAN SPENDOR, AS IT IS IN HEAVEN, ELEPHANT, THE EXPERIMENT, THE FIRST GRADER, GET LOW, HAPPY-GO-LUCKY, HEADHUNTERS, LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, THE MACHINIST, MEAN CREEK, MOZART’S SISTER, MRS. PALFREY AT THE CLAREMONT, NO MAN’S LAND, THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP, THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES, STEP INTO LIQIOD, TSOTSI, THE VISITOR, YOUNG@HEART and most recently the Swedish language MILLENNIUM TRILOGY which has grossed over $15M at the Aus/NZ box office, with THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO being the highest grossing DVD result of all time for a foreign language film in Australia.
Kelly also acquired the NZ productions SCARFIES, which took $1.3m at the local box office, and TOPP TWINS: UNTOUCHABLE GIRLS which grossed $2m locally. In 2013 he worked on two NZ productions: GISELLE, directed by Toa Fraser, and BEYOND THE EDGE, the Sir Edmund Hillary project directed by Leanne Pooley.
Kelly is currently in the process of setting up a new VOD-only distribution company in the UK.
Panel: Who Gives a Damn About New Zealand Films?
