US distributor Lot 47 Films, in association with the New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC), is staging New York's first ever festival of NZ films for seven days from February 7.

The festival promises to include "new, rediscovered and undiscovered" films, eight of which will be US premieres.

The opening night will double as the US premiere of Harry Sinclair's The Price Of Milk, which does not open at home in New Zealand until March 1. Lot 47 starts its US season of the film on February 14, making it the first time a NZ film has played in both countries simultaneously.

New Zealand's Ambassador to the US, Jim Bolger, will launch 2001: A New Zealand Film Odyssey, and Trade New Zealand will co-host the night, underlining the importance of film in attracting trade and tourists.

The line-up also include Peter Jackson's uncut Braindead, Robert Sarkies hit Scarfies, Sinclair's debut Topless Women Talk About Their Lives, and Ian Mune's What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted, which follows the characters introduced by Once Were Warriors. Shorts will also be screened.