Director Niki Caro starts shooting tomorrow on her new project, The Vintner's Luck.

Keisha Castle-Hughes, who also starred in Caro's Whale Rider, will star alongside Jeremie Renier, Gaspard Ulliel and Vera Farmiga.

The film is adapted from the bestselling novel of the same name by New Zealand author Elizabeth Knox. The story follows a 19th century peasant winemaker who has a relationship with an angel.

Caro wrote the screenplay with Joan Scheckel.

'It's really exciting to get the project underway,' said Caro. 'It's a scary kind of honour to bring Elizabeth's book to the screen.'

The shoot will start in an Auckland vineyard before moving to France in March and then to Belgium.

Producers are Laurie Parker, Robin Laing, Niki Caro, Pascal Judelewicz, Ludi Boeken and Jean-François Klein.

The New Zealand-France co-production is backed by the New Zealand Film Production Fund, the New Zealand Film Commission, the Motion Investment Group (Belgium), OLC Rights Entertainment (Tokyo) in association with Ascension Films, Birka Film Production Sarl and Kortex Sarl.

Kathleen Drumm at NZ Film is handling international sales.

Also on set will be Women in Film and Television New Zealand mentoring placement film-maker Kirsty MacDonald, the first placement from a new International Mentorship Programme.

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