Now that he has seen Avatar, Peter Jackson isn’t optimistic of an Oscar for his latest movie, The Lovely Bones.

It was one comment the veteran Wellington film-maker let slip at a press conference at the Intercontinental Hotel in the capital this week. Young star Saiorse Ronan also gave her view on the Oscar buzz surrounding the movie.

Actress Susan Sarandon spoke about the difficulty of drinking and smoking throughout the film - to keep in character. Young Kiwis Rose McIver and Carolyn Dando also talked about how their lives have changed since making the film.

Check out Ben Strang’s video of the conference: