The New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF) announced 13 titles that will screen in the World Strand of the programme with the support of new sponsor 2degrees.
“Though we aim to be as international as possible, we don’t believe in token representation. This year nineteen countries are represented in this section. We’ve been really struck by the strength of the latest Italian, Spanish and French cinema in particular,” says NZIFF director Bill Gosden.
Take a gander at the new titles announced:
Everybody Wants Some!!
From Richard Linklater (Boyhood) comes this ensemble comedy set in a 1980s college, billed as the “spiritual sequel” to Linklater’s classic Dazed and Confused.
More info on ‘Everybody Wants Some!!’
Captain Fantastic
No, it’s not a superhero film. It’s a tale starring Viggo Mortensen as a devoted dad of six kids, raising them with an intelligent and physical connection to nature. That is, until they’re forced to leave nature.
More info on ‘Captain Fantastic’
Truman
Spanish comedy starring Ricardo Darin (Wild Tales) as a theatre actor who receives an unexpected visit from his childhood pal (Javier Camara, Living Is Easy With Eyes Closed).
Perfect Strangers
Italian ensemble comedy-drama in which seven long-time friends at dinner decide to share with each other the content of every text message, email and call they receive.
More info on ‘Perfect Strangers’
Suburra
“Suburra drops the viewer directly into a miasma of corruption… [and] will command your attention all the way to its bloody and operatic finale.” — Michael Jaconelli, The Skinny
The Daughter
Geoffrey Rush, Sam Neill, Ewen Leslie, Odessa Young, Miranda Otto and Paul Schneider lead this family-feuding drama from Australian theatre wunderkind Simon Stone (who made his screen debut as part of 2013 anthology drama The Turning).
As I Open My Eyes
18-year-old Tunisian Farah (Baya Medhaffar) follows a passion for music instead of her family’s desire to become a doctor in this French music drama.
More info on ‘As I Open My Eyes’
Things to Come
Mia Hansen-Løve (Eden) won the Silver Berlin Bear for Best Director for this drama starring the stupendous Isabelle Huppert (Amour) as a philosophy teacher attempting to deal with a terrible trifecta of life issues…
Thithi
Comedy from southern India following a man whose wants to quickly sell off his late grandfather’s chunk of land. Unfortunately, it’s been passed down to his chain-smoking, uncooperative, fuzzy-haired father…
The Innocents
During the aftermath of WWII, a young doctor is urged to visit a local Polish convent. There she finds a nun in labour, and hears other grim tales from other sisters, many of whom still cannot face their own pregnancy, with the army responsible now having disappeared.
After the Storm
Japanese drama from the director of the sublime Our Little Sister, following a broken private detective attempting to reconnect with his family after the death of his father.
More info on ‘After the Storm’
Julieta
From the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind The Skin I Live In, this Spanish drama weaves together three short stories by Alice Munro.
Personal Shopper
Kristen Stewart and her Clouds of Sils Maria director Olivier Assayas (who won Best Director at Cannes this year) team up again for this ethereal and mysterious ghost story.
More info on ‘Personal Shopper’
The full NZIFF programme will be available from Tuesday 21 June and tickets on sale from Friday 24 June from Ticketmaster for Auckland. Wellington programme will be available from Friday 24 June and tickets on sale from Thursday 30 June via nziff.co.nz. NZIFF 2016 dates are:
Auckland 14 – 31 July
Wellington 22 July – 7 August
Christchurch 28 July – 14 August
Dunedin 4 – 21 August
Further regional dates, along with ticketing information can be found at nziff.co.nz.
