As the clamour for printed copies at the launch last night confirmed, the reveal of the NZ International Film Festival each year is keenly anticipated by movie lovers.
This year’s programme is as packed with quality offerings as ever – here are the local films and collections of shorts for 2018, entering the pantheon of Aotearoa film that we are celebrating 40 years of this month.
Narrative Features
The Field Guide to Evil
New horror anthology from producers Ant Timpson and Tim League (The ABCs of Death), with shorts based on myth and folklore from around the globe. Segments by the directors of Berberian Sound Studio, The Lure, Goodnight Mommy, Baskin and more.
Mega Time Squad
A low-level crim uses an ancient time-travel device to pull off heists and save himself from past/future harm in this crime comedy set in Thames, New Zealand.
Stray
Set in the chilly environments of New Zealand’s South Island, this stark drama follows a self-confined man reeling from an act of violence. Stars Kieran Charnock, who was awarded Best Actor for his performance at the 2018 Moscow International Film Festival. We’ve seen this – and you can expect a rave review soon.
Documentaries
Angie
Through the words of Centrepoint survivor Angie Meiklejohn, this film from director Costa Botes (The Last Dogs of Winter) details the legacy of abuse within the New Zealand commune.
Bludgeon
Documentary about a group of modern knights competing to represent New Zealand in the brutal sport of ‘medieval combat’.
Celia
Former 60 Minutes journalist Amanda Miller directs this portrait of Celia Lashlie, who co-founded a camp for those affected by domestic violence.
Dog’s Best Friend
An animal lover’s documentary that shows the inner workings of an Aussie rehabilitation centre for troubled dogs.
The Heart Dances – The Journey of The Piano: the Ballet
Director Rebecca Tansley (Crossing Rachmaninoff) examines the Royal New Zealand Ballet adaptation of Jane Campion classic The Piano.
Māui’s Hook
Five New Zealand families, each grieving over a loved one who took their life, bravely and openly discuss the tragedy of suicide in the latest film from Joseph Paora Te Oti Takarangi (Te Awa Tupua, Tātarakihi).
Merata: How Mum Decolonised the Screen
Merata Mita, landmark Māori filmmaker behind Patu! and Mauri, is honoured in this personal portrait from her son Heperi.
Paul Callaghan: Dancing with Atoms
Filmmaker Shirley Horrocks (Venus: A Quest) explores the life and career of Sir Paul Callaghan, one of New Zealand’s greatest scientists.
She Shears
New Zealand documentary on five women with a passion for sheep shearing – two of whom are legends, three of whom are stars on the rise.
Yellow is Forbidden
New Zealand director Pietra Brettkelly (A Flickering Truth) follows designer Guo Pei’s attempt to break into the exclusive and mostly European club of elite fashion designers.
Short Films
New Zealand’s Best 2018
Cinematographer Leon Narbey (Whale Rider, The Dead Lands) selected these six local short film as finalists in this annual showcase.
Ngā Whanaunga Māori Pasifika Shorts 2018
Leo Koziol, director of the Wairoa Māori Film Festival, and guest co-curator Craig Fasi, director of the Pollywood Film Festival, have come together once again to display this collection of Māori and Pasifika short films.
Eight Uneasy Pieces
“The ‘Cinema of Unease’ is alive and well in this stylish collection of eight Kiwi shorts,” says the festival programme, “taking us on a perceptive and soul-searching tour the length and breadth of the country”. Includes a special extended cut of Lauren Porteous’ Under the Bridge, last year’s winner of the 48Hours filmmaking competition and the first 48 short to play at NZIFF.
Foreign Correspondents
As the festival programme notes, Kiwi filmmakers “make films in all corners of the globe, often bringing a uniquely Kiwi perspective to foreign stories, while immigrant filmmakers can often bring a fresh perspective to stories told here. This collection of accomplished and affecting films shares tales told by Kiwis around the world.”
Tom
Tom is living a nightmare he is having problems understanding – and the help he is getting seems more like a sinister threat. Playing as part of Animation NOW! Dark Hearts.
Trap
Paul James brings his mother’s story to life with animation inspired by the work of local artists Michael Smithers and Rita Angus. Playing as part of Animation NOW! International Showcase.
This story is part of our month-long celebration of 40 years of NZ film. Follow all our daily coverage here.
