The curtain has fallen on NZIFF’s Christchurch leg for 2017, and it has been a remarkable Festival. Every year, NZIFF goes above and beyond to provide cinephiles with the best New Zealand and the world has to offer cinematically. Better yet, the Festival is not just in a single location, but across New Zealand, with […]
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After a satisfyingly diverse NZIFF for 2017, all eyes were on the Closing Night film, Ruben Östlund’s Palme d’Or winning satire The Square. Not only is the film wholly deserving of its Cannes win, it was also a perfect finale for the Film Festival. The Square takes a tongue-firmly-in-cheek look at a modern art gallery […]
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The Christchurch leg of the New Zealand International Film Festival is creeping ever closer to the final few days; but there are still magnificent films on offer until the curtain falls this coming weekend. While my chosen films have ranged from the cerebral (Stalker, The Killing of a Sacred Deer) to the heart-warming (Spookers), there […]
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In April 1980, armed gunmen infiltrate the Iranian Embassy in London. What followed would not only set the template for the British response to terrorist threats, but saw unprecedented live news coverage never before seen in Britain. On a Bank Holiday weekend where the most anticipated viewing on television was the snooker finals, a heart-stopping, […]
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One of the benefits of film festivals like NZIFF is that cinephiles have the opportunity to sample some very different fare from what is offered on a regular basis, and if you’re looking for something to challenge you cinematically, Yorgos Lanthimos’s The Killing of a Sacred Deer absolutely fits the bill. The Killing of a Sacred Deer is […]
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Confession: I didn’t expect to come out of Florian Habicht’s Spookers feeling as buoyant as I did. While the trailer for the film had utterly charmed me into making Spookers part of my NZIFF viewing this year, trailers can be deceiving. Thankfully, Spookers turned out to be a funny, engaging and life-affirming documentary experience. Spookers […]
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The New Zealand International Film Festival has a history of providing cinephiles not only with brilliant new films but also bringing classics back to the big screen, and this year is no different. The Christchurch leg sees the screening of the restored version of Andrei Tarkovsky’s 1979 dystopian classic, Stalker. Stalker is less of a […]
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The New Zealand International Film Festival reaches its final Friday in Auckland (don’t worry, the fest itself is by no means done), and with it another chance to catch British period drama Lady Macbeth. Directed by William Oldroyd, and penned by Alice Birch (from Nikolai Leskov’s text), the little gem tells the story of a […]
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As the Auckland leg of the New Zealand International Film Festival nears its close, the magic continues with The Love Witch, a vivid, retro horror-drama – tongue firmly in cheek. Written and directed by Anna Biller, there’s a hefty 1960s vibe, paying homage to the technicolor horror flicks of that era of cinema. Samantha Robinson […]
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So the second venue of the New Zealand International Film Festival is underway, and the uncompromising selection of films on offer at Wellington is mouth-watering. Kicking off yesterday (28th July New Zealand time zone) the venue holds festival films through to 13th August. Here are just some of the highlights screening this very weekend. Citizen […]
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The New Zealand International Film Festival welcomes Mike MIlls’ latest movie 20th Century Women late today in Auckland. The American film from the director of Beginners is another bittersweet drama, this time set in the late 1970s Southern, and somewhat autobiographical. The screenplay by Mills was nominated for an Academy Award this year, following two […]
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A bit of Irish spice lands in Auckland for the New Zealand International Film Festival with the quirky, but relevant, drama A Date for Mad Mary directed by Darren Thornton, adapted (with his brother Colin) from the Yasmine Akram play 10 Dates with Mad Mary – which he also directed. Seána Kerslake plays the title role, […]
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Una, the new film with Rooney Mara and Ben Mendelsohn, has been talked about for months now, and arrives on the shores of the New Zealand International Film Festival. Touchy subject matter to say the least, Una delves into the personal past of a troubled young woman grown up to confront the man who succumbed […]
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The audiences at the New Zealand International Film Festival may have their heart strings tugged a little more here as surprise crowd favorite A Monster Calls pays a visit. Directed by J. A. Bayona with a screenplay adapted from his own novel by by Patrick Ness, A Monster Calls is a dark, sentimental tale of […]
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A gorgeous shade of gloom starts its run at the New Zealand International Film Festival, nominated eleven times at the 42nd César Awards, Frantz is a drama that sees renowned French director François Ozon step away from his perhaps more outlandish, frisky film affairs. Drama being the operative word here, the story is a sullen […]
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Producer and director Gaylene Preston’s My Year With Helen premieres at the New Zealand International Film Festival on Sunday July 23rd July at Auckland’s Civic Theatre. The film’s first Wellington session on July 30th at the Embassy Theatre sold out on the first day of ticket sales. Preston will venture to each venue across the festival […]
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Following the astonishing Animation NOW! programmes that opened the New Zealand International Film Festival, over in Auckland the first feature film to screen is the Palme d’Or winner at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, The Square. Ruben Östlund’s intriguing, slick, somewhat disturbing drama also boasts a satirical reflection on the art world, our cultural and social […]
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Already three days into the New Zealand International Film Festival, with animated shorts galore. The Animation NOW! section of the festival rounds itself off with Dark Hearts, a series of films described as bleak, sexual, creepy, macabre. Check the website for scheduling details, but here is the run-down for the Dark Hearts programme. The Inverted […]
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How much of your daily thoughts are dedicated to independent Chinese animation? I thought so. Film is an education, of course, and the New Zealand International Film Festival continues its Animation NOW! programme with what might be referred to as a new wave of Chinese Animation. Take note of the following shorts screening at the […]
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The Animation NOW! portion of the New Zealand International Film Festival will have an evening session entitled International Showcase. This will feature some inspiring animated shorts spanning the globe, demonstrating technical range, color, themes – including a short from New Zealand itself and a very direct reference to The Simpsons. Here’s the full line-up: Double […]
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