Of the handful of NZIFF 2014 films I’ve been fortunate enough to see so far, The Tale of The Princess Kaguya was the most affecting – while Studio Ghibli films are always pretty special, this one is a treasure. Moving from spiritual to cerebral (though perhaps both for some), Particle Fever shed light on the mysteries of the Large Hadron Collider (which I still haven’t quite managed to get my head around). I love photography so am looking forward to seeing Sebastião Selgado’s work on the big screen in The Salt of the Earth, Jane Bown’s portraits in Looking for Light and NZ artist Gavin Hipkins’ take on Samuel Butler’s utopian satire in Erewhon. Being a Raymond Chandler fan, I’m keen to meet detective Zhang in Black Coal, Thin Ice, and am also looking forward to another urban noir thriller made closer to home, REALITi. I’m expecting to scale interesting heights at Manakamana, while Tender – a small film exploring a big theme – will no doubt bring me back to earth. I’m also intrigued to see if Jimi: All Is By My Side; Pulp: a Film about Life, Death & Supermarkets and 20,000 Days on Earth can be added to my list of adored music films that make favourite old songs feel all shiny and new again (every single time I watch them).
Films — by Collection
- Dan Slevin
- David Larsen
- Florian Habicht
- Gemma Gracewood
- Jess Feast
- Jo Randerson
- Letterboxd
- Lindsay Shelton
- Peter Calder: From the Earth to the Stars
- RNZ: Simon Morris Chats to Bill Gosden
- Sandra Reid
- Staff Picks: Cass Hesom-Williams
- Staff Picks: Debbie Fish
- Staff Picks: Felicity Drace
- Staff Picks: Hayden Ellis
- Staff Picks: Jule Hartung
- Staff Picks: Kailey Carruthers
- Staff Picks: Leah Goffe Robertson
- Staff Picks: Lynn Smart
- Staff Picks: Megan Duffy
- Staff Picks: Melanie Rae
- Staff Picks: Michael McDonnell
- Staff Picks: Rebecca McMillan
- Staff Picks: Sarah Garven
- Staff Picks: Sarah McMullan
- Staff Picks: Vanessa Rushton
- The Lumière Reader
- The Pantograph Punch
- Wellington Film Society's Picks of NZIFF 2014
Staff Picks: Cass Hesom-Williams
20,000 Days on Earth
The legend of Nick Cave is explored and amplified in this seductive, music-filled documentary created in collaboration with British filmmaker/artists Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard. “Thrilling to behold.” — Time Out
Erewhon
For his first feature-length film the widely exhibited New Zealand photographer Gavin Hipkins invests a richly pictorial essay with the 21st-century resonance of Samuel Butler’s lively utopian satire Erewhon, written in 1872.
Particle Fever
“This documentary accessibly conveys the science and the human drama behind the largest machine ever built – the Large Hadron Collider – and its crowning achievement, the discovery of the Higgs boson particle.” — Scientific American
Pulp: a Film about Life, Death & Supermarkets
NZer Florian Habicht’s acclaimed collaboration with Jarvis Cocker fixes the triumphant 2012 concert billed as Pulp’s last ever within a loving portrait of Sheffield and Sheffielders.
The Salt of the Earth
Le sel de la terre
The life and work of Sebastião Salgado, the undisputed master of monumental photojournalism, is explored in this wonderful doco, jointly directed by his son, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado, and German director Wim Wenders.
The Tale of The Princess Kaguya
Kaguya-hime no monogatari
Hot on the heels of Miyazaki’s The Wind Rises comes another animated masterpiece. Studio Ghibli co-founder Takahata’s rich and astonishing swansong vividly brings an ancient Japanese folktale to life.
Tender
In this remarkably rewarding documentary we meet a feisty community group in Port Kembla, NSW that sets out to bypass the corporate drivers of the funeral industry and set up their own non-profit funeral business.