As an aspiring festival 'lifer' and amateur cinephile, my 2015 picks span a wide array of subjects and styles. While the list below is a small teaser of my ever-growing wishlist, these are the films that I simply cannot miss seeing for the first or sometimes second time. Always one to give'r for the Canadian content, I look forward to experiencing the wild and woolly programme heading our way this year.
Films — by Collection
- Darren Bevan
- David Larsen
- Films for Teens
- James Croot
- Letterboxd
- Meet the Filmmakers: Auckland
- Meet the Filmmakers: Wellington
- Patricia Watson
- Rebecca McMillan
- Staff Picks: Angela Murphy
- Staff Picks: Bill Gosden
- Staff Picks: Cianna Canning
- Staff Picks: Felicity Drace
- Staff Picks: Hayden Ellis
- Staff Picks: Jenna Udy
- Staff Picks: Kailey Carruthers
- Staff Picks: Kate McArthur
- Staff Picks: Lisa Bomash
- Staff Picks: Lynn Smart
- Staff Picks: Megan Duffy
- Staff Picks: Michael McDonnell
- Staff Picks: Olivia Young
- Staff Picks: Poppy Granger
- Staff Picks: Rachael Deller-Pincott
- Staff Picks: Sandra Reid
- Staff Picks: Sibilla Paparatti
- Staff Picks: Tom Ainge-Roy
- The Lumière Reader
- Tim Wong
- Wellington Film Society's Picks of NZIFF 2015
Staff Picks: Kailey Carruthers
![Turbo Kid](/assets/resized/sm/upload/lq/g3/0k/yk/Turbo%20Kid_Key%20Still-0-520-0-390-crop.jpg?k=27cc74a25f)
Turbo Kid
In the post-apocalyptic future of 1997, Turbo Kid must face down an evil warlord and rescue the girl of his dreams. This retro sci-fi delight is packed with heart, humour and non-stop geysers of blood.
![Tangerine](/assets/resized/sm/upload/m6/r2/hb/jx/Tangerine_Key%20Still%20Photo%20courtesy%20of%20Magnolia%20Pictures-0-520-0-390-crop.jpg?k=a52909e6c4)
Tangerine
Shot on iPhone and looking fantastic, Sean Baker’s R-rated comedy storms the streets, doughnut shops, brothels and clubs of West Hollywood as two transgender BFFs hunt down the ‘bitch’ who did them wrong.
![Experimenter](/assets/resized/sm/upload/ax/ar/bt/hw/The%20Experimenter_Key%20Still_by%20Jason%20Robinette_2014-0-520-0-390-crop.jpg?k=54d3a81b26)
Experimenter
Led by an arresting, coolly clinical performance from Peter Sarsgaard, this potent examination of one of the most controversial figures in social psychology is as indelibly stylised as it is intellectually stimulating.
![Girlhood](/assets/resized/sm/upload/44/f1/mv/on/Girlhood%20NEW%20KEY%20(2)-0-520-0-390-crop.jpg?k=700da713b7)
Girlhood
Bande de filles
Newcomer Karidja Touré makes a mesmerising impression as a teenager drawn out of her shell and into a black girl gang in Céline Sciamma’s energetic and deeply empathetic drama, set in the tough suburbs of Paris.
![Song of the Sea](/assets/resized/sm/upload/wc/n2/gh/sr/Song%20of%20the%20Sea-%20Key%20Still-%20Photo%20Credit,%20Copyright%20Cartoon%20Saloon%20-%20The%20Big%20Farm%20-%20Melusine%20Productions%20-%20Superprod%20-credit-0-520-0-390-crop.jpg?k=5c45938219)
Song of the Sea
An enthralling reinterpretation of Irish folktales… Sophisticated enough to appeal to adults and packed with enough humour and adventure to work for youngsters, Song of the Sea is a real animated gem.
![Amy](/assets/resized/sm/upload/y8/1p/l3/ua/Amy_Key%20Still_Asif%20Kapadia-web-0-520-0-390-crop.jpg?k=eabb34dafe)
Amy
An intimate, overwhelmingly moving tribute to Amy Winehouse, the great young British soul singer whose talent and charisma brought her more fame than anyone might be able to handle. From the director of Senna.
![The Wolfpack](/assets/resized/sm/upload/t4/s3/xt/v2/TheWolfpack_KEY%20STILL-0-520-0-390-crop.jpg?k=41a883a3bd)
The Wolfpack
In this stranger-than-fiction doco, we meet six brothers who have spent their entire lives locked by their father into their Manhattan apartment – where they watch movies obsessively and film their own ingenious re-enactments.