Films — by Collection

The Lumière Reader

Our writers have been covering the NZIFF for nearly ten years now, and our body of film criticism wouldn’t be nearly as interesting without it. While there’s always something for everyone at the festival, we return each year determined to be challenged by our viewing choices, to reconnect with old iconoclasts, and to discover ambitious new auteurs. The following picks – some of which we’ve already seen, others we’re simply excited about – anticipate, above all, the out of the ordinary.—Brannavan Gnanalingam www.lumiere.net.nz

The Assassin

Nie Yinniang

Hou Hsiao-hsien

Shu Qi plays the eponymous killer in this ravishingly beautiful foray into historical martial arts territory from Taiwanese master Hou Hsiao-hsien. Winner of the Best Director Award at Cannes.

The Lobster

Yorgos Lanthimos

Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos (Dogtooth) casts Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, John C. Reilly and Léa Seydoux in a surreal English-language fable set in a world where singles are forced to couple up or be turned into animals.

Phoenix

Christian Petzold

The director and riveting star of Barbara reunite for another moving film noir-inflected tale of love and profound suspicion, this time set amidst the reconstruction of Berlin in the immediate aftermath of WWII.