NZIFF celebrates Kiwi brilliance behind the camera and in front of it – along with a pair of documentary portraits that, seen together, might provoke comparisons between the appetite for brainy women in popular entertainment then and now: in the Hollywood studio era vs. the presumably more enlightened 21st century.

NZ Premiere: Yellow is Forbidden

Kiwi director Pietra Brettkelly takes us into the opulent world of show-stopping Chinese designer Guo Pei as she prepares to make her Paris debut and seeks admission into the exclusive club of haute couture.

“Compelling and stimulating… an intimate, involving portrait of Chinese fashion designer Guo Pei.”  — Keith Uhlich, Hollywood Reporter

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NZ Premiere: Leave No Trace

New Zealand actress Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie is mesmerising as 13-year-old Tom living off the grid with her war vet father (Ben Foster) in this haunting new film from the director of Winter’s Bone.

“Something deeply compassionate, a story of a father and daughter that speaks truths about some large things.” — Richard Lawson, Vanity Fair

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NZ Premiere: Matangi / Maya / M.I.A

From refugee daughter of a Tamil revolutionary and aspiring filmmaker to pop stardom and controversy magnet: this stimulating documentary about Sri Lankan musician M.I.A. dances to its own idiosyncratic beat.

“A hypnotic portrait of a restless and inconvenient artist who understood the power of her voice, and felt compelled to use it for a greater cause.” — Leonardo Goi, The Film Stage

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NZ Premiere: Bombshell: Hedy Lamarr

Alexandra Dean’s debut documentary is a revelatory and entertaining portrait of an adventurous woman and talented inventor better known to the world as the embodiment of Hollywood sex and glamour.

“Any girl can look glamorous, all she has to do is stand still and look stupid.” — Hedy Lamarr

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