Narrowing down the NZIFF programme to a few favourites proved once again to be a daunting project. Made of turbulent love stories in black and white, ground breaking documentaries and rollercoaster stories from my home country, here is a sampler of favourite films previewed and titles I look forward to the most.
Films — by Collection
- Letterboxd
- Newshub: The 12 Most Exciting Films at NZIFF
- Staff Picks: Alice Vilardel
- Staff Picks: Ant Timpson
- Staff Picks: Bex Shannon
- Staff Picks: Bill Gosden
- Staff Picks: Camila Araos-Elevancini
- Staff Picks: Ina Kinski
- Staff Picks: Jane Simons
- Staff Picks: Jean Teng
- Staff Picks: Kailey Carruthers
- Staff Picks: Karen Cartwright
- Staff Picks: Liam Reid
- Staff Picks: Matt Wilshere
- Staff Picks: Megan Andrews
- Staff Picks: Michael McDonnell
- Staff Picks: Nick Paris
- Staff Picks: Rebecca McMillan
- Staff Picks: Sally Woodfield
- Staff Picks: Sandra Reid
- Staff Picks: Sharon Byrne
- Staff Picks: Tim Wong
- Staff Picks: Zoe Pattinson Fan
- Wellington Film Society
Staff Picks: Alice Vilardel
Cold War
Zimna wojna
Winner of the Cannes Best Director award, Paweł Pawlikowski (Ida) has crafted a brilliant, kaleidoscopic vision of 1950s Europe, bursting with music, dance and the turbulent love of two musicians caught between East and West.
The World Is Yours
Le monde est à toi
Isabelle Adjani is the safe-cracking matriarch and Karim Leklou is her son who longs for a Mr Freeze franchise and a quiet life in this Cannes hit, a rollercoaster crime caper from writer-director Romain Gavras.
American Animals
Rising stars Barry Keoghan (The Killing of a Sacred Deer) and Evan Peters (American Horror Story) lead this enthralling true-crime thriller that is as thematically probing as it is straight-up propulsive.
Shut Up and Play the Piano
Rapper, piano virtuoso, performance artist, gifted collaborator or evil, smirking genius, Jason Beck aka Chilly Gonzales crowd-surfs the academy and puts on a hell of a show in the year’s wildest, funniest music doco.
Speak Up
A voix haute
The struggle and power in finding one’s own voice is celebrated in this inspirational doco as a diverse group of French students undergo intensive training for a prestigious public speaking competition.
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.
McKellen: Playing the Part
In this illuminating documentary portrait, Sir Ian McKellen looks back at the six decades of his glittering career, from his early success on UK stages through to his towering performances in film.