NZIFF 2018 Tauranga 23 Aug–23 Sep 2018

Films — by Collection

Staff Picks: Sally Woodfield

I love every part of going to films – choosing what I want to see, sitting in the dark waiting for the film to start and then succumbing to the experience. My favourite films tend to be stories about people whether fictional or documentary and I love the way film triggers memories of places, moments in time and emotion. Three of my picks – all docos – are particularly special (and I know I’ll need tissues): Gurrumul and McKellen: Playing The Part because I’ve been lucky to have worked with these two incredible people; and Matangi/Maya/M.I.A because I lived in Sri Lanka for a time as a teenage exchange student. My top dozen for this year’s Festival (culled from an initial shortlist of 45!)

3 Faces

Se rokh

Jafar Panahi

“Charming Iranian cinema at its purest… Once more defying a filmmaking ban, Iranian director Jafar Panahi sounds the depths of traditional values in a road movie with actress Behnaz Jafari.” — Deborah Young, Hollywood Reporter

Lean on Pete

Andrew Haigh

Anchored by deeply lived-in performances from Steve Buscemi, Chloë Sevigny and newcomer Charlie Plummer, Lean on Pete is a profoundly moving account of life on the margins of America.

Leave No Trace

Debra Granik

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.

Juliet, Naked

Jesse Peretz

Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke and Chris O’Dowd are perfectly cast in this romcom, based on Nick Hornby’s novel about an indie rock obsession that leads to romance.

Puzzle

Marc Turtletaub

When Agnes (Kelly Macdonald) receives a jigsaw for her birthday, it opens a surprising new avenue in her life and leads her to meet Robert (Irrfan Khan), an avid competitive puzzler who triggers a reassessment of her situation.