There is a very bold dose of humanity in my 2019 selection, which showcases people of presence, in explorations of humility, love, hardship and impact. I hope there’s a story that will ring true for you in this list. Oh, and you can probably take a guess at my musical tastes… — Emma Carter, Audience Development Coordinator
Films — by Collection
- Film Talks: Jane Ross
- Flicks.co.nz
- Letterboxd Community
- Letterboxd Crew
- Lumière Cinemas
- Staff Picks: Bradley Pratt
- Staff Picks: Charlotte Underhill
- Staff Picks: Daniel Burger
- Staff Picks: Emma Carter
- Staff Picks: Ina Kinski
- Staff Picks: Jessica Hof
- Staff Picks: Lauren Day
- Staff Picks: Lauri Korpela
- Staff Picks: Lynnaire MacDonald
- Staff Picks: Michael McDonnell
- Staff Picks: Nick Paris
- Staff Picks: Rebecca McMillan
- Staff Picks: Sandra Reid
- Staff Picks: Sharon Byrne
- Staff Picks: Tim Wong
- Wellington Film Society
Staff Picks: Emma Carter
![Animals](/assets/resized/sm/upload/j2/x4/9z/5f/180322-Animals-hi-res%20KEY-0-520-0-390-crop.jpg?k=8ca1767ff5)
Animals
Holliday Grainger and Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development) are thirty-something best friends in Dublin, where partying hard is still their way to have fun, but the reality of getting older is getting harder to ignore.
![Amazing Grace](/assets/resized/sm/upload/vh/2h/u5/gy/AG_Still_7%20KEY-0-520-0-390-crop.jpg?k=702c024e6d)
Amazing Grace
Rescued from 45 years in legal and technical limbo, this extraordinary music film capturing Aretha Franklin in full flight deserves your respect – and the biggest screen and sound system possible.
![Ask Dr. Ruth](/assets/resized/sm/upload/6t/oa/2p/46/ASK_DR._RUTH_%5BCourtesy_of_Hulu%5D_1_PR_HR_UBG%20KEY-0-520-0-390-crop.jpg?k=b02e0bbc06)
Ask Dr. Ruth
As her 90th birthday approaches, irrepressible Dr Ruth, the famed American sex therapist, reflects on her life and career in a film as spirited as she is.
![Backtrack Boys](/assets/resized/sm/upload/fk/rp/42/kw/Backtrack%20Boys%20on%20truck%20KEY%20OPTION-0-520-0-390-crop.jpg?k=31562ec575)
Backtrack Boys
A love for wild dogs and a love for wild kids inspire Australian Bernie Shakeshaft’s remarkable programme to transform the lives of both, intimately observed over two years in Catherine Scott’s acclaimed documentary.
![For Sama](/assets/resized/sm/upload/fx/ou/ky/gn/SAMA_main%20KEY-0-520-0-390-crop.jpg?k=c7d15a4d9d)
For Sama
Shot over five years, Waad al-Kateab’s intimate, Cannes award-winning film addresses her baby daughter and delivers a harrowing account of the war in Aleppo, the devastation wrought on the city, its people and children.
![Inna de Yard](/assets/resized/sm/upload/03/fz/o9/4w/DSC07972_PR_HR_UBG_CMYK%20WEB%20KEY-0-520-0-390-crop.jpg?k=1ce4b471e7)
Inna de Yard
Beyond Bob Marley, Inna de Yard dives deep into the soul of reggae music, the die-hard singers and songwriters who were there from the beginning, and the Jamaican sound and spirit.
![Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love](/assets/resized/sm/upload/5e/za/bh/bk/marianne1%20KEY-0-520-0-390-crop.jpg?k=ca601495e4)
Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love
A deep dive into the myth of Leonard Cohen, the singer’s defining relationship with Marianne Ihlen, and prolific documentarian Nick Broomfield’s own personal connection to Cohen’s famous lover and muse.
![Walking on Water](/assets/resized/sm/upload/pv/r8/ux/zs/wow2%20KEY-0-520-0-390-crop.jpg?k=92643ac3cd)
Walking on Water
Octogenarian Christo wraps up a miraculous career with a spectacular network of fabric walkways over an Italian lake, in an oft-humorous closeup look at the process of creation, clashes of egos and perils of nature.
![Working Woman](/assets/resized/sm/upload/l9/kg/l4/jv/KEY%20OPTION%202-0-520-0-390-crop.jpg?k=6f22338620)
Working Woman
Isha Ovedet
Tense and full of real complexities, this Israeli workplace harassment drama follows Orna – a soldier, wife, mother and working woman pressured by her boss’ unorthodox demands.