The New Zealand International Film Festival is back, and the excitement is palpable. In collaboration with the Arts Foundation, we would like to present to you their curated selection of the top 10 films you won’t want to miss.
- Bad Behaviour – This whimsical dark comedy charts the fraught relationship between a former child actress and her stunt performer daughter. Starring Jennifer Connelly and Arts Foundation Springboarder Ana Scotney.
- Loop Track – A man on the verge of a nervous breakdown retreats to the bush, only to encounter other trampers—and someone or something else entirely—in this psychological thriller, a big screen first for comedian Tom Sainsbury.
- Past Lives – Celine Song’s gorgeous, intensely bittersweet romance ruminates on the lives and loves of two childhood friends fleetingly reunited after decades apart – a remarkable debut feature that was the talk of Sundance.
- Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret – Nostalgic viewing: Judy Blume’s ground-breaking novel about puberty—and so much more—gets a heartfelt and poignant pitch-perfect adaptation that captures the essence of growing up, self-discovery, and the quest for identity.
- May December – Natalie Portman shadows Julianne Moore in Todd Haynes’ salaciously entertaining metafictional psychodrama about an actress researching for a role in a film about a tabloid sex scandal.
- Bread and Roses – A retrospective classic. Arts Foundation Laureate Dame Gaylene Preston’s film adaptation of activist Sonja Davies’ autobiography beautifully captures the heart-breaking social and societal conditions of mid-century women in New Zealand.
- Asteroid City – Wes Anderson goes sci fi in his latest colourful concoction, screening first at the Festival as a jaw-dropping A-list cast converge on the small desert town of Asteroid City for a space convention. Featuring Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Edward Norton. Margot Robbie, Adrien Brody.
- Ms. Information – As the nation plunges into pandemic, Gwen Isaac’s observational documentary delves into the trenches with Siouxsie Wiles, the fuchsia-haired microbiologist who emerged as a national hero and a satanic witch in the minds of a divided New Zealand. A fascinating film examining misogyny backed by Arts Foundation Boosted campaign.
- Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams – Italian glamour, the pursuit of the American dream and Hollywood celebrity are key touchpoints underpinning the life of one of the most revered shoemakers of our times. An affectionate, glam-packed documentary film.
- Fallen Leaves – The Festival closes with the most delightful film from Cannes. Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki returns with a deadpan romantic crowd-pleaser about two lost souls on a bumpy road to finding each other.
