The New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF) presents Animation NOW!, a stand-alone festival of shorts featuring the best of local and international animation.

Animation NOW! returns to Auckland for its fourth year where it will screen at Academy Cinemas on 9–11 August, the weekend immediately following the NZIFF.

3D animation, illustrations mixed with abstract shapes and thought-provoking narratives are packed into six distinct collections curated by NZIFF’s animation programmer Malcom Turner.

“This year there seems to be a trend towards beautifully painted and hand-drawn work. With more than 4,000 submissions to choose from, we’ve put together a rich and diverse selection of work from the utterly eclectic world of independent animation,” says programmer Malcolm Turner.

The programme includes two animated shorts from New Zealand. Winter’s Blight, an intricate stop-motion animation about a reclusive elderly man living in Central Otago written and directed by Claire Campbell will screen as part of the Handmade collection. Trumpet-Trompette, a smooth and stylish musical meditation directed by Max Woodward, will feature in the International Showcase collection.

Shorts in five of the Animation NOW! collections will compete towards the Victoria University of Wellington School of Design Jury Prize which awards the best judged film with a $5,000 prize (shorts in the Rosto collection are not in competition). The finalists will be shortlisted by a panel of programmers and animators and the winner will be announced online.

Animation NOW! screens at Academy Cinemas in Auckland from Friday 9 to Sunday 11 August. Tickets go on sale on Friday 28 June 2019.

The post Animation NOW! Festival Returns to Auckland, NZ appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

The New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF) today reveals three reimagined highly anticipated films for this year’s line-up.

Programmer Sandra Reid is thrilled that NZIFF has been able to secure these very special restorations.

“Amazing Grace captures a glorious Aretha Franklin as she records live her now mega-successful eponymous gospel album in a church in Los Angeles in 1972. Apocalypse Now: Final Cut, Francis Ford Coppola’s definitive version of his 40-year-old masterpiece, which premiered at Tribeca earlier this year, features new, never-before-seen footage.

As does Apollo 11, an astounding documentary, entirely devised from reams of audio and filmed recordings of the 1969 space mission which took mankind to the moon. These are films that ‘take you there’ with an immediacy to be experienced on the big screen”.

Film details:

Welcome back to the jungle with Brando, Duvall, Fishburne and Hopper for Francis Ford Coppola’s final – and finest – version of the ultimate Vietnam War epic – Apocalypse Now: The Final Cut.

Amazing Grace was 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.

Apollo 11 is an essential big screen experience, this spectacular documentary utilises a treasure trove of painstakingly restored footage to show us the Apollo 11 moon landing as it has never been seen before. In Auckland, Apollo 11 will screen at The Civic on the 50th Anniversary of the moon landing – Saturday 20th of July 2019.

NZIFF is run by a charitable trust and encourages lively interactions between films, filmmakers and New Zealand audiences in 13 towns and cities around the country. The full NZIFF programme will be available from Tuesday 25 June for Auckland, Friday 28 June for Wellington, Tuesday 9th of July 2019 for Dunedin, and Tuesday 16th of July 2019 for Christchurch.

NZIFF starts in Auckland on 18th of July 2019, Wellington from 26th of July 2019, Dunedin from 1st of August 2019, and Christchurch from 8th of August in 2019.

The post Restoration Films Announced For NZIFF appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

After 40 years of service Bill Gosden, Director of the New Zealand International Film Festival, will retire in March 2019. NZIFF will begin a recruitment process to find a new Film Festival Director to programme the premier event.

“This year we have celebrated 50 years of NZIFF in Auckland and there, in Wellington and over the country as a whole, seen the best attendances ever. Now, sadly, we accept Bill’s decision to retire at the end of March for health reasons. Bill, over 40 years, has created not only the New Zealand International Film Festival as an unmissable annual event, but also audiences with an appetite to be surprised and rewarded by the best of the world’s cinema. We will all miss him and what he has brought to our cultural life during his tenure, and wish him the very best,” says Catherine Fitzgerald, Chair of the New Zealand Film Festival Trust.

The Trust oversees the not-for-profit event which has employed Bill since 1979, and for which he has curated/directed since 1981. His first curated national festival took place in 1984. Under Bill’s leadership the film festivals around NZ have grown to programme over 160 films for NZIFF events in 14 towns and cities around NZ, screening from July to September each year.

“March 2019 will mark the 40th anniversary of my first job at the Wellington Film Festival. In a constantly shifting mediascape there have been few dull stretches since. Regular iterations of the impending demise of cinema always denied us the luxury of reclining into ‘business as usual’. Like filmmaking itself, staging a film festival is a collaborative project. Marshalling the myriad interests at play may require concentration, discernment and even a little imagination, but the will to keep NZIFF thriving is widely shared. I am reminded again and again of the diversity of supporters who have seen us through the red and the black, the thick and thin,” says Bill Gosden.

“It’s been a pleasure and a privilege to enjoy that support for so long. I look back with pride on the astounding array of national and international filmmaking that has found its first New Zealand audience at NZIFF. I leave with great confidence that whoever steps up next will be working with a remarkable and cohesive crew who love NZIFF and know it backwards.” says Gosden.

NZIFF, as it was named in 2009, has been run by a small team of permanent staff, a number of short-term contractors and a large contingent of volunteers lead by Bill. The structure will remain the same, including key positions held by long-serving staff members General Manager Sharon Byrne, Communications Manager Rebecca McMillan, Programme Manager Michael McDonnell and Programmer Sandra Reid supported by contract programmers Malcolm Turner, Ant Timpson and Nic Marshall.

An international recruitment for the new Film Festival Director role is now underway.

The post NZIFF Director retirement announced for 2019 appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

When aliens invade Australia, it takes a small community to save the nation, to save the world.

Occupation is a medium budget SciFi film shot in just 6 to 7 weeks in Australia and is apart of the currently running NZ Film Festival (aswell as showing at main cinemas).

Starring New Zealand’s own Temuera Morrison (Once Were Warriors, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Shortland Street) as an ex-crim who is healing the relationship with his estranged daughter.

Taking a camper van in to the small town Australia should have been a good relaxing break for the troubled small family.

Unfortunately beings from another world spoiled family time.

Occupation starts off slow as the audience is introduced to key characters and gains an insight in to the small town dramas and troubles each of them face.

An impressively feature-rich independent film (that we are apparently going to see a sequel to) Occupation takes the premise of human survival in an invasion that aims to not simply wipe out the human race on Earth, but to enslave them.

While there are a few narrative holes, and some questionable acting moments (not from Tem though, he was on mark) Occupation still get’s through and is gripping enough to want to watch again.

Occupation, a small budget production with maximum output. An Australian ‘Independance Day’.

The post Occupation (Sparke Films) Film review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

The nation of New Zealand is known globally for its film creativity.

From the likes of Pork Pie through to The Lord of the Rings, NZ Film is celebrated through out the small nation giving independent and up and coming Directors, writers, Producers and actors exposure through the New Zealand Film Festival which is currently in full swing.

I was invited to a small cinema in Auckland City to the premier of one such independent film, one that touches on a sensitive subject and affects every nation, every culture. Suicide.

This documentary / acted drama gives a raw and emotional window in to the lives of those affected by a loved one’s passing through suicide.

Focusing, mostly, on Māori families (Whanau’s) Maui’s Hook from Māori psychologist and filmmaker Paora Joseph follows the journey of healing via five differing whanau’s each telling their stories on how a suicide of an immediate family member, a Mother, a Dad, a Son impacted on them with the film aiming to open up the issue that many do not speak of. Especially in Māori culture, where suicide was once thought of as an act against the culture, against the wider whanau.

Interviewed by Joseph the five families travel from around the country from Taranaki (New Zealnd’s West Cost) to Cape Reinga (top of New Zealand’s North Island), a resting place in Māori beliefs where the souls are thought to depart.

As they brave floods, wild weather and long, lengthy travels by bus, the families arrive at various towns, Maraes (Māori Meeting Houses) and private homes and open up about the struggles that they faced with the suicide of their loved one, and how they overcame it.

Maui’s Hook is not fully a documentary though. It mixes real world with supernatural, as a side story plays out about a troubled youth called Tama (Niwa Whatuira) who after various bouts with the law and a flurry of uncontrollable emotions can see only one way out of his personal troubles. He joins the affected families on the bus, in their homes and on Marae’s, quietly observing, as if no one can see or hear him…

Maui’s Hook is a film about suicide, but it’s also about survival and triumphs.

Be prepared for a mix of emotions as you join the journey of healing.

A superb independent film that needed to be made.

The post Maui’s Hook (NZIFF) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

The New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF) presents Animation NOW!, a smorgasbord of international animated shorts . Animation NOW! returns for a third festival year as a stand-alone weekend of screenings immediately following NZIFF in Auckland, New Zealand.

Myriad voices and styles are packed into six thought-provoking and artistically distinct collections of animated shorts curated by Malcolm Turner and Annie Murray.

“We look at the strangely normal aspects of urban life in Crazy Towne, explore the re-occurring dark themes in our modern climate in Dark Hearts, are delighted by movement, mutations and textures in Morph ‘n’ Move, look at stunning hand-crafted animation in Handmade, travel the world through a miscellaneous mix of shorts in the International Showcase and put a spotlight on the best to come out of an animation oasis in Fresh Eyes on Estonia,” says Animation NOW! programmer Malcolm Turner.

Two New Zealand shorts will screen as part of the programme. David Midgley’s Tom features in the Dark Hearts collection while Paul James’ Trap will screen as part of the International Showcase. Another highlight will be the Oscar-nominated marvel Negative Space by Max Porter and Ru Kuwahata which will screen as part of Handmade.

The Festival will screen at Academy Cinemas in Auckland from Friday 10 August until Sunday 12 August. The full schedule is available now, and tickets go on sale from Friday 29 June, 2018.

The post Animation NOW! festival returns appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

The New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF) has revealed details on the much-anticipated 19th Live Cinema Screening in collaboration with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.

This year we see the return to one of the wonders of the movie world with a stunning new 4K restoration of Buster Keaton’s The General – considered to be one of the greatest comedies of the silent era.

Preserved by the Library of Congress, restored by Modern Videofilm and supervised by the Cohen Collection, this new restoration provides the perfect excuse to screen this film for (only) the third time in NZIFF’s history. Peter Scholes conducts Carl Davis’ classic score.

Buster Keaton

The Live Cinema Screening is a one night only event at The Civic in Auckland on Sunday 5 August with tickets on sale on Thursday 7 June.

“The General is one of the greatest films of all time. This brilliant restoration provides the perfect excuse to include this film in the programme for Auckland,” says NZIFF Director Bill Gosden.

First screened in 1926, many film critics consider The General to be the last great comedy of the silent era and it consistently ranks as one of the greatest comedies of all time in international polls.

The title refers to Keaton’s engine, ‘The General’, which figures prominently in one of the most harrowing and hilarious chase scenes ever filmed. Keaton portrays the engineer Johnnie Gray, who is rejected by the Confederate Army and then suffers the further humiliation of his girlfriend thinking him a coward. When a small band of Union soldiers penetrate far beyond Confederate lines to steal his locomotive, Johnnie Gray sets off in hot pursuit.

The General – Original Cinematic Poster

Conductor Peter Scholes has a long association with film scoring. He was composer and conductor for the New Zealand feature film Desperate Remedies by Peter Wells and Stuart Main, and also conducted the soundtrack to Heavenly Creatures. He was the founder and is the current musical director of the Auckland Chamber Orchestra, which he conducted in the NZIFF’s first ever orchestral Live Cinema, Erich von Stroheim’s The Wedding March at St James Theatre in 1999.

NZIFF is run by a charitable trust and encourages lively interactions between films, filmmakers and New Zealand audiences in 13 towns and cities around the country. The full NZIFF programme will be available from Tuesday 26th of June for Auckland, and Friday 29th of June 2018 for Wellington. NZIFF 2018 starts in Auckland on 19th of July and in Wellington from 27th of July 2018.

The post NZIFF Announces Live Cinema Screening of The General appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Leon Narbey will be the Guest Selector for the New Zealand International Film Festival’s (NZIFF) only competition strand, the New Zealand’s Best short film competition.

Five to six selected New Zealand shorts will premiere in Auckland, Wellington, Dunedin and Christchurch where audiences are encouraged to vote for their favourite short from Narbey’s shortlist. Previous Guest Selectors have included Gaylene Preston (2017), Lee Tamahori (2016), Christine Jeffs (2015), Andrew Adamson (2014), Alison Maclean (2013) and Roger Donaldson (2012).

Leon Narbey is one of New Zealand’s finest cinematographers and has worked closely with many of New Zealand’s greatest filmmakers. After studying Sculpture and Lighting at Elam School of Fine Arts his first films Room 2 and A Film of Real Time were completed in 1968 and 1971 respectively. He went on to shoot TV news and then he collaborated on important early documentaries Te Matakite O Aotearoa: The Maori Land March (Geoff Steven) and then Bastion Point: Day 507 (with Merata Mita and Gerd Pohlmann) before making his own Man of the Treesquestioning the destruction of the world’s forests. In 1987 he directed his award-winning feature Illustrious Energy. As cinematographer Narbey has shot many feature films and documentaries including Desperate Remedies, The Price of Milk, Whale Rider, Colin McCahon: I Am, Perfect Creature, Rain of the Children, No. 2, My Talks with Dean Spanley, and The Dead Lands which was his fourth collaboration with Toa Fraser. He has worked extensively with Shirley Horrocks since the early 1990s, and more recently he has worked closely with writer /director Tusi Tamasese on his films Va Tapuia, The Orator / O le Tulafale and One Thousand Ropes.

Leon Narbey

“We’re delighted to have Leon join as this year’s Guest Selector for the New Zealand’s Best Short Film competition. Leon has a great eye for film and he has a wealth of expertise across an important cross section of NZ cinema. We look forward to receiving his selection of shorts for the competition.

We received 84 submissions which my programming colleagues Sandra Reid, Michael McDonnell and I have shortlisted to 12 for Leon to consider,” says NZIFF Director Bill Gosden.

This year’s NZ’s Best finalists will be eligible for three prizes. Madman Entertainment will again support the title award, the Madman Entertainment Best Short Film Award. The cash prize of $5,000 NZD is donated by the Australasian distribution company. The winner will be chosen by a three-person jury appointed by NZIFF and Madman Entertainment.

Sir James Wallace

The participation of Sir James Wallace together with the Wallace Foundation and Wallace Productions Ltd will continue the Friends of the Civic Award. The Wallace Foundation stepped in three years ago to fund the award after the dissolution of the longstanding donors, the Friends of the Civic. The Wallace Friends of the Civic Award will be a cash prize of $4,000 NZD and a Golden Elephant Trophy awarded to the film or contributor to a film deemed to merit special recognition.

The Audience Choice Award will be selected by audience members who attend the NZ’s Best screenings in Auckland and Wellington. Audience members will be invited to rank the finalists and the film that receives the highest rating will win a 25% share of the box office takings from the New Zealand’s Best screenings in the four main centres. In 2017 this prize was $4,500 NZD.

NZIFF is run by a charitable trust and encourages lively interactions between films, filmmakers and New Zealand audiences in 13 towns and cities around the country. The full NZIFF programme will be available from Tuesday 26 June for Auckland, and Friday 29 June for Wellington. NZIFF starts in Auckland on 19th of July 2018 and in Wellington from 27th of July 2018.

The post NZIFF Announces Guest Selector for Short Film Competition appeared first on Shane the Gamer.