Glorious smorgasbord of international film

The opening night of the Whānau Mārama New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF) on Wednesday 21 August was a smash hit – with close to 300 people in attendance it was a full house!. We Were Dangerous was a surprisingly uplifting film given it covered some dark territory. We were honoured on the night to have Paolo Bertolin, Artistic Director for NZIFF, with us to open the festival. We were especially delighted to have Manaia Hall, who played Daisy, with us for the screening. Manaia hails from Waikaremoana - what a fabulous talent from right here in Hawke’s Bay. Watch out for We Were Dangerous in cinemas soon – I can highly recommend it.

While that was the only screening of this film in the festival, it’s not too late to see other festival films from a glorious smorgasbord of some of the best picks from around the world.

A number of films have a music theme this year, across a wide range of genres. There are trips down memory lane with Midnight Oil: the hardest line and In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon and, at least in part based on the truth, Kneecap – “Belfast’s own Beastie Boys”. Head South, tells of creating a punk rock band in Christchurch in the 70’s and 80’s, andis based on things that director and screenplay writer, Jonathan Ogilvie, experienced largely firsthand. Another truly Aotearoa story is Alien Weaponry: Kua Tupu Te Ara, a documentary about this heavy metal band, dedicated to te ao Māori and te reo Māori.

On more classical lines is Gloria!, set in Venice, 1800, a group of women in an orphanage discover a pianoforte and proceed to explore their talents and push boundaries. Ryuichi Kalamoto / Opus is the culmination of a lifetime of work from the man who created classics such as Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983).

As with all film festivals there are plenty of human stories, exploring relationships, love and death. My Favourite Cake from Iran tells the story of a lonely 70 year old woman in Tehran who develops a friendship with a taxi driver. Indian film, All We Imagine As Light, explores female bonding between two nurses sharing a flat – one with a husband in Germany and the other with a new Muslim love. Swedish entry, Crossing follows a woman who, at the dying request of her sister, travels through Georgia and Istanbul seeking reconnection with her transgender niece, Tekla.

In The Outrun we journey with Rona, a recovering alcoholic, between London and the Orkney Islands in Scotland. The bond with dogs is explored in Black Dog, when ex-convict, Lang, is forced to live with a dog suspected of having rabies for a week. Icelandic film When the Light Breaks explores the complexity of human emotions around grief in the midst of a love triangle. German film Dying explores family dynamics and dysfunctions while coping with a terminally ill elder. On the other end of the spectrum Agent of Happiness sees government officials in Bhutan wanting to measure their countries happiness – but all is not as rosy as it first seems.

To round out the offerings there are some futuristic, fantasy and horror stories. From I Saw the TV Glow, set in 1998, with two teenagers escaping in late night television, to The Beast (fast forward to 2044), when humans are able to ‘purify’ their DNA and discard previous lives and memories. The Substance, described as a “gloriously grotesque horror show” sees Elizabeth Sparkles chasing eternal youth. It’s all in the title with, Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person, following Sasha, a vampire who “struggles with the moral weight of killing humans for their blood.”

No-one will want to miss Director Wim Wenders masterpiece Paris, Texas presented in a new 4K restoration.

There’s no doubt there’s something for everyone’s tastes. With the final day of the festival on Sunday 1 September and MTG Century Theatre the only venue in Hawke’s Bay – you might want to get in quick and secure your tickets.

Published in the Hawke’s Bay Today newspaper on 24 August 2024 and written by Laura Vodanovich, Director at MTG Hawke’s Bay.

Image: Head South

26 August 2024

Back to News