The NZIFF has revealed a hefty chunk of NZ titles ahead of the full programme launch. Prior to Thursday’s announcement, Max Currie’s Everything We Loved had been confirmed, along with the short films screening in the NZ’s Best programme.
James Napier Robertson’s The Dark Horse will open the festival. The most expected of the NZ titles was Gerard Johnstone’s Escalator feature, Housebound, which has been garnering very good press from its international festival screenings, and recently announced some international sales. Housebound is already confirmed for a post-festival NZ release commencing 4 September.
One of Housebound’s Escalator classmates, Curtis Vowell’s Fantail, screened in last year’s festival and is currently having a limited release.
Orphans and Kingdoms
From the final year of Escalator comes another of this year’s NZIFF features, Paolo Rotondo’s Orphans & Kingdoms.
Rounding out the fiction feature selections is REALITi from Jonathan King (Black Sheep, Under the Mountain).
Realiti
The NZIFF has also announced several NZ documentary titles including one from Dark Horse co-producer Jim Marbrook, Cap Bocage.
Cap Bocage
All are having their world premiere screenings at the festival. Aunty and the Star People from Gerard Smyth (); Gavin Hipkins’ Erewhon; Alister Barry & Abi King-Jones’ Hot Air; Sarah Cordery’s notes to eternity; Paora Joseph’s Te Awa Tupua: Voices from the River; Susy Pointon’s Tumanako/Hope; and Paul Wolffram’s Voices of the Land Nga Reo o te Whenua.
Te Awa Tupua
The NZIFF will commence its full programme reveals in Auckland on 23 June. The festival will screen in Auckland (17 July – 3 August); in Wellington (25 July – 10 August); Christchurch and Nelson (6 – 24 August); Dunedin (31 July – 17 August). It will also visit Timaru, Gore, Hawke’s Bay, Hamilton, Tauranga, Palmerston North, Masterton, and New Plymouth.
All the info will be here.
