New Zealand
In the 14th century a village seeking escape from the Black Death are guided by a boy’s vision to tunnel into an abandoned mine and emerge into 20th century New Zealand.
Al Shaw’s life revolves around motor racing and his back country junkyard, the “Smash Palace”. His French wife, Jacqui, doesn’t appreciate the lack of attention due to Al’s obsession with cars. When Al finds her in the arms of another man, he takes his daughter, Georgie and heads for the bush, desperately hoping to hold on to the only family he has left. Written by Evan Yates
Recluse Smith is drawn into a revolutionary struggle between guerrillas and right-wingers in New Zealand. Implicated in a murder and framed as a revolutionary conspirator, Smith tries to maintain an attitude of non-violence while caught between warring factions.
An intimate portrait of a Chinese-European couple in New Zealand, and their journey to get a blessing for marriage from traditional Chinese parents.
The story that led to the film, My Wedding and Other Secrets.
An unconventional love story between an antisocial teenager, a Scotsman and a five-year-old girl.
Hibiscus (Suivai Pilisipi Autagavaia, from short film Manurewa) and the take no nonsense Ruth (Anna-Maree Thomas) have been friends since school. But now Hibiscus is in her final year of university, and her domineering mother doesn’t want any boyfriends getting in the way; so Hibiscus enlists Ruth’s help, to handle the temptations of a line of potential suitors.
Epecuén was one of the most important touristic villages of Argentina. Thousands of people concurred, attracted by the healing properties of its thermal waters. On November 10th 1985, a huge volume of water broke the protecting embankment and the village was submerged under ten meters of salt water. Epecuén disappeared. Thirty years later, the waters receded and the ruins of Epecuén emerged exposing a bleak and deserted landscape. The residents never returned. The plot revolves around a group of young people that take a trip to the ruins in order to film a documentary about Epecuén. Ignoring the warnings, and after a brief tour, they get stranded in the abandoned village. Contrary to what they thought, they begin to realize that they are really not alone…
A young family leaves their home on Kauai. It is time to return to the itinerant path from which all things in their uncommon lives come; beginning and ending on a remote dot in the Pacific. They nomadically trace continents to places where waves meet their edges, envoys of aloha. It is what they will learn, what they bring others, what they will pass on to their children in the hyper-expanded classroom, the lab of direct being; a legacy passed from a father to his family.
A precocious kitten wants to be a witch’s familiar and must pass a test or she will forever be just simple cat, but the witch sees something in the kitten she does not expect.
A father possum reads his kids a story that’s an alphabet of the most dangerous animal of all: humans! Inspired by the Edward Gorey classic, a black-comedy for kids and parents alike.
Two women run a business breaking up couples for cash but when one develops a conscience their friendship unravels.
Claude and his friends are out of their element and in a whole lot of trouble when they choose the wrong lettuce for lunch. They must now find their way out of this world of horrors before they end up on the menu!
Horse breeder Scott Engstrom has been trying for years to prove that the Appaloosa, a rare American horse breed, came from Asia and not Spain. With only 109 true Appaloosas left in the world the question is vital. After spotting a horse uncannily like an Appaloosa on a TV show filmed in Kyrgyzstan, the fiery 69-year-old heads for central Asia.
An indigenous lawyer represents the division among his people between traditional caring for the land and developing the resources it contains.
A black comedy based on the true story of Alfred Benning’s outlandish attempts to murder his overbearing wife in 1977.
GameLoading Rise of the Indies is a feature documentary exploring the world of indie game developers, their craft, their games, their dreams, and how they have forever changed the landscape of games culture.
A documentary about World War I with never-before-seen footage to commemorate the centennial of Armistice Day, and the end of the war.
Set in post-war (1949) rural New Zealand, this film traces the efforts of two con men to run a betting scam in a small town (Tainuea) already rife with illegal gambling corruption, and eccentricity.
This dark comedy is set in Dunedin, New Zealand. A university student finds an old “abandoned” house and proceeds to invite other students to share. It even has running electricity. But what is the catch?
On the eve of departing overseas Ellen makes the fateful decision to gift her boyfriend a new girlfriend.
Set in a world many thousands of years in the future. Earth’s cities now roam the globe on huge wheels, devouring each other in a struggle for ever diminishing resources. On one of these massive Traction Cities, Tom Natsworthy has an unexpected encounter with a mysterious young woman from the Outlands who will change the course of his life forever.
Michael has life pretty sweet. His girlfriend adores him, his best mate David is loyal to the end, plus David’s girlfriend doesn’t mind a quick hook-up either. But Michael’s self-regarding lifestyle comes crashing down when he is diagnosed with a terminal illness. Desperate not to let his life just fade away, Michael steals the $200,000 raised for his treatment, and catches a one-way flight to London. He isn’t there for long before his nerve and sense of humour earn him a vicious beating in a back alley. Waking up cold and bloodied, he finds himself being watched over by the ethereal Sylvie; a mysterious French drifter. They fall head over heels in love, and attempt to outrun death itself.
Fun, disarming and musically provocative, the Topp Twins are New Zealand’s finest lesbian country and western singers and the country’s greatest export since rack of lamb and the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy.
Video diary footage as found by New Zealand police.
20-minute follow-up made up of never-before-seen footage It will reportedly involve the “bizarre and unsettling things” that happened to Farrier and Reeve as the began taking Tickled to film festivals and theaters last year, and it will feature the two of them beginning to “answer questions that remained once the credits rolled on Tickled, including whether the disturbing behavior they uncovered will ever come to an end.”
Set in Edwardian England where upper lips are always stiff and men from the Colonies are not entirely to be trusted, Fisk Senior has little time or affection for his son, but when the pair visit an eccentric Indian, they start a strange journey that eventually allows the old man to find his heart.
The Pa Boys is an energetic, uplifting road movie capturing the best of New Zealand’s culture, beauty, talent and music, whilst exploring themes of identity, friendship and discovering your roots.
Will Bastion returns home from the army after an absence of 20 years to bury his father, the former chief of thee Maori tribe, Ngati Kaipuku. The eldest son, he is reluctant to inherit his fathers role, so it is taken more willingly by his younger brother, Kahu. Kahu is the leader of a band of drug dealers and trouble-makers who ride horses through the middle of town, wrecking peoples gardens. Under the guise of refusal of a land settlement, Kahu makes a large marijuana deal with some murdering city folk. Will must choose between loyalty for his brother and his father, Maori tradition, and contemporary financial issues.
The contemporary story of Chinese New Zealand-born over-achiever Emily Chu, raised to believe she can get anything she puts her mind to. Even if ‘anything’ is at odds with her traditional Hong Kong born parents’ wish for her to become a doctor like her two older sisters. Everything is coming up roses – until she meets James, a European New Zealander, and accidentally falls in love with him. But if her father finds out, she will face disownment. By the time Emily realises that she’s sacrificing the respect of her family to follow her heart, James, too, has fallen irrevocably in love and there’s nothing for it but to try and keep their relationship a secret. Happy endings don’t come easy, if at all, but that doesn’t mean they don’t happen. But for Emily to get one, she needs to show James and her family that she has learned a lesson about the selflessness of love.
An ex-Boer war guerrilla in New Zealand is sent out to bring back a Maori accused of killing a British soldier. Gradually they grow to know and respect one another but a posse, led by the British Commanding officer is close behind and his sole intention is to see the Maori hang. Written by Filmfinders 1903. A guerilla fighter from the South African Boer war called Arjan (Winstone) takes on a manhunt for Maori seaman Kereama (Morrison), who is accused of murdering a British soldier. What follows is a cat and mouse pursuit through the varied landscape of NZ with both hunter and huntee testing their bushcraft and wits against that of the other. Written by Anonymous
The peeping tom rom-com ‘How To Meet Girls From A Distance’ is a funny and heartwarming film that looks at how far we go for a crush. Premiering in Wellington as part of the New Zealand International Film Festival, How To Meet Girls From A Distance tells the story of Toby. Trying to win the heart of the beautiful Phoebe, he is determined to become the man of her dreams.
When Arthur, self-proclaimed son of God, sets off on a mission to find the Queen of Heaven, his world changes.
In 1914 Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Imperial Trans Antarctic Expedition headed for the South Pole and disaster.
Shackleton’s Captain reveals the truth behind the spectacular survival of all the crew and shows how one man’s extraordinary skill and unsung heroism made it possible: Frank Worsley, Captain of the expedition ship, Endurance.
Kawariki must become the leader of the family after his father retires in this intimate drama. A husband and father, he realizes that in order to lead with integrity, he must come out and be honest about his own life, even though it will test the boundaries of acceptance and unconditional love. Offering valuable insights into Maori traditions, family ideals and cultural values, this feature debut is rich and textured with emotional layers and stunning New Zealand landscapes. Written by Websurfer (IMDB.com)
Butterfly Crush is a modern love story, starring award winning Australian actress Amelia Shankley, and set against the backdrop of the Sydney music industry. The song and dance duo, Butterfly Crush are about to break big, and are up for the Australasian Song Awards, but their chance at success is jeopardized when half of the duo; Eva, gets involved with a Kings Cross cult, the “Dreamguides”, deep into astrology and virtual dreaming. Moana must risk everything to save her, in this brand new contemporary feature about music and love.
Depression era drama set in Alberta finds a farmer’s wife who swears that her inability to have a child is a punishment from God. In fact, it is slowly revealed that her inability to have a child stems from an illicit relationship that she had with a local priest and a subsequent operation forced on her in a cover-up by the church and her family which left her infertile
Documentary – War zone borders, engine trouble and the difficulties of making money to survive couldn’t outweigh the thrill of adventure and discovery Daniel Rintz encountered while motorcycling around the world for two and a half years.
