Just the ticket: 5 fixes for a fabulous festival
1. GOOD VALUE: If you're concerned about a quality-assured return on investment, here are the best value films to play it safe on.
IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT
Director: Jafar Panahi
Iran/France/Luxembourg
Winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival for The Circle (2000), and later winner of the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival for Taxi (2015), Jafar Panahi completes a European film festival treble with Cannes' Palme d'Or winner It Was Just an Accident. This Iranian political thriller is the NZIFF's opening night film selection for a reason. Driving at night, an accident damages Eghbal's car, whose night goes from bad to worse when the garage he pulls into is that of a former political prisoner, who believes Eghbal to be the intelligence officer who tortured him.
Strongly recommended
The Regent Fri Aug 15, 7pm
The Regent Wed Aug 20, 3.45pm
THE TEXASCHAIN SAW MASSACRE + CHAIN REACTIONS
Director: Tobe Hooper
Director: Alexandre O. Philippe
USA
I'm cheating a little bit on the five-film pass with this double feature, but these two deserve to be paired together. It's difficult to call as divisive a genre as horror "good value", but a 4K restoration of one of the genre's most important documents, paired with an exploration of its legacy by one of cinema's most studious documentarians, Alexandre Philippe, is not to be missed at this year's festival. Chain Reactions looks at the cultural legacy of the Texas road trip that turned bloody.
Strongly recommended
The Regent Sat Aug 16, 9pm
The Regent Sun Aug 17, 10am
(Q+A)
EDDINGTON
Director: Ari Aster
USA
Eddington is one of the few films on this list that could easily have been cast under any ticket. This conspiracy Western is set amid the Covid-19 pandemic, in New Mexico. With three significant movies already under his belt, Aster might be the most recognisable name at the festival this year. Expect Beau is Afraid, not Midsommar, in this polarising satire about TikTok, misinformation, and libertarianism.
Strongly recommended
The Regent Sun Aug 17, 5.15pm
WENT UP THE HILL
Director: Samuel Van Grinsven
New Zealand/Australia
Aotearoa's glowing winter scenery serves as the backdrop for this tonally sombre and narratively fantastical reimagining of the classic nursery rhyme, Jack and Jill. Dacre Montgomery and Vicky Krieps are transcendent (literally) as estranged son and grieving widow to Elizabeth, layering agony and endurance into each frame. As the pacing settles in, so too does the tonal horror, and new truths about their relationships come to light.
Strongly recommended
Rialto Thurs Aug 21, 6pm
WERCKMEISTER HARMONIES
Directors: Bela Tarr,
Agnes Hranitzky
Hungary/France/Germany/Italy
Bela Tarr and Agnes Hranitzky's art-horror funeral march on lingering fascism in Eastern Europe is desolate, desperate, and formally distinct. Werckmeister Harmonies is one of the most important texts in cinematic history, and a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see it projected on the big screen should not be passed up.
Strongly recommended
Rialto Sat Aug 30, 12.45pm
2. WORLD CINEMA: Here's a globetrotting adventure in world cinema for a fraction of the cost of plane tickets, spotlighting five unique cultures and countries that figure prominently as characters in this mixed bag.
THE PRESIDENT'S CAKE
Hasan Hadi
Iraq/USA/Qatar
The first of several Cannes award-winning films under this ticket, The President's Cake is the directorial debut of Iraqi writer/director Hasan Hadi. Nine-year-old Lamia is chosen to bake a birthday cake for President Saddam Hussein. Amid the Gulf War's crippling food shortages, Lamia faces an Odyssean task of gathering ingredients to avoid imprisonment.
The Regent Tue Aug 19, 1.30pm
The Regent Sat Aug 23, 10am
THE SECRET AGENT
Kleber Mendonca Filho
Brazil/France/Netherlands/
Germany
The Secret Agent is a high-stakes political thriller out of Brazil. Starring Wagner Moura and set during the period of Brazilian military dictatorship, the film won best director at Cannes and can be expected to feature prominently with other award bodies until the Oscars, in March, next year. Filho's last award-winning film, Bacurau, was an electronically-scored Spaghetti Western-feeling political thriller about a small town resisting colonial genocide.
Strongly recommended
The Regent Sat Aug 23, 2.45pm
THE NEW YEAR THAT NEVER CAME
Bogdan Muresanu
Romania/Serbia
This slow-burning historical "tragicomedy" explores six convergent lives during the 1989 Romanian revolution, which saw 42 years of Marxist-Leninist communist government come to an end. The ensemble piece is a snapshot of this moment, teleporting viewers back in time, into the streets of Bucharest.
Rialto Sat Aug 23, 3pm
SOUND OF FALLING
Mascha Schilinski
Germany
This gothic German anthology film follows four women over the course of a century, exploring their intersecting lives, which slowly twist together and emotionally unravel as secrets are spilled, and their intergenerational trauma haunts the narrative.
Rialto Sun Aug 24, 12.45pm
HAPPYEND
Neo Sora
Japan/USA
A near-future Orwellian exploration of Japan's social environment, Happyend is a lo-fi science fiction film that tackles adolescence and the surveillance state. Faced with the threat of a catastrophic earthquake, two troublemakers turn their district dystopian after a prank on their principal backfires. Neo Sora also directed the documentary, Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus, which featured at the NZIFF last year.
Rialto Thurs Aug 28, 6pm 3. GENRE: The cinema is for the cinematic, and these five films are sure to reward on the big screen. Here are five striking genre movies you shouldn't miss.
RESURRECTION
Bi Gan
China/France
Artfully composed high-concept science fiction. In a future where no-one can dream, a woman discovers the one creature that can. Its inventive dream logic extends from the narrative to the very composition of the film itself — a vibrant and unknowable trance-like state to lure the viewer in. Formally operatic and narratively Kafkaesque, director Bi Gan cites seminal German expressionist films The Cabinet of Dr Caligari and Nosferatu as key influences on Resurrection.
The Regent Sun Aug 17, 8pm
THE SHROUDS
David Cronenberg
Canada/France
Last year, we celebrated a kind of "Cronenbergian horror" at The Substance; this year, we have the real deal. Re-animation and body horror are the subjects of legacy horror film-maker David Cronenberg. In The Shrouds, he explores post-death, blurring reality and illusion, human flesh and technology, in a post-modern, grotesque, semi-autobiographical, horror/sci-fi.
The Regent Mon Aug 18, 8.15pm
SPLITSVILLE
Michael Angelo Covino
USA
Perhaps the most straightforward comedy on this list, Splitsville will have you splitting at the seams with its uncomfortable absurdity. A potential four-way open marriage complicates emotional boundaries in this Dakota Johnson and Adria Arjona-starring indie dramedy.
The Regent Fri Aug 22, 6pm
BRING THEM DOWN
Christopher Andrews
Ireland/UK/Belgium
Christopher Abbot and Barry Keoghan are rival farmers in this violent revenge thriller about Irish shepherding families.
Rialto Wed Aug 27, 8pm
HARD BOILED
John Woo
Hong Kong
What if The Departed were a Hong Kong action movie? Hard Boiled is "pedal to the metal" action hysteria — a delirium of guns, guts, and glory. Leung's pained performance carries the emotional weight of the film, doing the Herculean task of showing up Chow Yun-fat in a Hong Kong action film. Hard Boiled is a two-hour-long action scene complete with thrilling standoffs, horrific throat slits and hilarious baby antics.
Strongly recommended
Rialto Sun Aug 31, 7.30pm 4. CINEPHILE: After seeing Eddington, here are five more films for the Letterboxd users.
BLUE MOON
Richard Linklater
USA/Ireland
On March 31, 1943, acclaimed Broadway duet Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II were opening Oklahoma!, their first musical written together. The movie focuses on Rodgers' former creative partner, Lorenz Hart (portrayed by Ethan Hawke), who was struggling with alcohol and depression. The film largely takes place at a bar, with Margaret Qualley, Bobby Cannavale and Andrew Scott in supporting roles.
The Regent Tue Aug 19, 6pm
The Regent Fri Aug 22, 1.30pm
SIRAT
Oliver Laxe
Spain/France
Hardtek raves in the Southern Moroccan desert don't cater to dads searching for lost daughters. Watch Sergi Lopez navigate psychological purgatory in this Jury Prize-winning sandy neo-hippie thrash.
The Regent Wed Aug 20, 8.15pm
THE MASTERMIND
Kelly Reichardt
USA/UK
I'm hooked on the bouncy, rhythmic score that underlies hazy shots of Josh O'Connor lifting works of art from public museums. The Mastermind follows Reichardt's oeuvre of working-class individuals, this one living a double life as an art thief in 1970s Massachusetts.
The Regent Thurs Aug 21, 6pm
SORRY, BABY
Eva Victor
USA
Tackling dark subject matter with an honest and authentic approach to comedy, Sorry, Baby is written by, directed by and stars Eva Victor. Victor's "traumedy" spans five years in the healing and aftermath of sexual assault by her former professor. Her balance of dry wit and heartfelt emotion compassionately considers the survivor experience. The film also stars Naomi Ackie and Lucas Hedges.
Strongly recommended
The Regent Thurs Aug 21, 8.15pm
SENTIMENTAL VALUE
Joachim Trier
Norway/France/Denmark/
Germany
Joachim Trier reunites with Renate Reinsve after their modest 2021 sensation, The Worst Person in the World. Trier's authentic and slightly naive sensibility speaks directly to high-strung young creatives. His films navigate an ocean of feelings — joy, melancholy, anger, loneliness — centring characters traversing the messy reality of life. Stellan Skarsgard co-stars as a film director and estranged father to Reinsve.
Strongly recommended
The Regent Sun Aug 24, 6.45pm 5. THE STUDENT TICKET: This ticket spans low-budget DIY projects, illicit substances, social media parasocialism and Dunedin on screen.
LIFE IN ONE CHORD
Margaret Gordon
New Zealand/Australia
Exploring the life and work of Shayne Carter, Life in One Chord lives in the heart of Dunedin's music scene. Traversing Dunedin's suburbs, this punkish rockumentary premieres globally at the Regent Theatre.
The Regent Sat Aug 16, 6.15pm
(Q+A)
The Regent Tue Aug 19, 3.45pm
WORKMATES
Curtis Vowell
New Zealand
Unacknowledged love between Kiwi creatives comes to the fore in contemporary Shortland Street director Curtis Vowell's workplace comedy, Workmates. In a desperate plea to save the antique theatre they both love, best friends Lucy and Tom explore the awkward arena of workplace crushes. With rave reviews out of Auckland, be sure to add this one to your watchlist.
The Regent Mon Aug 18, 6pm
LURKER
Alex Russell
USA
Part-Nightcrawler, part-The Talented Mr. Ripley, with stars from Saltburn and Bottoms, this modern music industry psychological thriller looks at pop stars, parasocial fans and social media stalkers.
The Regent Tue Aug 19, 8.15pm
THE WEED EATERS
Callum Devlin
New Zealand
The Weed Eaters is the festival's spiritual heir to a '90s Peter Jackson horror-comedy or a Taika Waititi 48-hour film festival entry. Take the title literally and beware the intensity of your munchies. Think of this in the same ilk as Texas Chain Saw, cannibalism, carnage and all.
Rialto Fri Aug 22, 8.15pm
LESBIAN SPACE PRINCESS
Emma Hough Hobbs,
Leela Varghese
Australia
In the Gay-laxy, in the queer utopian kingdom of Clitopolis, an anxious and introverted Princess Saira misses her ex, and must summon her feminist battle axe to save her situationship from incel aliens. From real-life couple Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese, this Cartoon Network-inspired intergalactic romp is designedly unrestrained and wickedly funny with delightful musical numbers.
Strongly recommended
The Regent Sat Aug 23, 8.15pm
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Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
The solace of strangers
Relationships and healing were central for the director and star of a new film, they tell Weekend Mix film reviewer Amasio Jutel. New Zealand-Australian director Samuel Van Grinsven transforms the familiar nursery rhyme Jack and Jill into a haunting ghost story in his New Zealand International Film Festival entry Went Up the Hill . Starring Stranger Things ' Dacre Montgomery and Phantom Thread 's Vicky Krieps in the Australian heartthrob's most personal role to date, this slow-burning, genre-bending tale explores the aftermath of loss and the eerie ways grief can possess us. Set against the glowing winter scenery of Canterbury, Van Grinsven's Gothic quasi-adaptation unfolds as a tonally sombre, narratively fantastical chamber piece between two strangers who share a ghost. Jack (Montgomery), an estranged son, and Jill (Krieps), a grieving widow, meet for the first time at the funeral of Elizabeth, the woman they both thought they knew. But as they inhabit the cold, creaky house Elizabeth left behind, secrets unravel and something else begins to inhabit them both. The two powerhouse performances at the film's centre compellingly anchor Van Grinsven's vision. Compositionally, he has a masterful grasp of tone, powerfully announcing his entry into the canon of New Zealand's cinema of unease. This dream-turned-nightmare supernatural tale is more Bergman than Blumhouse - less a conventional horror and more a psychological supernatural drama infused with the gothic sensibilities of nursery rhymes. For Van Grinsven, there is something haunting about nursery rhymes. "There's something about nursery rhymes that are both caring and cautionary. They're connected to the maternal, passed down from generation to generation and reinterpreted. That felt very connected to the idea of generational trauma, and how that is passed down, willingly or not, from parent to child. That, in itself, felt haunting," he says. If Jack broke his crown, perhaps it wasn't a fall that did it. Maybe Jill did come tumbling down, just not in the way we were taught. The film was shot on location at Canterbury's Flock Hill estate, nestled beside Lake Pearson; there couldn't be a more fitting environment in which to set this ethereal tale. The snow-blanketed Southern Alps loom over the estranged pair, isolated by their grief. Stretching into silence, the wintered highlands dampen any connection to the outside world - a cold and indifferent land, up the hill. Van Grinsven shoots the mountains, the snow and the shadows with precision, capturing the eerie locale as it lives in his mind. "I wanted to capture New Zealand as I remembered it," Van Grinsven says, "as a child driving up and down with a sense of wide-eyed wonderment and being dwarfed by the landscape." The painterly, desaturated aesthetic - whites, greys, browns, and blacks - pushes the visual language towards the Gothic. Van Grinsven and director of photography Tyson Perkins use light, shadow, reflection, and bisecting lines to mirror the characters' fractured identities and emotional states. Claustrophobic framing ensnares the viewer in Van Grinsven's trap, a compositional control he holds with a firm grip. "The antagonist of the film is not on screen in a way that audiences are used to," Van Grinsven explains. "I had to bring her to life with every other tool in my toolkit, whether that's the control of the camera or an extremely severe control over colour palette." Composer Hanan Townshend wrote the score before filming even began, helping shape the film's emotional tone. Lullaby-like, wordless vocalisations amplify the childlike longing Van Grinsven saw in the nursery rhyme. "That lulling effect that a nursery rhyme has on you in real life is what I wanted to capture," he explains. "That you almost feel hypnotised by it." The resulting tone is sombre and dreamlike, finely tuned, precise, and eerie. The tonal unease - somewhere between horror, fantasy, and drama - was achieved by layering genres. Van Grinsven drew inspiration from Persona -era Ingmar Bergman. He describes it as "the strange tension point when you put two genres together that aren't meant to go together, or don't conventionally go together". The cold and creaky house at the centre of his film, perched like a secret among the hills, was in the world of the film designed by the recently deceased Elizabeth. Young star Montgomery calls it "the third character". "Every single element and layer of the onion that is this beautiful film is influenced by Flock Hill estate. We were living on one side of the house and performing on the other side. It was intrinsically in our bones and our DNA by the end of the film. You couldn't escape it. It's everything," Montgomery says. "It's the archetype of the haunted house, but in a purely naturalistic way, connected to the landscape in New Zealand. She built in this location for a reason," Van Grinsven adds. It shapes the film's oppressive mood and echoes the characters' emotional imprisonment, eloquently portrayed by Montgomery and Krieps. "We were all Shelly Duvall in The Shining at one point," Montgomery jokes. Jack is fragile, consumed by a longing for maternal connection; Jill's identity, like Jack's, is deeply entangled with Elizabeth. He is searching for a mother he never had; she is mourning a partner she never truly knew. Together, they engage in this poetic "psychic ballet" - to coin Van Grinsven - creating Elizabeth in each other's bodies: Jack as Jill's wife, Jill as Jack's mother. In doing so, they search for what they believe is closure, but it's what ultimately keeps them trapped in grief. "There's always this unearned intimacy between the two of them; this unease where they are for a portion of the film, using each other as a means to an end, but gradually grow to care about each other," Van Grinsven says. "There was something quite beautiful about the way Vicky and Dacre kept up the energy - that palpable kind of tension that only comes from two strangers." Taking a leaf out of Phantom Thread co-star Daniel Day-Lewis' book, Krieps never socialised with Montgomery off-set. "We have the most intense chemistry of anyone I've ever worked with, but we never spoke to each other," Montgomery says. "I feel like I had this weird old soul bond with Vicky that we didn't need to get into." As much as this ghost story wasn't a horror film, it was certainly an exorcism for Montgomery, who describes his time on the film as a deeply personal journey of self-reckoning. "From the year of rehearsal we did and the further year and a-half it took me to let go of the character before we premiered at Toronto, I didn't do anything except live Went Up the Hill for two and a-half years of my life." The role demanded more than just performance. Montgomery stripped away his own defences to inhabit not just Jack's grief, but his own. "Using art to try to heal oneself is incredibly revealing. You become very self-conscious of your performance, your being, how your body looks, and how you feel. That was a challenge I overcame in this film: letting go of that and allowing myself to be a child and to be vulnerable as Dacre. I felt I was able to overcome that in some parts, and in others, it was truly a wall I couldn't break through. "Jack may be the only character I ever play that is truly almost, in so many ways, me." Went Up the Hill casts complex queer characters in a story archetype that traditionally invites conventional narrative expectations, a fact that informs the subtle power dynamics and emotional distance between its leads. "I was excited by the core relationship in the film being a queer woman and a queer man," Van Grinsven says. "If they were both to be heterosexual, the baggage that an audience brings to a film about possession and ghostliness would be that they're going to form a romantic connection. By queering that expectation, it opens audiences up to a more honest and raw exploration of what the film's dealing with." The film also continues themes Van Grinsven explored in his debut, Sequin in a Blue Room . "It was exciting for me, being able to grapple with things that I see in real relationships around me, real queer relationships around me, and bring that to the screen in a way they're not often represented. "I think queer cinema is changing so much. I think for the first time, we're seeing queer cinema being approached as commercially viable. There's a real appetite coming from audiences, which is fantastic." • Went Up the Hill screens as part of Whānau Mārama New Zealand International Film Festival at Rialto, Thursday, August 21, 6pm.
Otago Daily Times
09-08-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Just the ticket: 5 fixes for a fabulous festival
Whānau Mārama New Zealand International Film Festival is back with another almost overwhelming lineup. But worry not, Weekend Mix film reviewer Amasio Jutel has five ways to make the most of it, using the festival's popular five-film multipass. 1. GOOD VALUE: If you're concerned about a quality-assured return on investment, here are the best value films to play it safe on. IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT Director: Jafar Panahi Iran/France/Luxembourg Winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival for The Circle (2000), and later winner of the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival for Taxi (2015), Jafar Panahi completes a European film festival treble with Cannes' Palme d'Or winner It Was Just an Accident. This Iranian political thriller is the NZIFF's opening night film selection for a reason. Driving at night, an accident damages Eghbal's car, whose night goes from bad to worse when the garage he pulls into is that of a former political prisoner, who believes Eghbal to be the intelligence officer who tortured him. Strongly recommended The Regent Fri Aug 15, 7pm The Regent Wed Aug 20, 3.45pm THE TEXASCHAIN SAW MASSACRE + CHAIN REACTIONS Director: Tobe Hooper Director: Alexandre O. Philippe USA I'm cheating a little bit on the five-film pass with this double feature, but these two deserve to be paired together. It's difficult to call as divisive a genre as horror "good value", but a 4K restoration of one of the genre's most important documents, paired with an exploration of its legacy by one of cinema's most studious documentarians, Alexandre Philippe, is not to be missed at this year's festival. Chain Reactions looks at the cultural legacy of the Texas road trip that turned bloody. Strongly recommended The Regent Sat Aug 16, 9pm The Regent Sun Aug 17, 10am (Q+A) EDDINGTON Director: Ari Aster USA Eddington is one of the few films on this list that could easily have been cast under any ticket. This conspiracy Western is set amid the Covid-19 pandemic, in New Mexico. With three significant movies already under his belt, Aster might be the most recognisable name at the festival this year. Expect Beau is Afraid, not Midsommar, in this polarising satire about TikTok, misinformation, and libertarianism. Strongly recommended The Regent Sun Aug 17, 5.15pm WENT UP THE HILL Director: Samuel Van Grinsven New Zealand/Australia Aotearoa's glowing winter scenery serves as the backdrop for this tonally sombre and narratively fantastical reimagining of the classic nursery rhyme, Jack and Jill. Dacre Montgomery and Vicky Krieps are transcendent (literally) as estranged son and grieving widow to Elizabeth, layering agony and endurance into each frame. As the pacing settles in, so too does the tonal horror, and new truths about their relationships come to light. Strongly recommended Rialto Thurs Aug 21, 6pm WERCKMEISTER HARMONIES Directors: Bela Tarr, Agnes Hranitzky Hungary/France/Germany/Italy Bela Tarr and Agnes Hranitzky's art-horror funeral march on lingering fascism in Eastern Europe is desolate, desperate, and formally distinct. Werckmeister Harmonies is one of the most important texts in cinematic history, and a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see it projected on the big screen should not be passed up. Strongly recommended Rialto Sat Aug 30, 12.45pm 2. WORLD CINEMA: Here's a globetrotting adventure in world cinema for a fraction of the cost of plane tickets, spotlighting five unique cultures and countries that figure prominently as characters in this mixed bag. THE PRESIDENT'S CAKE Hasan Hadi Iraq/USA/Qatar The first of several Cannes award-winning films under this ticket, The President's Cake is the directorial debut of Iraqi writer/director Hasan Hadi. Nine-year-old Lamia is chosen to bake a birthday cake for President Saddam Hussein. Amid the Gulf War's crippling food shortages, Lamia faces an Odyssean task of gathering ingredients to avoid imprisonment. The Regent Tue Aug 19, 1.30pm The Regent Sat Aug 23, 10am THE SECRET AGENT Kleber Mendonca Filho Brazil/France/Netherlands/ Germany The Secret Agent is a high-stakes political thriller out of Brazil. Starring Wagner Moura and set during the period of Brazilian military dictatorship, the film won best director at Cannes and can be expected to feature prominently with other award bodies until the Oscars, in March, next year. Filho's last award-winning film, Bacurau, was an electronically-scored Spaghetti Western-feeling political thriller about a small town resisting colonial genocide. Strongly recommended The Regent Sat Aug 23, 2.45pm THE NEW YEAR THAT NEVER CAME Bogdan Muresanu Romania/Serbia This slow-burning historical "tragicomedy" explores six convergent lives during the 1989 Romanian revolution, which saw 42 years of Marxist-Leninist communist government come to an end. The ensemble piece is a snapshot of this moment, teleporting viewers back in time, into the streets of Bucharest. Rialto Sat Aug 23, 3pm SOUND OF FALLING Mascha Schilinski Germany This gothic German anthology film follows four women over the course of a century, exploring their intersecting lives, which slowly twist together and emotionally unravel as secrets are spilled, and their intergenerational trauma haunts the narrative. Rialto Sun Aug 24, 12.45pm HAPPYEND Neo Sora Japan/USA A near-future Orwellian exploration of Japan's social environment, Happyend is a lo-fi science fiction film that tackles adolescence and the surveillance state. Faced with the threat of a catastrophic earthquake, two troublemakers turn their district dystopian after a prank on their principal backfires. Neo Sora also directed the documentary, Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus, which featured at the NZIFF last year. Rialto Thurs Aug 28, 6pm 3. GENRE: The cinema is for the cinematic, and these five films are sure to reward on the big screen. Here are five striking genre movies you shouldn't miss. RESURRECTION Bi Gan China/France Artfully composed high-concept science fiction. In a future where no-one can dream, a woman discovers the one creature that can. Its inventive dream logic extends from the narrative to the very composition of the film itself — a vibrant and unknowable trance-like state to lure the viewer in. Formally operatic and narratively Kafkaesque, director Bi Gan cites seminal German expressionist films The Cabinet of Dr Caligari and Nosferatu as key influences on Resurrection. The Regent Sun Aug 17, 8pm THE SHROUDS David Cronenberg Canada/France Last year, we celebrated a kind of "Cronenbergian horror" at The Substance; this year, we have the real deal. Re-animation and body horror are the subjects of legacy horror film-maker David Cronenberg. In The Shrouds, he explores post-death, blurring reality and illusion, human flesh and technology, in a post-modern, grotesque, semi-autobiographical, horror/sci-fi. The Regent Mon Aug 18, 8.15pm SPLITSVILLE Michael Angelo Covino USA Perhaps the most straightforward comedy on this list, Splitsville will have you splitting at the seams with its uncomfortable absurdity. A potential four-way open marriage complicates emotional boundaries in this Dakota Johnson and Adria Arjona-starring indie dramedy. The Regent Fri Aug 22, 6pm BRING THEM DOWN Christopher Andrews Ireland/UK/Belgium Christopher Abbot and Barry Keoghan are rival farmers in this violent revenge thriller about Irish shepherding families. Rialto Wed Aug 27, 8pm HARD BOILED John Woo Hong Kong What if The Departed were a Hong Kong action movie? Hard Boiled is "pedal to the metal" action hysteria — a delirium of guns, guts, and glory. Leung's pained performance carries the emotional weight of the film, doing the Herculean task of showing up Chow Yun-fat in a Hong Kong action film. Hard Boiled is a two-hour-long action scene complete with thrilling standoffs, horrific throat slits and hilarious baby antics. Strongly recommended Rialto Sun Aug 31, 7.30pm 4. CINEPHILE: After seeing Eddington, here are five more films for the Letterboxd users. BLUE MOON Richard Linklater USA/Ireland On March 31, 1943, acclaimed Broadway duet Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II were opening Oklahoma!, their first musical written together. The movie focuses on Rodgers' former creative partner, Lorenz Hart (portrayed by Ethan Hawke), who was struggling with alcohol and depression. The film largely takes place at a bar, with Margaret Qualley, Bobby Cannavale and Andrew Scott in supporting roles. The Regent Tue Aug 19, 6pm The Regent Fri Aug 22, 1.30pm SIRAT Oliver Laxe Spain/France Hardtek raves in the Southern Moroccan desert don't cater to dads searching for lost daughters. Watch Sergi Lopez navigate psychological purgatory in this Jury Prize-winning sandy neo-hippie thrash. The Regent Wed Aug 20, 8.15pm THE MASTERMIND Kelly Reichardt USA/UK I'm hooked on the bouncy, rhythmic score that underlies hazy shots of Josh O'Connor lifting works of art from public museums. The Mastermind follows Reichardt's oeuvre of working-class individuals, this one living a double life as an art thief in 1970s Massachusetts. The Regent Thurs Aug 21, 6pm SORRY, BABY Eva Victor USA Tackling dark subject matter with an honest and authentic approach to comedy, Sorry, Baby is written by, directed by and stars Eva Victor. Victor's "traumedy" spans five years in the healing and aftermath of sexual assault by her former professor. Her balance of dry wit and heartfelt emotion compassionately considers the survivor experience. The film also stars Naomi Ackie and Lucas Hedges. Strongly recommended The Regent Thurs Aug 21, 8.15pm SENTIMENTAL VALUE Joachim Trier Norway/France/Denmark/ Germany Joachim Trier reunites with Renate Reinsve after their modest 2021 sensation, The Worst Person in the World. Trier's authentic and slightly naive sensibility speaks directly to high-strung young creatives. His films navigate an ocean of feelings — joy, melancholy, anger, loneliness — centring characters traversing the messy reality of life. Stellan Skarsgard co-stars as a film director and estranged father to Reinsve. Strongly recommended The Regent Sun Aug 24, 6.45pm 5. THE STUDENT TICKET: This ticket spans low-budget DIY projects, illicit substances, social media parasocialism and Dunedin on screen. LIFE IN ONE CHORD Margaret Gordon New Zealand/Australia Exploring the life and work of Shayne Carter, Life in One Chord lives in the heart of Dunedin's music scene. Traversing Dunedin's suburbs, this punkish rockumentary premieres globally at the Regent Theatre. The Regent Sat Aug 16, 6.15pm (Q+A) The Regent Tue Aug 19, 3.45pm WORKMATES Curtis Vowell New Zealand Unacknowledged love between Kiwi creatives comes to the fore in contemporary Shortland Street director Curtis Vowell's workplace comedy, Workmates. In a desperate plea to save the antique theatre they both love, best friends Lucy and Tom explore the awkward arena of workplace crushes. With rave reviews out of Auckland, be sure to add this one to your watchlist. The Regent Mon Aug 18, 6pm LURKER Alex Russell USA Part-Nightcrawler, part-The Talented Mr. Ripley, with stars from Saltburn and Bottoms, this modern music industry psychological thriller looks at pop stars, parasocial fans and social media stalkers. The Regent Tue Aug 19, 8.15pm THE WEED EATERS Callum Devlin New Zealand The Weed Eaters is the festival's spiritual heir to a '90s Peter Jackson horror-comedy or a Taika Waititi 48-hour film festival entry. Take the title literally and beware the intensity of your munchies. Think of this in the same ilk as Texas Chain Saw, cannibalism, carnage and all. Rialto Fri Aug 22, 8.15pm LESBIAN SPACE PRINCESS Emma Hough Hobbs, Leela Varghese Australia In the Gay-laxy, in the queer utopian kingdom of Clitopolis, an anxious and introverted Princess Saira misses her ex, and must summon her feminist battle axe to save her situationship from incel aliens. From real-life couple Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese, this Cartoon Network-inspired intergalactic romp is designedly unrestrained and wickedly funny with delightful musical numbers. Strongly recommended The Regent Sat Aug 23, 8.15pm
Otago Daily Times
08-08-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Five fixes for a fabulous festival
Winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival for The Circle (2000), and later winner of the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival for Taxi (2015), Jafar Panahi completes a European film festival treble with Cannes' Palme d'Or winner It Was Just an Accident . This Iranian political thriller is the NZIFF's opening night film selection for a reason. Driving at night, an accident damages Eghbal's car, whose night goes from bad to worse when the garage he pulls into is that of a former political prisoner, who believes Eghbal to be the intelligence officer who tortured him. The Regent Fri Aug 15, 7pm The Regent Wed Aug 20, 3.45pm THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE + CHAIN REACTIONSTobe HooperAlexandre O. Philippe USA I'm cheating a little bit on the five-film pass with this double feature, but these two deserve to be paired together. It's difficult to call as divisive a genre as horror "good value", but a 4K restoration of one of the genre's most important documents, paired with an exploration of its legacy by one of cinema's most studious documentarians, Alexandre Philippe, is not to be missed at this year's festival. Chain Reactions looks at the cultural legacy of the Texas road trip that turned bloody. The Regent Sat Aug 16, 9pm The Regent Sun Aug 17, 10am (Q+A) EDDINGTONAri Aster USA Eddington is one of the few films on this list that could easily have been cast under any ticket. This conspiracy Western is set amid the Covid-19 pandemic, in New Mexico. With three significant movies already under his belt, Aster might be the most recognisable name at the festival this year. Expect Beau is Afraid , not Midsommar , in this polarising satire about TikTok, misinformation, and libertarianism. The Regent Sun Aug 17, 5.15pm WENT UP THE HILLSamuel Van Grinsven New Zealand/Australia Aotearoa's glowing winter scenery serves as the backdrop for this tonally sombre and narratively fantastical reimagining of the classic nursery rhyme, Jack and Jill . Dacre Montgomery and Vicky Krieps are transcendent (literally) as estranged son and grieving widow to Elizabeth, layering agony and endurance into each frame. As the pacing settles in, so too does the tonal horror, and new truths about their relationships come to light. Rialto Thurs Aug 21, 6pm WERCKMEISTER HARMONIESBela Tarr, Agnes Hranitzky Hungary/France/Germany/Italy Bela Tarr and Agnes Hranitzky's art-horror funeral march on lingering fascism in Eastern Europe is desolate, desperate, and formally distinct. Werckmeister Harmonies is one of the most important texts in cinematic history, and a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see it projected on the big screen should not be passed up. Rialto Sat Aug 30, 12.45pm 2. WORLD CINEMA Here's a globetrotting adventure in world cinema for a fraction of the cost of plane tickets, spotlighting five unique cultures and countries that figure prominently as characters in this mixed bag. THE PRESIDENT'S CAKEHasan Hadi Iraq/USA/Qatar The first of several Cannes award-winning films under this ticket, The President's Cake is the directorial debut of Iraqi writer/director Hasan Hadi. Nine-year-old Lamia is chosen to bake a birthday cake for President Saddam Hussein. Amid the Gulf War's crippling food shortages, Lamia faces an Odyssean task of gathering ingredients to avoid imprisonment. The Regent Tue Aug 19, 1.30pm The Regent Sat Aug 23, 10am THE SECRET AGENTKleber Mendonca Filho Brazil/France/Netherlands/Germany The Secret Agent is a high-stakes political thriller out of Brazil. Starring Wagner Moura and set during the period of Brazilian military dictatorship, the film won best director at Cannes and can be expected to feature prominently with other award bodies until the Oscars, in March, next year. Filho's last award-winning film, Bacurau , was an electronically-scored Spaghetti Western-feeling political thriller about a small town resisting colonial genocide. The Regent Sat Aug 23, 2.45pm THE NEW YEAR THAT NEVER CAMEBogdan Muresanu Romania/Serbia This slow-burning historical "tragicomedy" explores six convergent lives during the 1989 Romanian revolution, which saw 42 years of Marxist-Leninist communist government come to an end. The ensemble piece is a snapshot of this moment, teleporting viewers back in time, into the streets of Bucharest. Rialto Sat Aug 23, 3pm SOUND OF FALLINGMascha Schilinski Germany This gothic German anthology film follows four women over the course of a century, exploring their intersecting lives, which slowly twist together and emotionally unravel as secrets are spilled, and their intergenerational trauma haunts the narrative. Rialto Sun Aug 24, 12.45pm HAPPYENDNeo Sora Japan/USA A near-future Orwellian exploration of Japan's social environment, Happyend is a lo-fi science fiction film that tackles adolescence and the surveillance state. Faced with the threat of a catastrophic earthquake, two troublemakers turn their district dystopian after a prank on their principal backfires. Neo Sora also directed the documentary, Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus , which featured at the NZIFF last year. Rialto Thurs Aug 28, 6pm 3. GENRE The cinema is for the cinematic, and these five films are sure to reward on the big screen. Here are five striking genre movies you shouldn't miss. RESURRECTIONBi Gan China/France Artfully composed high-concept science fiction. In a future where no-one can dream, a woman discovers the one creature that can. Its inventive dream logic extends from the narrative to the very composition of the film itself — a vibrant and unknowable trance-like state to lure the viewer in. Formally operatic and narratively Kafkaesque, director Bi Gan cites seminal German expressionist films The Cabinet of Dr Caligari and Nosferatu as key influences on Resurrection . The Regent Sun Aug 17, 8pm THE SHROUDSDavid Cronenberg Canada/France Last year, we celebrated a kind of "Cronenbergian horror" at The Substance ; this year, we have the real deal. Re-animation and body horror are the subjects of legacy horror film-maker David Cronenberg. In The Shrouds , he explores post-death, blurring reality and illusion, human flesh and technology, in a post-modern, grotesque, semi-autobiographical, horror/sci-fi. The Regent Mon Aug 18, 8.15pm SPLITSVILLEMichael Angelo Covino USA Perhaps the most straightforward comedy on this list, Splitsville will have you splitting at the seams with its uncomfortable absurdity. A potential four-way open marriage complicates emotional boundaries in this Dakota Johnson and Adria Arjona-starring indie dramedy. The Regent Fri Aug 22, 6pm BRING THEM DOWNChristopher Andrews Ireland/UK/Belgium Christopher Abbot and Barry Keoghan are rival farmers in this violent revenge thriller about Irish shepherding families. Rialto Wed Aug 27, 8pm HARD BOILEDJohn Woo Hong Kong What if The Departed were a Hong Kong action movie? Hard Boiled is "pedal to the metal" action hysteria — a delirium of guns, guts, and glory. Leung's pained performance carries the emotional weight of the film, doing the Herculean task of showing up Chow Yun-fat in a Hong Kong action film. Hard Boiled is a two-hour-long action scene complete with thrilling standoffs, horrific throat slits and hilarious baby antics. Rialto Sun Aug 31, 7.30pm 4. CINEPHILE After seeing Eddington, here are five more films for the Letterboxd users. BLUE MOONRichard Linklater USA/Ireland On March 31, 1943, acclaimed Broadway duet Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II were opening Oklahoma! , their first musical written together. The movie focuses on Rodgers' former creative partner, Lorenz Hart (portrayed by Ethan Hawke), who was struggling with alcohol and depression. The film largely takes place at a bar, with Margaret Qualley, Bobby Cannavale and Andrew Scott in supporting roles. The Regent Tue Aug 19, 6pm The Regent Fri Aug 22, 1.30pm SIRATOliver Laxe Spain/France Hardtek raves in the Southern Moroccan desert don't cater to dads searching for lost daughters. Watch Sergi Lopez navigate psychological purgatory in this Jury Prize-winning sandy neo-hippie thrash. The Regent Wed Aug 20, 8.15pm THE MASTERMINDKelly Reichardt USA/UK I'm hooked on the bouncy, rhythmic score that underlies hazy shots of Josh O'Connor lifting works of art from public museums. The Mastermind follows Reichardt's oeuvre of working-class individuals, this one living a double life as an art thief in 1970s Massachusetts. The Regent Thurs Aug 21, 6pm SORRY, BABYEva Victor USA Tackling dark subject matter with an honest and authentic approach to comedy, Sorry, Baby is written by, directed by and stars Eva Victor. Victor's "traumedy" spans five years in the healing and aftermath of sexual assault by her former professor. Her balance of dry wit and heartfelt emotion compassionately considers the survivor experience. The film also stars Naomi Ackie and Lucas Hedges. The Regent Thurs Aug 21, 8.15pm SENTIMENTAL VALUEJoachim Trier Norway/France/Denmark/Germany Joachim Trier reunites with Renate Reinsve after their modest 2021 sensation, The Worst Person in the World . Trier's authentic and slightly naive sensibility speaks directly to high-strung young creatives. His films navigate an ocean of feelings — joy, melancholy, anger, loneliness — centring characters traversing the messy reality of life. Stellan Skarsgard co-stars as a film director and estranged father to Reinsve. The Regent Sun Aug 24, 6.45pm 5. THE STUDENT TICKET This ticket spans low-budget DIY projects, illicit substances, social media parasocialism and Dunedin on screen. LIFE IN ONE CHORDMargaret Gordon New Zealand/Australia Exploring the life and work of Shayne Carter, Life in One Chord lives in the heart of Dunedin's music scene. Traversing Dunedin's suburbs, this punkish rockumentary premieres globally at the Regent Theatre. The Regent Sat Aug 16, 6.15pm (Q+A) The Regent Tue Aug 19, 3.45pm WORKMATESCurtis Vowell New Zealand Unacknowledged love between Kiwi creatives comes to the fore in contemporary Shortland Street director Curtis Vowell's workplace comedy, Workmates . In a desperate plea to save the antique theatre they both love, best friends Lucy and Tom explore the awkward arena of workplace crushes. With rave reviews out of Auckland, be sure to add this one to your watchlist. The Regent Mon Aug 18, 6pm LURKERAlex Russell USA Part- Nightcrawler , part- The Talented Mr. Ripley , with stars from Saltburn and Bottoms , this modern music industry psychological thriller looks at pop stars, parasocial fans and social media stalkers. The Regent Tue Aug 19, 8.15pm THE WEED EATERSCallum Devlin New Zealand The Weed Eaters is the festival's spiritual heir to a '90s Peter Jackson horror-comedy or a Taika Waititi 48-hour film festival entry. Take the title literally and beware the intensity of your munchies. Think of this in the same ilk as Texas Chain Saw , cannibalism, carnage and all. Rialto Fri Aug 22, 8.15pm LESBIAN SPACE PRINCESSEmma Hough Hobbs, Leela Varghese Australia In the Gay-laxy, in the queer utopian kingdom of Clitopolis, an anxious and introverted Princess Saira misses her ex, and must summon her feminist battle axe to save her situationship from incel aliens. From real-life couple Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese, this Cartoon Network-inspired intergalactic romp is designedly unrestrained and wickedly funny with delightful musical numbers. The Regent Sat Aug 23, 8.15pm
