The New Zealand International Film Festival is in full swing, so we've selected 8 films that we think you can't miss before this huge celebration of all things cinema ends on 5 August.
From Cannes Festival winners to fascinating world cinema to a touching documentary, our selection offers something for everyone.
We The Animals
27 July and 1 August, Academy Cinemas
A beautifully photographed, captivating expression of hardscrabble family life and a sensitive boy’s growing self-awareness, this inspired adaptation of a remarkable book evokes memory and imagination in equal effect.
Dogman
27 July and 3 August, The Civic
A gentle dog groomer makes the perilous mistake of thinking he can pacify the town psycho as readily as a snarling mutt in this darkly flamboyant Cannes Competition crime thriller from the director of Gomorrah.
Good Manners
27 July and 1 August, ASB Waterfront Theatre
Social satire meets secret love meets beastly fairy tale in this wickedly assured shape-shifter from Brazil. It plays with some classic mythic elements and it’s going to follow through with them – in unexpected but narratively rigorous ways.
Science Fair
1 August, ASB Waterfront Theatre
Festival Favourite Award winner at Sundance, this immensely engaging doco shares the lively personalities and inspiring projects of nine teenage scientists as they converge at a major international competition in LA.
Girl
1 and 3 August, The Civic
Belgian filmmaker Lukas Dhont won the award for best first feature at Cannes with this empathetic, emotionally rich portrait of a 15-year-old trans girl who aspires to become a ballerina.
Juliet, Naked
1 and 3 August, The Civic
Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke and Chris O’Dowd are perfectly cast in this romcom, based on Nick Hornby’s novel about an indie rock obsession that leads to romance.
Lean on Pete
5 August, ASB Waterfront Theatre
Anchored by deeply lived-in performances from Steve Buscemi, Chloë Sevigny and newcomer Charlie Plummer, Lean on Pete is a profoundly moving account of life on the margins of America.
Cold War
2 and 4 August, The Civic
Winner of the Cannes Best Director award, Paweł Pawlikowski has crafted a brilliant, kaleidoscopic vision of 1950s Europe, bursting with music, dance and the turbulent love of two musicians caught between East and West.
Enjoy two hours of free parking or $5 evening and weekend rates. Find out more.
Ride on public transport from as little as $2 each way. Find out more.
Last updated:
06 August 2018
