Films by Country

USA

The Adventures of Robin Hood

Michael Curtiz, William Keighley

Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland as the perfect Robin and Marian in the adventure cinema classic. "This great 1938 film exists in an eternal summer of bravery and romance." — Chicago Sun Times

And When Did You Last See Your Father?

Anaud Tucker

Jim Broadbent, Juliet Stevenson and Colin Firth star in this heartfelt adaptation of Blake Morrison's memoir of his uneasy relationship with his country doctor father. "Likely to strike a chord in almost anybody." — Evening Standard

Animation Now! 2008

Cut-outs, paint-on-glass, puppetry, watercolour on tile, scratch films and hand-drawn work all feature in this year's selection of the best animated shorts from around the world.

Anita O'Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer

Ian McCrudden, Robbie Cavolina

A spirited appreciation and colourful portrait of the great jazz singer and queen of 50s cool. Excellent clips, archived interviews and unseen footage.

Anvil! The Story of Anvil

Sacha Gervasi

An inspirational rockumentary about an aging metal band, both funny and heart-warming in equal measure. "It's a hilarious, and unexpectedly moving, documentary about the greatest metal band you've probably never heard of." — Entertainment Weekly

Ballast

Lance Hammer

In the most widely praised debut at Sundance this year, a rural Mississippi family realigns after a tragic death. "Fragmentary, mysterious and poetic." — Village Voice

The Band's Visit

Bikur Ha-Tizmoret

Eran Kolirin

A lost Egyptian band spends the night in a small Israeli town in this charming comedy. "Marries goofy deadpan comedy with a conciliatory spirit... you'll weep with laughter." — LA Weekly

Be Kind Rewind

Michel Gondry

When all the tapes in their store get wiped, Jack Black and Mos Def set out to remake every movie. Directed by Michel Gondry. "A hundred minutes of sweet-natured idiocy." — Financial Times

Bigger, Stronger, Faster*

Christopher Bell

Are steroids really a cheaters' drug, or are they as American as Rocky Balboa? Dedicated gym rat Chris Bell weighs the evidence. "Whip-smart, funny and refreshingly honest." — CNN.com

Billy the Kid

Jennifer Venditti

Much-awarded and widely loved documentary about a 15-year-old hyper-engaging small-town misfit. "A movie about adolescence unlike any other." — LA Times

The Cool School

Morgan Neville

The emergence and impact of the beat-era LA art scene is examined in this lively documentary. "Smart, jazzy and unafraid to deflate egos... a fast-paced, finely critical study." — Time Out NY

Crazy Love

Dan Klores

This brash, attention-grabbing documentary recounts a life-long tale of violently obsessive passion that has made numerous headlines over the decades.

CSNY: Déjà Vu

Bernard Shakey, Benjamin Johnson

Neil Young's film intercuts concert footage of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's 2006 US tour with a frank documentary record of audience reactions to his political activism.

Dear Zachary

Kurt Kuenne

This heartbreaking doco begins as a loving scrapbook tribute to the filmmaker's dead friend before careening into a harrowing and provocative true-crime drama.

Encounters at the End of the World

Werner Herzog

Film-maker Werner Herzog travels to the McMurdo Station in Antarctica, looking to capture the continent's beauty and investigate the characters living there.

The First Saturday in May

Hennegan Brothers

Behind the scenes with six contenders at the 2006 Kentucky Derby. "Compelling, expertly paced... Nothing short of riveting." — Washington Post

FPS - Live Cinema Event

Sam Hamilton and Eve Gordon present an amazing collection of cinema experimentation and live music.

The Freshman

Fred Newmeyer, Sam Taylor

The Festival and the Vector Wellington Orchestra in a single rare screening of one of the popular comedy classics of the silent era.

Frozen River

Courtney Hunt

A nerve-wracking thriller about two women trafficking illegal immigrants across a frozen river. Winner Grand Jury Prize (Best Dramatic Feature), Sundance Festival.

Funny Games

Michael Haneke

Michael Haneke (The Piano Teacher) channels his anger with mainstream media depiction of violence into a horrific and highly entertaining piece of cinema. Starring Naomi Watts, Tim Roth.

George A. Romero's Diary of the Dead

George A. Romero

Gore-hounds rejoice! The Maestro returns with a new installment in his epic anthology of all things zombie. "An entirely fresh take on the inevitably impending apocalypse." — Cinematical

I Think We're Alone Now

Sean Donnelly

An intimate look into the lives of two stalkers of 80s teen pop one-hit-wonder Tiffany, Sean Donnelly's I Think We're Alone Now is absolutely disturbing, wince-inducing trainwreck viewing of the highest order.

In Search of a Midnight Kiss

Alex Holdridge

In this cool and funny lo-fi romantic comedy, two love-scarred LA 20-somethings meet on Craigslist rather than spend New Year's Eve alone. "The perfect date movie." — RottenTomatoes.com

The Kid Brother

Ted Wilde

The Festival and The Trusts are proud to present the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra in a single rare screening of one of the great comedy classics of the silent era.

The King of Kong

Seth Gordon

"A true gem about rivalry amongst videogamers... a thrilling examination of the human psyche – a hugely entertaining account of good vs evil." — Time Out

La Corona

Amanda Micheli, Isabel Vega

Academy Award nominated short documentary about the annual beauty contest held by the inmates of Colombia's largest women's penitentiary.

Lake Tahoe

Fernando Eimbcke

This tender deadpan comedy follows 16-year-old Juan as he tries to organise a repair job on the family car he has just crashed. Selected as 'Revelation of the Year', Critics' Week Cannes 2008

Lou Reed's Berlin

Julian Schnabel

Director Julian Schnabel captures Lou Reed performing his 1973 album live in 2006. "Berlin gets the documentary it deserves: [it] instantly ranks as one of the great concert films ever shot." — Tribeca Film Festival

Married Life

Ira Sachs

Pierce Brosnan, Chris Cooper, Patricia Clarkson and Rachel McAdams in a Hitchcockian tale of adultery and murder, 40s style. Slyly ironic film noir by Sundance winner Ira Sachs. "Perfectly acted." — New York Film Festival

Munyurangabo

Lee Isaac Chung

From Rwanda a delicate, poignant film about the friendship of two young men, one Hutu, the other Tutsi. "An authentically beautiful film." — Film Comment

No End In Sight

Charles Ferguson

A staggering overview of how America lost the war in Iraq with plentiful testimony from inside the Bush camp. "A mind-boggling litany of mistakes and poor judgements." — Film Comment

Obscene

Daniel O'Connor, Neil Ortenberg

A highly entertaining portrait of Barney Rosset, one of the most adventurous English-language publishers of the 20th century and one of the great unsung heroes of free expression.

The Order of Myths

Margaret Brown

Filmmaker Margaret Brown find the segregated South alive and well in America's oldest Mardi Gras, in Mobile Alabama. "Vibrant and revealing." — Hollywood Reporter

Patti Smith: Dream of Life

Steven Sebring

An intimate, lyrical portrait of punk pioneer Patti Smith. "If Patti Smith has ever mattered to you, you'll remember why when you see Dream of Life." — Film Comment

Pete Seeger: The Power of Song

Jim Brown

A rousing, affectionate biographical portrait of singer/activist Pete Seeger, now in his late 80s. "As certain to get audiences singing as the man himself." — Variety

Planet B-Boy

Benson Lee

This exhilarating documentary brings us all the excitement of the 2005 break dancing Battle of the Year. Featuring insane performances and impossible choreography from the world's best b-boys.

Pop Skull

Adam Wingard

Welcome to the fevered dream world of Daniel, 20-something and losing the plot. "Dazzling... its hip sensibility is Lynch before he went into self parody." — Ant Timpson

Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story

Morgan Neville, Robert Gordon

An illuminating music-filled history of Stax Records, low-down cousin to Detroit's silkier Motown. "An essential account." — NY Times

Safety Last

Fred Newmeyer, Sam Taylor

In association with the Harold Lloyd Estate, the Festival is delighted to present a Live Cinema screening of one of the classic comedies of the silent era, accompanied on the piano by Tim Dodd.

The Savages

Tamara Jenkins

Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney are in peak form in this American black comedy as brother and sister obliged to care for their estranged father. "Terrific." — Entertainment Weekly

Standard Operating Procedure

Errol Morris

Documentary auteur Errol Morris (The Thin Blue Line, The Fog of War) recounts the fruit of two years of research into events surrounding the notorious photographs from Abu Ghraib.

Surfwise

Doug Pray

Highly entertaining portrait of 84-year-old surf legend 'Doc' Paskowitz and the nine kids he raised to live the nomadic surfing lifestyle. "Wonderfully engaging." — NY Times

Taxi to the Dark Side

Alex Gibney

Alex Gibney's Academy Award winning documentary digs deep into the systematised abuse and outright murder of 'enemy combatants' held in American prisons.

Teeth

Mitchell Lichtenstein

This fiendish, black comedy-horror updates the ancient myth of 'vagina dentata' into a high-concept social satire with a razor-sharp script and outlandish gore.

tom thumb

George Pal

A boy no bigger than a thumb can be a hero! Grimms' fairy tales were never more upbeat that this high-spirited 1958 MGM adaptation starring Russ Tamblyn and Peter Sellers.

The Visitor

Thomas McCarthy

A shy, disillusioned university professor retrieves his heart in this quiet, soulful drama from writer/director of The Station Agent. "A heartfelt human drama that sneaks up and floors you." — Rolling Stone

We Can Not Exist In This World Alone

Two Bens, Ben Rivers from the UK and US-based Ben Russell, converge on the South Pacific to present a programme combining their experimental work making for a vivid varied film experience.

Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell

Matt Wolf

Celebratory portrait of avant-garde musician and disco producer Arthur Russell. "A long-neglected cult musician gets his well-deserved moment in the limelight." — Screendaily