Films by Country

UK

13 Assassins

Jusannin no shikaku

Miike Takashi

This new Japanese sword-fighting classic by Miike Takashi is possibly the greatest men-on-a-mission movie since the original Seven Samurai. “Thrilling and funny, visually exquisite and emotionally charged.” — Philadelphia Inquirer

Animation for Kids 2011

A lively international showcase of new animated shorts including the wonderful Gruffalo. The films on this year’s programme, tested by a demanding young jury, have been deemed highly suitable for audiences aged four to eight.

A Boatload of Wild Irishmen

Mac Dara Ó Curraidhín

The legacy of Robert Flaherty (Nanook of the North, Moana) is examined through the eyes of the people whose parents and grandparents he put on the cinema screens of the world. A fascinating film about documentary ethics.

Bobby Fischer Against the World

Liz Garbus

The fascinating and turbulent life of chess master – and unlikely Cold War hero – Bobby Fischer. “It is a strange and complex story of a brilliant but deeply troubled man, full of bizarre twists and turns.” — Screendaily

Cave of Forgotten Dreams

Werner Herzog

Werner Herzog gains exclusive access to film inside the Chauvet caves of southern France, capturing the miraculously preserved, oldest known pictorial creations of humankind, maybe 32,000 years old.

Fire in Babylon

Stevan Riley

This doco about the West Indies’ late 70s ascension from happy-go-lucky ‘calypso cricketers’ to world beaters is such riotous fun you won’t need to know your googlies from your bouncers to get a big kick out of it.

The First Grader

Justin Chadwick

The right to education is rousingly dramatised in the true story of an 84-year-old Mau Mau veteran’s bid for literacy. “An unknown story seems certain to stir the hearts of audiences worldwide.” — Hollywood Reporter

Guilty Pleasures

Julie Moggan

A fond, good-humoured doco about Mills & Boon romance novels and how they bear on the love lives of a handful of writers and readers. “A movie about fantasy: creating it, living in it, and learning its limitations.” — SlantMagazine.com

Homegrown: Drama

From the haunting brutality of war and domestic violence to the depths of romantic and familial relationships, a smorgasbord of works from Aotearoa’s finest up-and-coming filmmakers selected and presented by MIC Toi Rerehiko.

Homegrown: Flights of Fancy

Selecting from a wealth of submissions, MIC Toi Rerehiko presents an eclectic programme of digital shorts by New Zealanders, defying genre, experimenting with technique and storytelling, while evoking otherworldly experiences.

How Much Does Your Building Weigh, Mr Foster?

Carlos Carcas, Norberto López Amado

Admiring, hugely enjoyable, superbly shot doco displays the work and traces the global success of Britain’s most successful and influential architect. “A visually striking tribute to an intrepid social utopian.” — Empire

Jig

Sue Bourne

This Spellbound-style doco takes us into the world of competitive Irish dancing as we meet some dazzling (and charming) dancers, boys and girls from all over the world preparing for the 2010 World Championships in Glasgow.

Kill List

Ben Wheatley

Get Carter meets The Wicker Man. “A brilliantly constructed horror-drama that is put together in such a way that its grim twists surprise and engage.” — Screendaily

Pink Saris

Kim Longinotto

Kim Longinotto follows fiery activist Sampat Pal Devi as she crusades against child marriages, dowry deaths and the abuse of women in northern India. “A multilayered, psychologically complex portrait of both a woman and a moment.” — Variety

Project Nim

James Marsh

Can a non-human learn to speak? In 1973 Nim, a baby chimp, was deposited into a Manhattan family home in order to find this out. In this intriguing doc from the maker of Man on Wire the important people in Nim’s life tell his story.

Senna

Asif Kapadia

You don’t have to be a petrolhead to ‘get’ the legend of Formula One racer Ayrton Senna. Ask any Brazilian – or check out the most enthralling big-screen sports documentary since When We Were Kings.

Submarine

Richard Ayoade

Duffle-coated teenager Oliver copes with being an unappreciated genius in 80s Swansea and pursues the pyromaniac girl of his dreams in this Brit hit directed by IT Crowd comedian Richard Ayoade. “Simply a joy.” — Empire

The Trip

Michael Winterbottom

Comedians Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan take a road tour of northern English restaurants. "Hilarious and touching... like a funnier, flakier, madcap British version of My Dinner With Andre." — Entertainment Weekly

Tyrannosaur

Paddy Considine

Drawing riveting performances from Peter Mullan and Olivia Colman, actor Paddy Considine makes a directorial debut that will reward any viewer willing to share his unblinking gaze into the hearts of two violently damaged protagonists.

Weekend

Andrew Haigh

A brief encounter proves mutually disarming for two young men in a salty, insightful love story buoyed by sex, drugs and testing differences of opinion. “A deftly-played and beautifully-paced little romance.” — The Guardian