Films by Country

Italy

The Best Offer

La migliore offerta

Giuseppe Tornatore

Giuseppe Tornatore (Cinema Paradiso) scored a hit in Italy with this romantic intrigue set in an international auction house. “Geoffrey Rush brings striking depth of character to a classic Old World mystery.” — Hollywood Reporter

Dormant Beauty

Bella addormentata

Marco Bellocchio

Four stories of contemporary Italian life, love and politics are expertly interwoven in Marco Bellocchio’s sweeping, eagle-eyed drama of social upheaval and personal crisis. With Isabelle Huppert.

Goblin Play Suspiria

Dario Argento

For one night only the Mighty Civic is transformed into a Gothic cathedral of psychedelic doom. NZIFF plays host to a unique live cinema performance from Italian rock legends Goblin as they accompany the eye-popping visuals of Dario Argento’s horror masterpiece Suspiria with their own pulsating score.

The Great Beauty

La grande bellezza

Paolo Sorrentino

In Paolo Sorrentino’s intoxicating cinematic fresco of contemporary Rome, Toni Servillo plays Jep, a long-stalled writer and wealthy bon vivant whom we first meet turning 65 in grand style. A visit from the widower of an old girlfriend provokes unexpected invigoration of his dormant creative instincts.

The Past

Le Passé

Asghar Farhadi

The great Iranian director Asghar Farhadi turns his attention to a Parisian household in a drama as intimate and gripping as his A Separation. Bérénice Bejo (The Artist) in the pivotal role took the Best Actress Award at Cannes.

The Venice Syndrome

Das Vendig Prinzip

Andreas Pichler

A threatened species in a tourist Mecca, intrepid native Venetians battle to keep the beleaguered city functioning and habitable. “An elegy to the last Venetians, their humour and their hearts.” — Berlin Film Festival 2013.