Five new Kiwi shorts that all examine the different ways we connect (and disconnect) with each other. From cross-cultural relationships that develop in a surprising manner, to intimate relationships that have drifted apart, these films are linked by the ties that bind all of us together.
Screened as part of NZIFF 2019
Short Connections
Walk a Mile 2019
A grumpy old man hates living next door to a noisy family. All he wants is peace and quiet. That is until something happens to his neighbours. Judith Cowley’s moving Wellington-made short film shows how reaching out can break down barriers within communities.
Upstream 2019
An immigrant from Portugal develops a close friendship with her Māori neighbour while living in the Manawatu. A Portuguese transplant herself, Adriana Martins da Silva’s film offers a refreshing slant on Kiwi life from a foreign perspective and an elegant, understated portrait of female friendship.
Memory Foam 2019
A married middle-aged couple are shopping for a new bed, only to discover that their bed is not the only thing they have outgrown. Paloma Schneideman delivers an all too recognisable portrait of a fading relationship.
Hush 2019
A young woman surprises her brother and friends when she suddenly returns to her small hometown with a secret. Made in collaboration with Toi Whakaari, Armağan Ballantyne’s film is alive to the rhythms of small-town life and the debilitating isolation of a shameful secret.
Biggie & Shrimp 2019
A teen from a rundown housing estate puts his only true friendship at risk when peer-pressured to prove his masculinity. Harvey Hayes puts toxic masculinity under the lens as one teen struggles with his self-identity.