Curated by Malcolm Turner, animation programmer at NZIFF since 1988, and director of the Melbourne International Animation Festival.
Films — by Country
France
Both Sides of the Blade
Avec amour et acharnement
Juliette Binoche, Vincent Lindon and Gregoire Colin form a turbulent love triangle as old flames endure in Claire Denis’ sexy and volatile relationship drama.
Full Time
À plein temps
Single mum Julie (Laure Calamy, Call My Agent!) races against time in this forceful, authentic drama underpinned by a thriller momentum.
Incredible but True
Incroyable mais vrai
Middle-aged house hunters get more than they bargained for in Quentin Dupieux’s delightfully screwball French comedy brimming with his usual penchant for deadpan wackiness and offbeat situations.
Lost Illusions
Illusions perdues
Reaping top awards at the 2022 Césars, this majestic, lavish fresco adapted from Balzac’s masterpiece paints a cruel portrait of 19th century Parisian society and the burgeoning world of the press, which has startling contemporary overtones.
One Fine Morning
Un beau matin
Léa Seydoux stars as a busy single mom, juggling caring for her daughter and her ailing father, who finds love in unexpected circumstances in Mia Hansen-Løve’s nimble romantic drama.
The Passengers of the Night
Les passagers de la nuit
A heart-warming 80s-set family drama starring Charlotte Gainsbourg as a recently single mother who finds a new lease of life working for a late night talkback show where she crosses paths with a young drifter.
Return to Seoul
Retour à Séoul
A French-Korean adoptee returns to Seoul, a home she has never known, and over the course of several visits begins to process her complicated relationship with her biological family and country of birth.
Smoking Causes Coughing
Fumer fait tousser
An extra dose of Gallic weirdness courtesy of Quentin Dupieux; a superhero flick-turned-shaggy dog story as the brave avengers Tobacco Force go on a camping retreat to strengthen their team cohesion.
Stars at Noon
Based on Denis Johnson’s cult novel, Margaret Qualley and Joe Alwyn star in this heady and alluring romantic thriller from NZIFF fave Claire Denis, directing her second English-language feature.
A Tale of Love and Desire
Une histoire d’amour et de désir
Leyla Bouzid’s tender coming-of-age romance throws young student Ahmed’s world off-balance as he falls for the confidently self-assured Farah who challenges his cultural values and his poetic ideas of love.