NZIFF 51 – Film Review: The Art of Self-Defense
The Art of Self-Defense is the second feature film by U.S. director, Riley Stearns, a pitch-black deadpan comedy that offers a deeply unsettling examination of modern masculinity and identity.
The Art of Self-Defense is the second feature film by U.S. director, Riley Stearns, a pitch-black deadpan comedy that offers a deeply unsettling examination of modern masculinity and identity.
Simon Coldrick has already put together an impressive list of Kiwi documentaries he’s either directed or edited, including David Farrier’s Tickled, The Day That Changed My Life, which covered the Christchurch earthquakes, and Erebus: Operation Overdue.
Knife+Heart (Un couteau dans le cœur) is a gloriously taboo French thriller from director Yann Gonzalez, which combines aspects of erotic psychodrama and giallo cinema with a pulsating, dream-synth score from M83.
Oscar-nominated Hale County is a visually compelling look at life in an unknown corner of the Deep South, and announces the arrival of an exciting new voice.
Ant Timpson has been a mainstay on the New Zealand film scene for years, having founded both the Incredibly Strange Film Festival and the 48 Hour Film Challenge.
What constitutes a pivotal moment in someone’s life? An event so monumental that it can turn everything a person has ever known on its head? For Deb Callahan, it’s the disappearance of her daughter Bridget. Sarah Kidd reviews American Woman.
For PJ Harvey fans, this film acts as a complement to her 2016 album, The Hope Six Demolition Project. But those unfamiliar with the album, or with PJ, may find this somewhat inscrutable.
Oh, my God! Hail Satan? Just might be the most important documentary at this year’s film festival.
If you like your political intrigue visceral and nail-bitingly tense this Spanish thriller will get your vote.
The animated Dilili in Paris offers much more than its family rating might suggest. Set in early 20th century Paris, Dilili is young girl who stows away from Kanak (New Caledonia) to Paris seeking to experience the world outside of her home. It manages to tackle issues of race, gender and power inequality but still […]