Films — by Collection

Staff Picks: Melanie Rae

After a year away from the Festival, I couldn’t stay away from the action (and occasional madness) any longer and I’m thrilled to be back with the team in Auckland. Being an avid cinephile, I enjoy all genres. My list has a bit of everything: dramas, classics, thrillers, documentaries, and the bizarre. In 2016, we have many exciting events including World Premieres, Q&A sessions with visiting and local filmmakers, and unique feature programmes within the festival – I can’t wait!

Midnight Special

Jeff Nichols

Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, Adam Driver, Kirsten Dunst and newcomer Jaeden Lieberher star in this dazzling, genre-defying sci-fi/chase movie from the director of Mud and Take Shelter.

The Eagle Huntress

Otto Bell

A 13-year-old nomadic Mongolian girl breaks a gender barrier to follow her father and train hunting eagles in this spectacular and entertaining documentary.

Miss Sharon Jones!

Barbara Kopple

Academy Award-winning documentary maker Barbara Kopple delivers definitive proof, from show-stopping testimony in a small South Carolina church to Manhattan’s Beacon Theatre, that nobody raises the roof like Sharon Jones.

Tanna

Bentley Dean, Martin Butler

Australian documentary filmmakers Bentley Dean and Martin Butler collaborated with villagers in the Vanuatu highlands who’d never seen a movie to create this luminous tale of forbidden love and continuously evolving tradition.