Women Make Movies

Engrossing, highly informative doco investigates the story of Tilikum, a six-ton bull orca, whose killing of his Sea World trainer was blamed on the victim herself. “A mesmerizing psychological thriller.” — Variety

Direct from Cannes. Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation) delivers a coolly satirical take on the true story of Californian rich kids who found media fame breaking into the houses of celebrities. With Emma Watson.

Determined to support herself, Moroccan divorcee Khadija defies her conservative family and works as a wedding videographer in Casablanca. The fairytale celebrations she films provide a telling counterpoint to her own struggle.

The meteoric rise, calamitous crash and remarkable endurance of US champion snowboarder Kevin Pearce are related with nerve-wracking immediacy in Lucy Walker’s (Waste Land) doco. “Enthralling.” — Screendaily

Clint and Dwayne, awesome lady-killer pony-riding gang of two, raise the funds to get Dwayne a new set of teeth. The funniest movie valentine to stoned mateship and recreational innovation in backblocks NZ since Kaikohe Demolition.

Sister Loyola Galvin turns 90 and shares insights on faith, ageing, compassion and compost. A NZ Gardener Gardener of the Year, Loyola’s commitment is to nurturing all living things, especially those which 'don’t get a good start’.

The soldiers of Gideon’s Army, Dawn Porter’s stirring debut documentary, are public defenders, lawyers who dedicate themselves to representing the indigent, and regularly answering the question, 'How can you defend those people?’

Two remarkable young actresses, Elle Fanning and Alice Englert (Beautiful Creatures), illuminate Sally Potter’s coming-of-age tale set in a pre-feminist 60s London bohemia.

Annie Goldson and Kay Ellmers’ doco, expanded from the film they made for Maori Television, takes a timely look at New Zealand’s military and media, notably journalist Jon Stephenson, in Afghanistan.

Budding sexual awakening is explored with a resolutely and refreshing female sensibility in this evocative study of a teenage girl’s attempts to attract an older guy during a hot Brooklyn summer.

“This inspirational true story vibrantly captures the personality of its determined Dutch protagonist, 16-year-old Laura Dekker, who holds the title as the youngest person to sail around the world solo.” — Variety

Guided by Australian star-maker Miss Nikki, members of Burma’s first ever girl band “attempt to push past gender and ethnic prejudices in this poppy, insider view of the nascent awakening of a closed society.” — Indiewire

New York’s Milestone Films continues its essential mission of restoring the perceptive and socially conscious works of underground American filmmaker Shirley Clarke with this mesmerizing 1985 portrait of jazz icon Ornette Coleman.

Stand-up psychoanalytic cultural theorist Slavoj Žižek gets inside some epochal movies -Jaws, Taxi Driver, Titanic, The Sound of Music and many more – to explore what they were really trying to tell us. Provocative and funny.

Recently restored, Shirley Clarke’s Oscar-winning portrait of poet Robert Frost lives on as a precious, gleaming artefact of the JFK era.

Amy Taylor’s moving doco explores the impact of Moko, a 'friendly dolphin’, on the eastern coastal communities he frequented in the six months up to his death in 2010 – and one woman’s quest to befriend and protect him.

A sobering and fascinating time capsule of 70s psychedelia and communal hippiedom, with those who lived through the psychedelia, the songs and the madness – all wrapped up with eye-popping home movies and insightful interviews.

Actress and director Sarah Polley turns documentary maker to give us a surprising portrait of her own family. “An invigorating powerhouse of a personal documentary, adventurous and absolutely fascinating.” — LA Times

Loving, music-filled tribute to Chris Strachwitz, guiding force behind legendary roots music label Arhoolie Records. With Ry Cooder, Clifton Chenier, Richard Thompson, Flaco Jiménez and a new generation of roots musicians.

Swift and seductive, Stephanie Beth’s take on the grassroots talent of video games is a rare glimpse into a fascinating creative world, and a love letter to the 21st century’s only truly new art form.

This documentary teases out the clash in community values underpinning the schoolroom shooting of a gay junior high student in California by a fellow student. Was it murder, a hate crime or justifiable self-defence?

Welcome to beautiful Niaqornat, Greenland, pop: 59, and an affectionate account of a year in the life of its hardy inhabitants. “A winning blend of human stories and ravishing Nordic landscapes.” — Hollywood Reporter

The first-ever feature to be made entirely in Saudi Arabia or directed by a Saudi woman is a smart and funny tale of a sassy ten-year-old girl with her heart set on owning a bike.