Whanau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF) today reveals its line-up of impressive New Zealand feature films that have been selected to screen at the 2022 festival so far. Rich in storytelling, the themes of resilience, survival, and hope run deep in many of the titles.
Making their feature film directorial debuts are Nina Nawalowalo with A Boy Called Piano – The Story of Fa'amoana John Luafutu, and Welby Ings with Punch.
Adapted from the stage to the screen, A Boy Called Piano is an incredibly moving documentary detailing the remarkable story of Fa’amoana’s time as a state ward in the 1960’s and the intergenerational impacts of these experiences. The film was recently awarded Best Feature Documentary at the Montreal Independent Film Festival.
Punch, shot against the black sand backdrop of Tāmaki Makaurau’s West Coast beaches, has its world premiere at NZIFF 2022. This contemporary coming-of-age story set in small-town New Zealand stars Academy Award-nominee Tim Roth and newcomers Jordan Oosterhof and Conan Hayes.
Veteran independent documentary-maker Costa Botes (Forgotten Silver, Act of Kindness, Angie) returns to the festival with the world premiere of observational documentary When the Cows Come Home, charting the unusual life of musician, journalist, artist and