Festival Programme

Films by Strand

Aotearoa

We proudly present a slate of powerful local films that illuminate and challenge our national character. Featuring 10 World Premieres, the 2023 selection includes new documentaries which shine a light on artists, musicians (including a post-screening gig) and personalities, while feature dramas bring distinctly New Zealand stories to the screen.

We continue to celebrate the short film format with two curated programmes collecting the best new shorts from Aotearoa and the Pacific community in New Zealand’s Best 2023 and Ngā Whanaunga Māori Pasifika Shorts.

See also Bread and Roses and Billion Dollar Heist

Bad Behaviour

Alice Englert

This whimsical Sundance dark comedy charts the fraught relationship between a former child actress and her stunt performer daughter in a feature debut from Alice Englert.

Building Bridges: Bill Youren's Vision of Peace

John Chrisstoffels

Farmer, family man, and—unlikely leftist organiser. Director John Chrisstoffels has compiled a gentle portrait of an ordinary New Zealand farmer capturing extraordinary changes in global twentieth century politics.

Grant Sheehan: Light, Ghosts & Dreams

Robin Greenberg

Filmmaker Robin Greenberg celebrates the life and art of avant-garde New Zealand photographer and publisher Grant Sheehan and his creative Artificial Intelligence (AI) explorations

King Loser

Cushla Dillon, Andrew Moore

King Loser’s fractious farewell tour sets the stage for not just the career-spanning documentary the legendary 90s band deserve, but also a poignant and powerful meditation on the toll the rock and roll dream takes.

Loop Track

Tom Sainsbury

A man on the verge of a nervous breakdown retreats to the bush, only to encounter other trampers—and someone or something else entirely—in this psychological thriller, a big screen first for comedian Tom Sainsbury.

Ms. Information

Gwen Isaac

As the nation plunges into pandemic, Gwen Isaac’s observational documentary delves into the trenches with Siouxsie Wiles, the fuchsia-haired microbiologist who emerged as a national hero and a satanic witch in the minds of a divided New Zealand.

The Paragon

Michael Duignan

The spirit of shoestring-budget, seat-of-your-pants filmmaking of the most inventive sort is alive in Aotearoa, in this homegrown psychedelic fantasy courtesy of Kiwi filmmaker Michael Duignan.

Red Mole: A Romance

Annie Goldson

Drawing on extensive archival material, Annie Goldson has pulled together a raucous and entertaining portrait of the radical and boundary-pushing New Zealand theatre troupe Red Mole.

The Strangest of Angels

Rebecca Tansley

Rebecca Tansley brings us a dramatic, moving interpretation of NZ Opera’s contemporary chamber opera inspired by a pivotal event in the life of New Zealand writer Janet Frame.

Tiki Taane in Session with CSO

Tiki Taane

Fans of dub musician Tiki Taane are in for a treat with the film of his one-off 2021 concert extravaganza, ‘Otautahi Proud’.