Doco delights of 2019
1. APOLLO 11 directed by Todd Douglas Miller
Using remastered never-before-seen footage that resounds with dazzling clarity and power, the documentary Apollo 11 reflected the extraordinary audacity and courage of mankind’s voyage to land on the Moon in 1969. (SVOD, DVD, NS)
2. FOR MY FATHER’S KINGDOM directed by Vea Mafile’o & Jeremiah Tauamiti
A tender and generous local documentary made about a small life – that of an elderly Tongan father in Auckland devoted to his church – but one that uncovered profound and universal truths about family, self-sacrifice and home.
3. CELIA directed by Amanda Millar
A frank, moving and achingly intimate portrait of the final days of the beloved New Zealand counsellor and intellectual Celia Lashlie. A fitting obituary for her lifetime’s work trying to mend broken families – and a broken society. (SVOD, DVD)
4. AMAZING GRACE directed by Sydney Pollack and Alan Elliott
A long-unfinished concert film, which captured Aretha Franklin in gospel mode at a Los Angeles Baptist church over two nights in 1972, acted as a musical eulogy for the Queen of Soul, especially in her 10-minute rendition of the title track. (SVOD, DVD)
directed by Midge Costin
After decades spent as an unsung hero of Hollywood sound editing, Midge Costin turned her hand to this illuminating and ear-opening documentary, which uncovers and exposes the subtle yet critical effect that sound and music have on our cinematic pleasure.
5. MAKING WAVES: THE ART OF CINEMATIC SOUND