Late cinema shift for NZ film festival
Russell Crowe, Thomasin McKenzie and Marlon Williams will help get next month’s New Zealand International Film Festival under way with a bang.
The Kiwi trio feature in the Australian movie True History of the Kelly Gang, which has been selected as the opening-night attraction for the 2020 edition of our country’s annual celebration of global cinema.
Based on the Booker Prize-winning novel by Peter Carey, it also features 1917’s George MacKay, Tolkien’s Nicholas Hoult and Miss Fisher’s
Essie Davis and has been billed as a surreal adaptation of the outlaw legend.
In a late twist for the Covid-19 affected event, the Justin Kurzel-directed (Snowtown) drama will debut at the same time at Auckland’s ASB Waterfront Theatre and online.
In late April, the festival announced an entirely ‘‘at-home’’ edition, but as government-imposed restrictions have since eased, that has been supplemented with screenings in Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Gore, Napier, New Plymouth, Tauranga and Wellington.
All up, 27 of the festival’s 79 features and seven collections of short films from 41 countries will now get a cinematic airing. All the titles will be available to view across the nation via nziff.co.nz
Recently renamed Wha¯nau Ma¯rama: New Zealand International Film Festival, this year’s edition will also include a programme of stillto-be-determined extra events that will include film-maker introductions, Q&As, discussion forums, awards ceremonies and masterclasses, says debutant festival director Marten Rabarts.
Tickets for cinema screenings will be on sale from July 10, and rental options will be available to buy from the first available screening date of the July 24 to August 2 festival.
Meanwhile, the Kiwi company behind the NZIFF’s streaming platform, Shift72, has been revealed as the platform partners for the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
Covid-19 restrictions have forced the traditional Oscars-bellwether event to move much of its programme online this year. New Zealand director Taika Watiti, winner of a TIFF tribute award last year and whose film Jojo Rabbit took out the sought-after audience prize, was also announced as one of 50 global ambassadors for the September 10 to 19 festival.