Opening Night

Tuesday 28 April, 8:30 pm

Out of The Blue


Robert Sarkies, New Zealand 2006, 103 mins, 35mm, (R15-VCD)
The killing spree of David Gray in Aramoana near Dunedin told with aplomb by Sarkies as an excruciatingly taut docu-thriller that's refreshing for the genuine weight of its tragedy. Our season opener this year will leave its mark on you!

Tuesday 5 May, 8:30 pm

The Man Who Knew Too Much


Alfred Hitchcock, USA 1956, 120 mins, 16mm, (PG)
A family vacationing in Morocco accidentally stumbles onto an assassination plot and the conspirators are determined to prevent them from interfering. Alfred Hitchcock's 1956 remake of his own 1934 spy thriller is an exciting event in its own right, with several justifiably famous sequences, particularly a relentless Albert Hall scene with a blaring symphony, an assassin's gun, and Doris Day's scream.

Tuesday 12 May, 8:30 pm

Twelve Monkeys


Terry Gilliam, USA 1995, 129 mins, 16mm, (M-VL)
In a future world devastated by disease, a convict is sent back in time to gather information about the man-made virus that wiped out most of the human population on the planet. Scientific, social and political themes are explored in this nightmarish vision of the future.

Tuesday 19 May, 8:30 pm

Joe Leahy's Neighbours


Bob Connolly, Australia 1989, 90 mins, 16mm, (G)
An Australian film about the culture clash between Joe Leahy, a mixed race Papua New Guinean and his neighbouring tribesmen, who have realised that he has enriched himself at their expense. Who wins, when tradition meets modernity? Bob Connolly and Robin Anderson sensitively ask the questions without editorialising in this 1989 documentary.

Tuesday 26 May, 8:30 pm

Diva

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Jean-Jacques Beineix, France 1981, 123 mins, 35mm, (M-V)
This vibrant mash-up of genres from French director Jean-Jacques Beineix is regarded by many as the vanguard of the stylish Cinema De Look movement. After a young postal worker illegally tapes a performance by a reclusive opera singer, it isn't long before Taiwanese bootleggers, a prostitute, a video-incriminated police chief, and the cop's henchman are hot on his tail. A cult classic.

Tuesday 2 June, 8:30 pm

Darwin's Nightmare

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Hubert Sauper, Au/Be/Fr/Ca/Fi/Sw 2004, 107 mins, 35mm, (M-AT)
A doco that focuses on the plight in Tanzania of fishermen who are starving as their resource is shipped to Europe's restaurants. Immerse in this reality until suddenly you are gasping for air. This microscopic look at Africa will alert you to wider issues we face globally. Oscar nominee.

Tuesday 9 June, 8:30 pm

The Science of Sleep

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Michel Gondry, Italy/Fr 2006, 105 mins, DV, (M-LSR)
A Parisian Love Story in Forward, and Sideways Motion.Shy Stephane returns to his childhood home with the promise of a job. Wildly creative, his disturbing dream life threatens to usurp his waking world. Stephane is drawn to his neighbour, Stephanie whose imagination matches his own. As their relationship blossoms, so does Stephane's confidence. Soon Stephane will face a dilemma the science of sleep won't help him to solve.

Tuesday 16 June, 8:30 pm

Vertigo


Alfred Hitchcock, USA 1958, 128 mins, 16mm, (PG)
A classic Hitchcock thriller. John "Scottie" Ferguson is a retired San Francisco police detective who suffers from acrophobia. A wealthy acquaintance from college days asks Scottie to investigate the strange activities of his wife. Scottie agrees and becomes dangerously obsessed with the mesmerising Madeline.

Tuesday 23 June, 8:30 pm

Donnie Brasco


Mike Newell, USA 1997, 127 mins, 16mm, (R16-VL)
The true story of FBI Agent Joe Pistone who infiltrated the mob in 1970's New York. Using the alias Donnie Brasco he became so deeply enmeshed with the gangsters that his loyalty to his FBI bosses came into question. "It's hard to think of another American film with this range of moods: satirical, sometimes hilarious, yet suffused with a sense of loss and riddled with the kind of violence that makes you recoil and lean forward simultaneously" David Edelstein on slate.com.

Tuesday 30 June, 8:30 pm

Forgotten Silver


C Botes/P Jackson, New Zealand 1995, 53 mins, 35mm, (PG)
This mockumentary by Peter Jackson and Costa Botes heralds the re-discovery of a long-lost New Zealand world pioneer in film-making (Colin McKenzie) using a sophisticated blend of expositional, interactive and observational modes to present a biography of McKenzie's life (through interviews with local celebrities, McKenzie's 'widow', and film experts - including Leonard Maltin). This is intercut with footage of an expedition by Botes and Jackson as they travel into the depths of the New Zealand bush to re-discover the site of McKenzie's greatest silent epic, Salome.

Feel New York

Sheena Haywood, New York 2008, (tbc)
Short movie shot during Sheena's time at the film making course at the New York Film Academy.

Tuesday 7 July, 8:30 pm

Quiet Earth


Geoff Murphy, New Zealand 1985, 91 mins, 35mm, (M-AT)
Here's a great sci-fi without monsters or super-violence. a bloke wakes up to find himself the last man alive. More sombre, serious, and intellectual than "I Am Legend", this cleverly paced film was shot in Auckland. It's a story and atmosphere driven accomplishment with smooth dialogues, witty oppressed humour and complex character drawings.

Tuesday 14 July, 8:30 pm

War Stories


Gaylene Preston, New Zealand 1995, 95 mins, 35mm, (G)
Women's experiences of love during WWII is the subject. Interviews, archival footage, still photos and popular songs of the war era present stories of seven women who recollect how the war affected their love lives. The interviewees, in their 70s and 80s now, talk about their youth as if time never quite healed the hurt or salved the regrets over hasty marriages. New Zealander's tales take on universal appeal.

Tuesday 21 July, 8:30 pm

The Crucible


Nicholas Hytner, USA 1996, 124 mins, 16mm, (M)
A 17th-century Salem woman accuses an ex-lover's wife of witchery in an adaptation of the Arthur Miller play. Written in the midst of the McCarthy era as a thinly veiled attack on the Communist witch hunts of the time, "The Crucible" has emerged as a timeless commentary on the evil that men and women do, especially in the name of righteousness and religion.

Tuesday 28 July, 8:30 pm

Infernal Affairs (Mogan do)

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Andrew Lau, Alan Mak, Hong Kong 2002, 101 mins, DV, (M low level violence)
Chan is a Hong Kong undercover cop who has infiltrated the Triads and risen to a position of responsibility. Lau is a Triad member who's done the same thing in the police force. As the two organizations become increasingly aware of the moles in their midst, the race is on for Chan and Lau to try and get out of the game alive. This 1990 thriller was remade by Martin Scorsese in 2006 as The Departed.

Tuesday 4 August, 8:30 pm

The Architects

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Peter Kahane, East Germany 1990, 95 mins, DV, (M-S)
This film deftly shows the bureaucratic inner workings of the former East German centrally controlled economy. The protagonist (Kurt Nauman) assembles a team of irreverent architects who intentionally goad the powers that be. They want to see just how much they can get away with, and that turns out to be precious little. The context in which this tragedy was made is integral to understanding the picture itself.

Tuesday 11 August, 8:30 pm

Unforgiven


Clint Eastwood, USA 1992, 131 mins, 16mm, (M-VL)
It's a western, it's a drama: retired Old West gunslinger William Munny reluctantly takes on one last job, with the help of both his old partner and a young man. That's the guts of it. y'all know it's good. It's got Clint and Gene and Morgan,all givin' great performances. If you've ever liked a drama or a western you better git a load o this un! Now saddle up and come on out, y'hear?

Tuesday 18 Auguest, 8:30 pm

Donnie Brasco


Mike Newell, USA 1997, 127 mins, DV, (R16-VL)
The true story of FBI Agent Joe Pistone who infiltrated the mob in 1970's New York. Using the alias Donnie Brasco he became so deeply enmeshed with the gangsters that his loyalty to his FBI bosses came into question. "It's hard to think of another American film with this range of moods: satirical, sometimes hilarious, yet suffused with a sense of loss and riddled with the kind of violence that makes you recoil and lean forward simultaneously" David Edelstein on slate.com.

Tuesday 25 Auguest, 8:30 pm

The Thin Red Line


Terrence Malick, USA 1998, 170 mins, 16mm, (M-VL)
Director Terrence Malick's adaptation of James Jones' autobiographical 1962 novel, focusing on the conflict at Guadalcanal during the second World War, where the USA were determined to quell the last Japanese resistance in the South Pacific. As the exhausting fight for a key airfield unfolds, we see the horrors of war and the extraordinary bonds that develop between the soldiers.

Tuesday 1 September, 8:30 pm

A Fish Called Wanda


Charles Crichton, USA/UK 1988, 108 mins, 16mm, (PG-L)
Stolen diamonds, stammering hit men and accidental dog deaths, this hilarious, tightly written comedy was a box office smash in 1988 and must rate as one of John Cleese's finest moments. Also features an Oscar winning turn from Kevin Kline as the loopy, armpit sniffing diamond robber Otto.

Tuesday 8 September, 8:30 pm

Phantom of The Paradise


Brian De Palma, USA 1974, 92 mins, 16mm, (M-V)
One of Brian de Palma's most enjoyable hour-and-a-halves. It was originally written back in 1969 when De Palma was still in experimental form as a parody of The Phantom of the Opera (1925) - all conducted as a hilarious parody of seventies glitter rock. Although not just satisfied with The Phantom of the Opera, De Palma also throws in spoofs of Faust, The Picture of Dorian Grey, the Frankenstein films and Hitchcock's 'Psycho' shower sequence with The Phantom wielding a toilet plunger in lieu of a knife. De Palma and songwriter/star Paul Williams wind in send-ups of every imaginable musical style from The Beach Boys to Alice Cooper and retro-50s rockers like Sha Na Na.

Tuesday 15 September, 8:30 pm

NZFC Shorts

New Zealand, 35mm,
This is a tasty selection of great New Zealand short movies from the film festival circuit. Come and see New Zealand talent on the big screen. This night is always a crowd pleaser.

A Woman of Good Character

David Blyth, New Zealand 1980, 74 mins, DV, (tbc)
A young servant girl from England seeks a new life in 19th Century New Zealand.

Tuesday 22 September, 8:30 pm

The Spirit of The Beehive


Victor Erice, Spain 1973, 97 mins, 16mm, (PG)
In a remote Castilian village in 1940, a bright eight-year-old with a wonderful imagination struggles in the oppressively and spiritually empty home her bee-keeping father heads. When she befriends a wartime fugitive, she pictures him as a reincarnation of Boris Karloff's monster in Frankenstein -a film that profoundly affected her. The film was made towards the end of Franco's dictatorship, but unfolds in rural Castille shortly after the end of the Spanish Civil War in 1940. The Spirit..." can partly be read as an allegorical account of a country living under an authoritarian regime but also explores the fears and anxieties of childhood."

Tuesday 29 September, 8:30 pm

Vernon Florida


Errol Morris, USA/West Germany 1982, 55 mins, 16mm, (PG-V)
This early Errol Morris documentary depicts the random chatter he captured on film of the genuinely eccentric residents of Vernon, including the preacher giving a sermon on the definition of "Therefore," and the obsessive turkey hunter speaking reverentially of the "gobblers" he likes to track down and kill. This complex and wonderful documentary captures the dignity and charm of his subjects, while preserving all of their quirks.

Tuesday 6 October, 8:30 pm

Scarface


Brian De Palma, USA 1983, 170 mins, 16mm, (R18-VLD)
"Say hello to my little friend." Brian de Palma's ultra violent remake of Howard Hawk's 1932 classic received mixed reviews initially but has since gone on to become a classic itself. Al Pacino stars as Tony Montana, a Cuban refugee who becomes a gangster and rises to the top of Miami's criminal underworld. As his power grows, so too does his ego and his paranoia, leading ultimately to his downfall.

Tuesday 13 October, 8:30 pm

Sense of History

Mike Leigh, UK 1992, 22 mins, (tbc)
The family history of the Earls of Leete, told by the 23rd Earl (Jim Broadbent) is a hypnotic masterpiece. So convincing is Jim Broadbent's performance in his sly satirical monologue that for the first 10 minutes you believe the voice you are hearing really is the drawl of the 23rd Earl of an ancient English family, striding about his 10,000 acres, recounting his history with pride. But what at first seems an admirable sense of noblesse oblige is little by little revealed as arrogance of the most loathsome kind. Very funny, very black and very intelligent.

Scorpio Rising


Kenneth Anger, USA 1964, 28 mins, tbc)
A groundbreaking experimental film by Kenneth Anger starring Bruce Byron as the biker Scorpio. Its camp appropriation of popular culture included the innovative use of pop music, the erotic cult of James Dean and Sunday Comics. Initially shown on the underground film circuit the film features no lines of dialogue, accompanied instead by music from popular 50's and 60's artists from The Angels to Ray Charles and Elvis.