New Zealand International Film Festivals 2003
All the films at my first film festival in Auckland.
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- DirectorStepan BiryukovThe sound of a soaring violin emanating from a neighbour's apartment turns one man's world upside down as he crashes and glides through a new life, which, it seems, he is condemned to spend living on the ceiling.Animation Now!
- DirectorChristel PougeoiseRomain SegaudTim and Tom persevere and successfully connect despite the interference of their higher power.Animation Now!
- DirectorPeter CornwellStarsBrett ArcherRen KlyceBen, our main character, wakes up in an unusual hospital after seemingly landing on an asphalt road due to a car collision. He later wakes up to the sound of dog barking and decides to explore the hospital. After he studies the hospital, noticing all the details from the plain white hallways from the surgical tools spread about the rooms, he realizes this isn't a normal hospital. He then hears footsteps and goes into the nearest room where he finds an experimental patient. The patient, lying on a bed moaning, comes to life in a horrific manner and leaves our main character, Ben, running for his life through the hospital while being chased by surgeons along the way. Ben realizes that the only chance of survival is leaving the Hospital with haste. Run Ben, Run.Animation Now!
- DirectorFrançois BertinAnimation Now!
- DirectorBen ZelkowiczAnimation Now!
- DirectorKôji YamamuraStarsTakeharu KunimotoBruno MetzgerA sad rakugo of a stingy old man experiencing the unforeseen consequences of eating a few cherries whole, without throwing the pits away.Animation Now!
- DirectorSiri MelchiorA dog has a cat inside him. The two fight to get on, with one's desires always getting in the way of the other's. However the conflict cannot go on forever and the two learn the hard way to find common ground and work out something for themselves.Animation Now!
- DirectorPjotr SapeginARIA. Inspired by Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly, this exquisite stop-motion film by Canadian director Pjotr Sapegin relates the eternal and heartbreaking tale of unrequited love.Animation Now!
- DirectorEric ArmstrongStarsBrad SimonsenMortonette JenkinsJeff WolvertonA janitor at an alien nightclub gets his wish to be a singer.Animation Now!
- DirectorAn VrombautStarsMark BloomfieldEoin ClarkeCharlie LovettFour grown wolves and a little one chase a sheep through the night. Little Wolf stops, captivated by the moon. He catches hold of it, and then the moon rises, with Little Wolf hanging on. The other wolves see him hanging there and try to rescue him, but their attempts are confounded by the playful sheep. As day breaks, the moon sets and Little Wolf comes close enough to earth to jump to terra firma. A celebration ensues.Toons for Tots
- DirectorJamie MasonStarsWinston SuttonToons for Tots
- DirectorFrancis VoseToons for Tots
- DirectorAleksei DyominToons for Tots
- DirectorBarry PurvesStarsDavid ThewlisHenry GoodmanLindsay DuncanSludger the aardvark tries to make it big as a drummer in the big city.Toons for Tots
- DirectorRay HarryhausenMark CaballeroSeamus WalshStarsGary OwensThe classic Ray Harryhausen tale that still proves "slow and steady" wins the race.Toons for Tots
- DirectorRobert BreerAn experimental short film from Robert Breer utilizing various colors and light.Re Creation: Films by Robert Breer
- DirectorRobert BreerAbstract figures rapidly shape-shift until finally settling into the form of a man and his dog, but only for a moment.Re Creation: Films by Robert Breer
- DirectorRobert BreerAn experimental short film from Robert Breer combining various shapes and colors.Re Creation: Films by Robert Breer
- DirectorRobert BreerAn animated short of passengers on a train with Mt. Fuji visible from the window.Re Creation: Films by Robert Breer
- DirectorRobert BreerAn animated short film created by the artist Robert Breer.Re Creation: Films by Robert Breer
- DirectorRobert BreerRe Creation: Films by Robert Breer
- DirectorRobert BreerAn experimental film in which a photograph of an airplane turns into a wire diagram, then into an animated plane in flight, and then it explodes into words.Re Creation: Films by Robert Breer
- DirectorRobert BreerRe Creation: Films by Robert Breer
- DirectorRobert BreerRe Creation: Films by Robert Breer
- DirectorBert KleinTeddy NewtonStarsTeddy NewtonMary TuckerTimothy WolfA man must babysit his very young step-son. Since he wants to go to his favorite place in town that evening, he decides to take the kid with him. The place is the local strip-club and more than a few surprises await the kid there.Animated Shorts (to precede features)
- DirectorDavid ClaytonAndrew SilkeStarsPaul DaviesThis is the story of a toad named Baz, who has suddenly, for no good reason which is apparent, disappears. As Baz is gone, the story of the theories put forth to his possible plight is told by his friend Daz, whose "mates call him Dazza" and who tells the story as he thinks it went. Daz tells the audience that he knows not where Daz went, only that he disappeared "like a fart in a fan factory" and that since he's disappeared, nobody around knows what happened to him. In this short film, Daz tells us his theories on what may have happened...Animated Shorts (to precede features)
- DirectorSteven WoloshenAnimated Shorts (to precede features)
- DirectorKirsten WinterAnimated Shorts (to precede features)
- DirectorGaëlle DenisStarsCaroline BresardA woman tells her story. She can't sleep. She works in a sushi shop in a seaside city. We see fishing boats arrive, fish sorted and sold at market, then chopped and boxed at the factory. At her shop, live fish swim in tanks. She's tired. She tries various methods to break her insomnia, none are successful. Late one night, two weeks into her ordeal, she rides her motor scooter at top speed into a realm of discovery. Will sleep and insight be of help?Animated Shorts (to precede features)
- DirectorShin'ichirô WatanabeMary Elizabeth McGlynnTensai OkamuraStarsBeau BillingsleaMelissa FahnNicholas GuestA terrorist explosion releases a deadly virus on the masses, and it's up to the bounty-hunting Bebop crew to catch the cold-blooded culprit.Animation
- DirectorJuan AntinStarsGraciela BorgesRoberto CarnaghiFabio AlbertiWhen his pet is killed by a probe from earth, Mercano, a Martian, travels to earth angered. Landing in Buenos Aires, at first no one takes any notice of him.Animation
- DirectorJacques TatiStarsJacques TatiGuy DecomblePaul FrankeurA village postman with no sense of humour delivers his mail via bicycle on the day the travelling fair comes to town. He is disrupted by a short film about US speed and efficiency and the playful teasing of the village folk.Tativille
- DirectorJacques TatiStarsJacques TatiNathalie PascaudMicheline RollaMonsieur Hulot comes to a beachside hotel for a vacation and accidentally, but good-naturedly, causes havoc.Tativille
- DirectorJacques TatiStarsJacques TatiJean-Pierre ZolaAdrienne ServantieMonsieur Hulot visits the technology-driven world of his sister, brother-in-law, and nephew, but he can't quite fit into the surroundings.Tativille
- DirectorJacques TatiStarsJacques TatiBarbara DennekRita MaidenMonsieur Hulot curiously wanders around a high-tech Paris, paralleling a trip with a group of American tourists. Meanwhile, a nightclub/restaurant prepares its opening night, but it's still under construction.Tativille
- DirectorRené ClémentStarsJacques TatiMax MartelLouis RoburA boxer is out in the country with his entourage, training for his next fight. Meanwhile, on the farm nearby, Roger is neglecting his chores. As he watches the boxer and his sparring partners at work, Roger starts to fantasize about being a boxer himself. Then, when none of the boxer's sparring partners can continue, he is asked to fill in, although he doesn't know anything about how to box.Tativille
- DirectorJacques TatiStarsJacques TatiPaul DemangeSchool for Postmen" is a 1947 short film directed and starring Jacques Tati, playing a French postman adamant to prove he can be just as fast as American postmen at delivering mail.Tativille
- DirectorNicolas RibowskiStarsJacques TatiAlain FaynerMarc MonjouJacques Tati teaches an acting class about the subtleties of certain types of people to a group of eager (but not very talented) students.Tativille
- DirectorRupert JulianLon ChaneyErnst LaemmleStarsLon ChaneyMary PhilbinNorman KerryA mad, disfigured composer seeks love with a lovely young opera singer.Live Cinema
Accompanied by the Auckland Philharmonia conducted by Marc Taddei. - DirectorTod BrowningStarsLon ChaneyNorman KerryJoan CrawfordA criminal on the run hides in a circus and seeks to possess the daughter of the ringmaster at any cost.Lon Chaney
Piano accompaniment by Tama Karena - DirectorVictor SjöströmStarsLon ChaneyNorma ShearerJohn GilbertA bitter clown endeavors to rescue the young woman he loves from the lecherous count who once betrayed him.Lon Chaney
Piano accompaniment by Tama Karena - DirectorKevin BrownlowStarsKenneth BranaghForrest J. AckermanMichael F. BlakeLon Chaney, the silent movie star and makeup artist, renowned for his various characterizations and celebrated for his horror films, becomes the subject of this documentary.Lon Chaney
- DirectorTod BrowningStarsLon ChaneyMarceline DayHenry B. WalthallThe abandoned home of a wealthy man who supposedly committed suicide five years earlier is taken over by ghoulish figures - could they be vampires?London After Midnight
Lon Chaney
47m partial reconstruction - DirectorAbbas KiarostamiStarsMania AkbariAmina MaherKamran AdlA visual social examination in the form of ten conversations between a driving woman and her various pick-ups and hitchhikers.
- DirectorMahamat-Saleh HarounStarsAhidjo Mahamat MoussaHamza Moctar AguidZara HarounTahir (15) and Amine (8) wake up one morning to learn that their father has left home. The brothers decide to go looking for him. One day, they see their father on the big screen and decide to steal the reel.Abouna
- DirectorMike LeighStarsTimothy SpallLesley ManvilleRuth SheenIn a poor working class London home, Penny's love for her partner, taxi driver Phil, has run dry. When an unexpected tragedy occurs, they and their local community are brought back together.
- DirectorDavid Gordon GreenStarsZooey DeschanelPaul SchneiderPatricia ClarksonSmall-town love story of a young man with a reputation for womanizing and his best friend's sister.
- DirectorLee HirschStarsAbdullah IbrahimDuma Ka NdlovuVusi MahlaselaInterviews, archival footage, and filmed performances highlight the role of music in the South African struggle against apartheid.
- DirectorShari Springer BermanRobert PulciniStarsPaul GiamattiShari Springer BermanHarvey PekarAn original mix of fiction and reality illuminates the life of comic book hero everyman Harvey Pekar.
- DirectorCédric KlapischStarsRomain DurisJudith GodrècheKelly ReillyA strait-laced French student moves into an apartment in Barcelona with a cast of six other characters from all over Europe. Together, they speak the international language of love and friendship.L'auberge epagnole
- DirectorVladimír MichálekStarsVlastimil BrodskýStella ZázvorkováStanislav ZindulkaFaced with a looming death, an aging prankster makes the most of his remaining life.
- DirectorIsaac JulienStarsPam GrierFred WilliamsonMelvin Van PeeblesFilmmaker Isaac Julien uses film clips and interviews to illustrate the history of the so-called "blaxploitation" genre.
- DirectorCarles BoschJosep Maria DomènechStarsGuillermo ArmasMaria Celeste ArrarasRafael CanoThe story of Cuban refugees who risked their lives in homemade rafts to reach the United States, and what life is like for those who succeed.Balseros
- DirectorAndres VeielStarsPater AugustinusRoswitha Bleith-BendieckPaul BrandWolfgang Grams, RAF terrorist, killed in a police shoot out in 1993 was thought to be part of the 1989 murder of high placed banker Alfred Herrhausen. This documentary interviews people close to Herrhausen and Grams showing what made them the people they became.Black Box Germany
- DirectorRuth CullenPaul is single, straight and 37 and nothing would suggest he is anything other than the regular, car loving "Aussie" he appears to be at first glance. Underneath it is a different story. Paul is transgendered, and although he still lives as a man and looks like a man, over the next 12 months he will undergo a gender change and live as Julia. Filmed by acclaimed film maker Ruth Cullen over a period of 2 years, Becoming Julia explores the deconstruction and recreation of a person.
- DirectorApichatpong WeerasethakulStarsKanokporn TongaramMin OoJenjira PongpasThe story of a love affair that begins during a picnic on the Thai-Burmese border.
- DirectorPaul GreengrassStarsJames NesbittTim Pigott-SmithNicholas FarrellA dramatization of the Irish civil rights protest march and subsequent massacre by British troops on January 30, 1972.
- DirectorKaren MoncrieffStarsDavid StrathairnAgnes BrucknerMargaret ColinA troubled young woman is encouraged by a teacher to enter a poetry contest.
- DirectorPablo TraperoStarsJorge RománMimí ArdúDarío LevyA young locksmith is forced to leave his home and family to join the Buenos Aires police force.
- DirectorNir BergmanStarsOrly SilbersatzMaya MaronNitai GvirtzDaphne and her four children try to cope with the abrupt death of husband/father. As the family seems to fall apart, a sudden incident gives them a chance to heal their 'broken wings'.
- DirectorJosé PadilhaFelipe LacerdaStarsSandro do NascimentoRodrigo PimentelLuiz Eduardo SoaresOn June 12, 2000, a young man with a gun took the passengers aboard Bus 174 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil hostage. This documentary examines the event itself, the resulting media frenzy, the police response, and the perpetrator's background.
- DirectorEli RothStarsJordan LaddRider StrongJames DeBelloFive college graduates rent a cabin in the woods and begin to fall victim to a horrifying flesh-eating virus, which attracts the unwanted attention of the homicidal locals.
- DirectorLiz ThompsonStarsJetsunma Tenzin PalmoKhamtrul RinpocheThe Dalai LamaJetsunma Tenzin Palmo, English born Diane Perry, spent twelve years in a Himalayan cave, then found herself thrust into advocating full ordination of women in the Tibetan tradition and eventually began a nunnery, Dongyu Gatsal Lin.
- DirectorColine SerreauStarsVincent LindonCatherine FrotRachida BrakniOne night by accident, a young prostitute barges into the lives of a bourgeois, modern-but-conventional couple. Hounded down, beaten up, threatened, she will continue to struggle, with the help of a well-off lady, first for her survival--her resurrection--then for her dignity and freedom. Stormy encounters are forecast for everyone involved.
- DirectorRichard SchickelStarsCharles ChaplinSydney PollackBill IrwinNarrated by Sydney Pollack, film critic Richard Schickel's dazzling two-hour plus documentary to one of the towering figures in film: Charles Chaplin. Hardcore Chaplin fans may not find much new material here, but more unfamiliar admirers will gain some valuable information about one of the most famous personalities of the 20th century. Schickel has constructed the documentary as a chronological survey of Chaplin's work, starting with his most significant shorts and covering all of his features. Schickel supports his narration with testimony from artists familiar with Chaplin's work and family members who offer personal insights into the comedian's life. The documentary plays down but doesn't ignore the controversies that swirled around Chaplin's private life. But the main focus is on the films. They include some of the best-loved movies of all time. Clips from "Kid Auto Races at Venice," the 1914 Keystone short in which Chaplin first used his Tramp costume, reveal a startlingly modern technique and sensibility, as if the filmmakers were predicting and mocking reality TV. Subsequent shorts show Chaplin refining his 'Little Tramp' character while absorbing the essentials of filmmaking. By the time he made "Easy Street," in 1917, Chaplin had perfected a combination of knockabout farce and Victorian sentiment that still proves irresistible. Chaplin's early features, including "The Kid," "The Gold Rush" and "City Lights," were such blockbuster hits that he could essentially ignore the coming of sound for almost a decade. Those making appearances on the program include Woody Allen, Richard Attenborough, Jeanine Basinger, Claire Bloom, Geraldine Chaplin. Sydney Chaplin, Johnny Depp, Robert Downey Jr., Milos Forman, Bill Irwin, Norman Lloyd, Marcel Marceau, David Raksin, David Robinson, Andrew Sarris, Martin Scorsese and Jeffrey Vance.
- DirectorIm Kwon-taekStarsChoi Min-sikAhn Sung-kiYoo Ho-jeongIn a time of political and social unrest in nineteenth-century Korea, an uncouth, self-taught painter explores his natural talent amidst the repressive world around him.Chihwaseon
- DirectorGregory KingStarsDarien TakleDavid HornblowHelen Pearse OteneThe drama of relationships in a dysfunctional New Zealand family, living in a town going nowhere.
- DirectorFernando MeirellesKátia LundStarsAlexandre RodriguesLeandro FirminoMatheus NachtergaeleIn the slums of Rio, two kids' paths diverge as one struggles to become a photographer and the other a kingpin.
- DirectorAdolfo AristarainStarsFederico LuppiMercedes SampietroArturo PuigIn Buenos Aires, a few days before traveling to Spain with his beloved wife Liliana Rovira to visit their son Pedro, the leftist Literature professor Fernando Robles is compulsory retired in the University, and he concludes that it is impossible to live with his pension. The crisis in Argentina does not allow Fernando to get a new job, and his wife decides to sell her family's apartment and move to a small farm near Villa Dolores to reduce their expenses. Fernando comes up with the idea to grow lavender and sell the oil to the perfume industry.
- DirectorCarlos CarreraStarsGael García BernalAna Claudia TalancónSancho GraciaPolitics and sexual passions threaten to corrupt a young, newly-ordained priest in a small Mexican town.
- DirectorBingjian LiuStarsLongjun LiQin LiaoXingkun WeiDesperate to support her family and earn enough money to get her husband out of jail, a woman with an unusual crying style becomes a professional mourner.Cry Woman
- DirectorAleksandr RogozhkinStarsAnni-Kristiina JuusoVille HaapasaloViktor BychkovIn World War II, a Finnish sniper is left chained to a rock by German soldiers, while a captain of the Red Army, en route to his court martial, is almost blown up by Russian planes. A Lapp woman gives shelter to both of them at her farm.
- DirectorKim LonginottoThe practice of female genital mutilation is explored through personal stories of Kenyan women.
- DirectorPat O'NeillStarsJaime AlvarezLilia BarsegianPeter BeckmanThe film is an "intersection of fact and hallucination" set inside the decaying walls of the old Ambassador Hotel and the famed Cocoanut Grove restaurant which was home to the 1st Academy Awards.
- DirectorOlivier AssayasStarsConnie NielsenGina GershonChloë SevignyA French corporation goes head-to-head with an American web media company for the rights to a 3-D manga pornography studio, resulting in a power struggle that culminates in violence and espionage.
- DirectorHans-Christian SchmidStarsAndrzej GórakAnna YanovskayaSergey FrolovThis movie reflects on the situation around the border between Poland and Germany. The fate of many single characters creates a picture of life in this region: Some Ukrainians want to cross the border illegal to get into Germany, a company wants to build a new factory, a Polish taxi driver desperately needs money to buy his daughter a First Communion dress, and so on.
- DirectorGuy MaddinStarsWei-Qiang ZhangTara BirtwhistleDavid MoroniA ballet rendition of Bram Stoker's "Dracula", stylized as an Expressionistic silent film.
- DirectorDeborah DicksonStarsGore VidalElizabeth AshleyHoward AustenA contrarian and wickedly funny man, "The Education of Gore Vidal" explores Vidal's extraordinary life and work, joining him at his cliff-side villa in Ravello, Italy.
- DirectorNettie WildStarsAnn LivingstonPhillip OwenDean WilsonDean Wilson, a drug user and safety advocate, and Ann Livingston, a community organizer driven by her religious convictions, partner together to establish North America's first safe injection site and advocate for reforms.
- DirectorStuart McKenzieStarsMichelle LangstoneTimothy BalmeMiranda HarcourtA 13 year old girl is raped and murdered in a small country town. Ten years later, the murderer is up for parole and the victim's father has vowed personal vengeance if the killer is released.
- DirectorClaire DenisStarsValérie LemercierVincent LindonHélène de Saint-PèreIt's Friday night--she's moving in with her boyfriend tomorrow--so she goes out, but gets stuck in traffic--where she meets a handsome stranger.Friday Night
- DirectorChantal AkermanA documentary look at the fate of Mexicans who cross the border into the United States.
- DirectorHeinz EmigholzStarsChristian ReinerSixty-two buildings by the American architect Bruce Goff.
- DirectorTerry WalsheStarsMichael CalderNorman Jay
- DirectorDarlene JohnsonStarsDavid GulpililRonnie BarramalaJohn CannLegendary Aboriginal Australian actor and dancer David Gulpilil discusses his life and career from his home in Yolngu country in Arnhem Land, NT.
- DirectorLeanne PooleyStarsDouglas WrightNeil IeremiaShona McCullaghDouglas Wright escaped small town New Zealand by punishing his body with drugs, alcohol and eventually, extraordinary dance; but facing death, the world renowned choreographer struggles to exorcise demons even he can't dance away.
- DirectorGyörgy PálfiStarsFerenc BandiJózsefné RáczJózsef FarkasUsing almost no dialogue, the film follows a number of residents (both human and animal) of a small rural community in Hungary - an old man with hiccups, a shepherdess and her sheep, an old woman who may or may not be up to no good, some folk-singers at a wedding, etc. While most of the film is a series of vignettes, there is a sinister and often barely perceptible subplot involving murder.
- DirectorTim FywellStarsRomola GaraiRose ByrneBill NighyA love story set in 1930s England that follows 17-year-old Cassandra Mortmain and the fortunes of her eccentric family struggling to survive in a decaying English castle.
- DirectorAlexander GreenhoughStarsRocky BurnsworkJosh CameronLuke HawkerThe listless love lives and insecure domestic arrangements of a group of Wellington 20-somethings are scrutinized with insight and irony in this film.
- DirectorNicholas RayStarsHumphrey BogartGloria GrahameFrank LovejoyA potentially violent screenwriter is a murder suspect until his lovely neighbor clears him. However, she soon starts to have her doubts.
- DirectorMichael WinterbottomStarsJamal Udin TorabiEnayatullahImran ParachaA refugee family is trying to reach more peaceful lands illegally inside trucks.
- DirectorAndrew LauAlan MakStarsAndy LauTony Leung Chiu-waiAnthony Chau-Sang WongA story between a mole in the police department and an undercover cop. Their objectives are the same: to find out who is the mole, and who is the cop.
- DirectorJuan Carlos FresnadilloStarsMax von SydowEusebio PoncelaLeonardo SbaragliaIn a world where luck can be taken from a lucky person by a luckier person's touch, a small group of lucky people compete to be the luckiest and for the other contestants' luck.
- DirectorAlanis ObomsawinStarsArthur HoldenTony RobinowAlanis ObomsawinA feature documentary offering a gripping portrait of the Esgenoopetitj Mi'gmaq First Nation during the summer of 2000 as the Canadian government appears to wage war on the community for exercising their inherent and court-affirmed fishing rights.
- DirectorCarlos ReygadasStarsAlejandro FerretisMagdalena FloresYolanda VillaA painter from the big city goes to a remote canyon to commit suicide. To reach some calmness, he stays at the farmstead of Ascen, an old, religious woman. Although but a few words are spoken, love grows.
- DirectorDaniel ClearyThe last days of the Wellington evening daily newspaper 'The Evening Post' telling the stories of the journalists working for the paper, an historical account of the city of Wellington and of the country of New Zealand. It also tells the media story of changing times in a decline of print journalism and subsequent profit loss and it's effect on community spirit.
- DirectorLukas MoodyssonStarsOksana AkinshinaArtyom BogucharskiyPavel PonomaryovSixteen-year-old Lilja and her only friend, the young boy Volodja, live in Russia, fantasizing about a better life. One day, Lilja falls in love with Andrej, who is going to Sweden, and invites Lilja to come along and start a new life.