Steve Newall

In his film Song of the Kauri, documentarian Mathurin Molgat asks the question: can the Kauri tree become New Zealand’s currency in the new world of green economics? We asked Mathurin a couple of questions ourselves, which he was kind enough to answer… FLICKS: Hello from Flicks.co.nz. How are you doing? MOLGAT: Very well thanks! What […]

The Red House is a New Zealand-made romantic drama about a couple in their senior years and of different ethnicities (Kiwi and Chinese), being forced apart by family duties. This is writer/director Alyx Duncan’s first feature, and we ask her several questions… FLICKS: Hello from Flicks.co.nz. How are you doing? DUNCAN: Fine. What should people expect […]

When How To Meet Girls From a Distance plays at the NZ International Film Festival it will be the end of a well-documented creative process that’s been operating in overdrive since late last year. That was when Dean Hewison and Richard Falkner’s entry into the inaugural Make My Movie competition first became more than just […]

With the NZ International Film Festival in full swing, Flicks writers are giving their first impressions on what they’re seeing in the form of bite-sized mini-reviews. This blog will keep updating through the festival, so keep checking back and take the time to share your thoughts with us in the comments – and get out […]

Bill Gosden, NZ International Film Festival Director, is the tireless fellow who brings us this travelling cinematic goldmine each year. We sat down with him a couple of weeks ago, before the Festival got underway, to find out a bit more about how it comes together and what he thinks you should be looking forward […]

Auckland artist Susan King has not talked since 1955, when she was four years old. Expressing herself with over 10,000 drawings since then, her work has recently received the attention of the international art world. Documentarian Dan Salmon captured her late rebirth over a three year period. We asked him a couple of questions… Hello […]

Maori Boy Genius is a documentary profile on Ngaa Rauuira Pumenewawhiti – an articulate and charismatic 16-year-old prodigy studying political science at Yale, tipped to be New Zealand’s first Maori Prime Minister. The film hits cinemas nationwide May 2nd. We had a chat with director Pietra Brettkelly, who recently visited Afghanistan for a third time with […]

Since 2009 poet Bill Manhire, composer-pianist Norman Meehan and vocalist Hannah Griffin have written and recorded three albums. Persuading the Baby to Float explores their collaborative process: the ways the songs were composed, and what lies behind the words and music. We put forth a bunch of questions for director Keith Hill to answer… FLICKS: […]

The Last Dogs of Winter is a documentary about Brian Ladoon who dedicated his life to saving the almost extinct breed of Canadian Eskimo dog, attracting controversy along the way due to his methods. We had a chat with Kiwi director Costa Botes (Forgotten Silver, Struggle No More)… FLICKS: Hello from Flicks.co.nz. How are you doing? […]

How Far Is Heaven is an observational documentary about the Sisters of Compassion congregation who have lived in the remote village of Jerusalem / Hiruharama on the Whanganui River for 120 years. Today, only three nuns remain. We loved the film, and it’s out now on DVD. Cinematographer Chris Pryor (who worked on Florian Habicht’s early films) […]

We Feel Fine is a low-budget drama set in Auckland, following a random collection of characters all connected via a bizarre video project. Features Morgana O’Reilly, a Florian Habicht cameo and music by Golden Axe. We put out a few questions for directors Jeremy Dumble and Adam Luxton to answer… FLICKS: Hello from Flicks.co.nz. How are […]

Rodney Ascher’s documentary Room 237: Being an Inquiry into The Shining in 9 parts explores hidden themes in Stanley Kubrick’s horror masterpiece The Shining ranging from symbolism to conspiracy theories. Nine segments address specific aspects of the film, drawing on the ideas of Kubrick experts to produce an in-depth analysis. With Jack Nicholson’s performance in Kubrick’s Stephen King […]

Flicks.co.nz writers weigh in with what they are each looking forward to at the NZ International Film Festival 2012. Five films barely scratches the surface of the programme, but there’s plenty here to get you started – five films at the Civic, five for writers and actors, five post-post-post-modern films, five telling women’s stories and […]

In KLOWN, playing as part of the Incredibly Strange section of the NZ International Film Festival, audiences get to tag along with Danish comedians Frank Hvam and Casper Christensen as they go on what’s supposed to be a part canoeing, part whoring holiday of debauchery… and so does a 12-year-old boy. Raunchy and shocking, KLOWN sounds […]

I recently wrote about my first impressions of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter after seeing a couple of scenes from the film, including a chunk of its finale which was a bit tough to discuss without ruining it. The other thing that happened after this screening was the opportunity to interview writer Seth Grahame-Smith. He’s the […]

After years of setup in the form of individual hero-centric films, The Avengers had a hell of a lot to live up to. Not because the films that precede it are all awesome (they’re a mix of the good, the bad and the okay), but because this ambitious effort needed to transcend what preceded it […]

You’d be forgiven for thinking that the notion of slavery-ending, Civil War-winning US President Abraham Lincoln actually having had a secret past as a vampire hunter is a little bit far-fetched. So spare a thought for the cast and crew of the upcoming Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter who turned up to work each day with […]