On the 18th of February, the New Zealand Film Awards will be championing the best of Kiwi Cinema from the last year and a bit. Many of you will not have seen or even know of ALL the nominees. That’s why we’ve made this straightforward, no-nonsense list of what the films are and how you can watch them.
From left to right: Free in Deed, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Mahana, Slow West, The Rehearsal
Rialto Channel Best Film
Free in Deed
Filmmaker Jake Mahaffy is nominated for Best Director for this drama based on actual events of a lonely minister who starts to lose control when a single mother brings her young, wounded child to church for a miracle cure. “An unforgettable collision of hope, faith and desperation.” -Hollywood Reporter
How to watch it: The film is coming to NZ cinemas from March for a limited run (more info)
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Taika Waititi’s NZ Box Office-breaking comedy bush adventure is nominated for a whopping 15 awards. “A hilarious, heartwarming tale that harnesses script, direction and performances and takes plenty of creative risks on its way to delivering movie magic.” -Steve Newall, Flicks
How to watch it: The film is available on Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand (see options)
Mahana
Nominated for 12 awards, Lee Tamahori’s latest places his Once Were Warriors star Temuera Morrison as a family patriarch in this adaptation of Witi Ihimaera’s novel Bulibasha. “Tamahori’s ability to view Aotearoa through the Hollywood lens is unequaled. With Mahana he’s made another, if somewhat gentler, classic.” -Paul Casserly, Flicks
How to watch it: The film is available on DVD and On Demand (see options)
Slow West
Nominated for ten awards, this NZ-UK co-production sees the feature debut of writer-director John Maclean. Set during the dying years of the Wild West, Michael Fassbender plays a bounty hunter escorting a clueless teen romantic (Kodi Smit-McPhee) to his true love. “One of the most thoughtful, witty, satisfying Westerns of the last decade.” -Liam Maguren, Flicks
How to watch it: The film is available on Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand (see options)
The Rehearsal
Filmmaker Alison Maclean’s return-home feature wrangled in 13 nominations. Based on Eleanor Catton’s debut novel, the film follows a wide-eyed teenager (James Rolleston) looking to make it as a stage actor. “A well-made and superbly performed tale. It may not be dazzling, but it is an engaging drama that deserves to be seen on the big screen.” -Adam Fresco, Flicks
How to watch it: The film is available on DVD and On Demand (see options)
From left to right: Chronesthesia, The Great Maiden’s Blush, Stars in Her Eyes, Three Wise Cousins, Sunday
Park Road Post Best Self Funded Film
Broken Hallelujah
Ben Mitchell gets an acting nod for his performance in this Kiwi drama that is “not a love story but a story about love.” Directed by Alastair Riddell and written by Vanessa Riddell. “For delivering solid Kiwi drama filled with ambitious ideas and impressive production values, this deserves a Hallelujah.” -James Croot, Stuff.co.nz
How to watch it: The film is available on DVD and On Demand (see options)
Chronesthesia
Nominated for four awards, including an acting nod for Nova Waretini-Hewison, Hayden J Weal’s time-travel-ish rom-com-ish tale is about a barista who follows cryptic clues that lead him to unexpected romances. “A total head-trip of a movie in all the right ways…” -The Austin Chronicle
How to watch it: The film is coming soon to DVD and On Demand (more info)
The Great Maiden’s Blush
Miriama McDowell (The Dark Horse) and Renee Lyons (Jake) lead this motherhood drama as two solo parents who meet in a post-natal ward after the birth of their first-born babies. Nominated for four awards, including Best Screenplay and an acting nod for Miriama McDowell. “A beautifully-crafted and resonant parable on motherhood and the unbreakable bonds it fosters.” -Sarah Watt, Stuff.co.nz
How to watch it: The film is available on DVD (from the official website) and coming soon to On Demand platforms (more info)
Stars in Her Eyes
Kiwi romantic comedy from writer-director Athina Tsoulis (Jinx Sisters) set in Auckland’s Indian community where a woman pushing 30 seeks the attention of an attractive bank teller. “A rather heartwarming film… go and support the incredible Kiwi talent being produced here.” -Brian Ng, gayexpress.co.nz
How to watch it: TBC (more info)
Three Wise Cousins
The surprise NZ Box Office hit tells the tale of a 22-year-old Samoan Kiwi who goes back to the islands to learn how to be a ‘real island guy’ from his two cousins. “Fans of the Sione’s Wedding films will lap up this colourful and charming Kiwi-Samoan comedy.” -James Croot, Stuff.co.nz
How to watch it: The film is available on Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand (see options)
Sunday
Michelle Joy Lloyd directed and co-wrote this independent New Zealand romance set in Christchurch, one year after the devastating 2011 earthquake. “Sunday is a wee gem. It’s our own indigenous Before Sunrise, made with some real craft.” -Graeme Tuckett, Stuff.co.nz
How to watch it: The film is available on DVD (from the official website) and On Demand (see options)
From left to right: A Flickering Truth, 25 April, Poi E: The Story of Our Song, The Ground We Won, Tickled
New Zealand Film Commission Best Documentary
Belief: The Possession of Janet Moses
Nominated for four awards, this NZ documentary details the tragic case of a young Wainuiomata woman who died during a mākutu lifting – a case that made international headlines in 2007. “At the heart of this dreadfully sad tale is a compelling, outstanding performance from Kura Forrester…” -Steve Kilgallon, Stuff.co.nz
How to watch it: The film is available to watch on TVNZ On Demand (right here, right now, for free)
Chasing Great
As if Richie McCaw didn’t have enough awards under his belt, his record-breaking biographic doco – directed by Justin Pemberton and Michelle Walshe – is nominated for three awards. “It was a 4 star watch for me, it is part of our cultural fabric, it’s a given here.” -Kate Rodger, NewsHub
How to watch it: The film is available on Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand (see options)
A Flickering Truth
Pietra Brettkelly follows Afghan actor-director Ibrahim Arify’s return to Kabul and subsequent mission to restore the local film archives. Nominated for three awards. “A powerful survey of Afghan history.” -The Guardian
How to watch it: The film is releasing February (more info)
25 April
Nominated for three awards, Leanne Pooley’s animated recalling of Kiwi war history tells the tales of New Zealanders who served at Gallipoli during the First World War. “Given this is NZ’s second ever animated feature, Flux [Animation Studios] has achieved something mightily significant for Kiwi animation.” -Liam Maguren, Flicks
How to watch it: The film is available on DVD and On Demand (see options)
Poi E: The Story Of Our Song
Tearepa Kahi’s film scored three award nominations, detailing the story of iconic, chart-topping, Kiwi song Poi E by the Patea Māori Club. “The crowd at the Civic during opening night of the New Zealand International Film Festival was electrified by Tearepa Kahi’s cinematic celebration of our song…” -Liam Maguren, Flicks
How to watch it: The film is releasing February (more info)
The Ground We Won
NZ’s farming community and grassroots rugby are the focus of this cultural slice-of-life documentary following a rural rugby team looking to overcome a string of bitter losses. Nominated for three awards, shot in black and white from the filmmakers behind How Far is Heaven. “There’s a seldom-seen, but often-experienced New Zealand on display that deserves to be embraced.” -Steve Newall, Flicks
How to watch it: The film is available on DVD and On Demand (see options)
Tickled
Nominated for four awards, David Farrier and Dylan Reeve’s investigative documentary unveils the bizarre and troubling world of competitive tickling – eventually taking them down a rabbit hole of abusive emails, lawsuits, and alternate agendas. “It’s funny, it’s compelling, and – as Farrier loquaciously states – “it’s actually fucking creepy as fuck.”” -Liam Maguren, Flicks
How to watch it: The film is available on Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand (see options)
From left to right: Turbo Kid, Deathgasm, Born to Dance, Ever the Land, On an Unknown Beach
Other nominees
Turbo Kid
Nominated for six awards, including acting nods for Laurence Leboeuf and Edwin Wright, this NZ-Canada production is a big nostalgic hug to violent VHS junkfood action films of the ’80s. “An endearingly sincere romp through ’80s popcorn-flick tropes.” -The Hollywood Reporter
How to watch it: The film is available on Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand (see options)
Deathgasm
Jason Lei Howden’s proudly bloody splatter comedy is nominated for five awards, including Best Actor for Milo Cawthorne. Follows two metalheads who unwittingly open the gates of hell in a small NZ town. “This is a great example of a film made by its own enthusiastic intended audience.” -Steve Newall, Flicks
How to watch it: The film is available on Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand (see options)
Born to Dance
Nominated for four awards, including acting nods for Onyeka Arapai and Jordan Vaahakolo, the Auckland-set dance flick and coming of age tale follows Tu (Tia-Taharoa Maipi) who dreams of being a professional hip-hop dancer. “The last scene provides an ass-kicking onslaught of hip-hop dancing…” -Liam Maguren, Flicks
How to watch it: The film is available on Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand (see options)
Ever the Land
Nominated for Best Documentary Editor, Sarah Grohnert’s biographical look at Te Wharehou o Tūhoe, The Living Building, follows its construction and how it connects the Māori iwi, Ngāi Tūhoe, to the land. “Gorgeous, elegant, and breath-haltingly profound.” -Liam Maguren, Flicks
How to watch it: The film is available on Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand (from the official website)
On an Unknown Beach
Nominated for Best Documentary Cinematography, this experimental film from Summer Luxton and Adam Luxton follows three distinct ‘explorers’ – a marine scientist, an improvised sound artist and an underground poet – aboard the state-of-the-art research vessel Tangaroa. “The beautifully-shot film moves along with an abstract pulse…” -Alan Holt, Flicks
How to watch it: TBC (more info)
