WIFT NZIFF Round up

The 2010 NZIFF is well underway with the Auckland branch having started last Thursday (July 8) and the Wellington leg of the festival starting this coming Friday (July 16) before the festival moves further South with the Dunedin and Christchurch dates starting on July 23^rd and July 29^th respectively. Many of our WIFT members have films screening in the festival and there are also plenty of films made by and about women that are worth checking out. Here's a round up of some of these films involving WIFT members:

• Simone Horrocks film After The Waterfall has its World Premiere on Wednesday 14^th July at Sky City Theatre in Auckland at 8:30pm. The film is based on the novel The Paraffin Child by Stephen Blanchard and features Antony Starr, Peter McCauley, Sally Stockwell and Cohen Holloway. Cushla Dillon was the film's editor.
• The Rainbow Warriors of Waiheke Island featuring WIFT Executive Director Susi Newborn and directed by Dutch filmmaker Suzanne Raes will be playing in Wellington at the Soundings Theatre, Te Papa, on Friday 16^th July at 1:15pm. The film had its premiere in Auckland on July 10^th to mark the 25^th anniversary of the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior.
• Rosemary Riddell's first feature The Insatiable Moon will also have its World Premiere on Saturday 17^th July at Sky City Theatre at 8:30pm. The film stars Rawiri Paratene, Sara Wiseman, Ian Mune and Greg Johnson and follows what unravels when a chance encounter between a social worker and self-proclaimed Second Son of God, Arthur, entwines with the fate of the lodgers in a Ponsonby boarding house.
• Russian Snark produced by Liz DiFiore has its World Premiere on Tuesday 20^th July at 6:15pm at Sky City Theatre in Auckland. The film is a bittersweet comedy about two refugee artists from Russia getting to grips with life in the South Pacific.
• Clare O'Leary's documentary Gordon Crook will have its International Premiere in Wellington on Tuesday 20^th July at the Paramount Theatre at 6pm. The film provides 'a highly entertaining and informative personal encounter with the frank and charmingly idiosyncratic Crook.' This film has been produced by WIFT Board member Glenis Giles.
• The Hopes and Dreams of Gazza Snell starring Robyn Malcolm had its World Premiere on July 11^th at the Civic in Auckland and will be showing again at the Bridgeway Cinemas on Thursday 20^th July at 3:30pm. The film is a new Kiwi comedy-drama set deep in the heart of Howick. The film also stars William McInnes, Josh McKenzie, Joel Toebeck, William McKenzie, Melissa Xiao, Gary Young and Sarah Peirse.
• Kathy Dudding's film Asylum Pieces has its World Premiere on Wednesday 21^st July at the Academy Cinemas in Auckland. This is 'a delicately layered and emotionally loaded essay film' about the way changes in official attitudes towards mental health have been reflected in the architectural history of New Zealand.
• The World Premiere of Predicament produced by Sue Rogers will be held in Auckland on Saturday 24^th July at the Civic Theatre at 8:15pm. The film was written and directed by Jason Stutter and is based on the novel by R.H. Morrieson. The film stars Jemaine Clement, Hayden Frost, Tim Finn, Tina Grenville-Cagwin and Rose McIvor.
• Naomi Wallwork's short documentary My Two Dads will be screening along with NZ Film Gordonia in Auckland and Candyman in Wellington.
• The Homegrown programmes this year feature several films that WIFT Members have worked on. In the Works On Film segment, the short Licked was written by Miriam Smith and produced by Phillippa Campbell and Redemption was produced by Rachel Jean. In the Dramatic Digital Shorts segment the film Va Tapuia was produced by WIFT president Catherine Fitzgerald and Beached was produced by Sophie Cherry.
• WIFT Board member Jackie Dennis produced the short film Zero which will screen with the Winter's Bone.
• Other notable films by NZ female filmmakers are There Once Was an Island: Te Henua e Noho directed and produced by Briar March and co-produced by Lyn Collie, screening at Sky City Theatre at 1:30pm on Sunday 18^th July. Sarah Hunter's Trinity Roots, Music is Choice will play at the Paramount Theatre in Wellington on Friday July 23^rd at 6:15pm and Robin Greenburg's The Free China Junk will play in Auckland at Sky City Theatre on Saturday July 24th at 12:15pm.
• There are quite a few shorts by NZ female filmmakers featured in the festival: Redemption directed by Katie Wolfe, This Is Not Dying by Nova Paul, The Winter Boy by Rachel House, Amadi directed by Zia Mandviwalla, Salt & Vinegar written and directed by Karyn Childs, eden directed and produced by Rebecca Tansley, Day Trip directed by Zoe McIntosh, Tentacles of Dimension directed by Nandita Kumar, Eat Your Cake; I'm a Vietnamese Refugee directed and produced by Sally Tran, Nell the Narcoleptic directed and produced by Belle Barber, Michael and His Dragon directed and produced by Briar March, Tide written by Renee Liang and Fruitless Journey which was directed and produced by Jodie Stack.
• Notable films from overseas are Love, Lies and Lust by acclaimed Australian Filmmaker Gillian Armstrong, His and Hers, Faramarz Beheshti's Salam Rugby and Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work.

If you want to check out the trailers for the films in the festival, visit flicks.co.nz. Remember that WIFT concession rates are available for the festival; for more information on the festival programme and to make a booking, visit the NZFF website.