Preview: Documentary Edge 2013

We're nothing if not obsessive here at Auckland Cinephile. Particularly Nigel, who, without even meaning to use it for these purposes, created a one-line summary for EVERY film showing at the Documentary Edge 2013 festival, which starts in full force in Auckland on the 11th of April (following its opening screening of THE ISLAND PRESIDENT on the 10th).

Sadly, we haven't seen any of these films, so we're going on instinct here: we do hope to have some reviews in time for NEXT weekend's screenings, but in the meantime, here's what our guts, friends, or trusted critics tell us we should check out.

Nigel's Ten:

9 MUSES OF STAR EMPIRE
- A gruelling year in the making of a manufactured Korean girl group.
THE DEFECTOR: ESCAPE FROM NORTH KOREA
- Dude who sneaks Koreans across the border to China.
DETROPIA
- Detroit is falling to bits.

THE ONLY SON
- Stack of Westernised siblings may have to move to Tibetian village to look after their folks.
ONLY THE YOUNG
- 2 young skater dudes are inseparable - until one of them falls for a chick.
PROPAGANDA
- N.Korea's hatred for the West uncovered in YouTube movie (actually a kiwi's social experiment).

REPORTERO + ABUELAS
- ZETA's journalism about Mexican corruption can lead to death / 9min Arg anim-doco.
SEEKING ASIAN FEMALE
- 65yo American finds his Chinese mail-order bride isn't as submissive as expected.
THE SNAPPER SANDWICH
- Live narration & music from filmmaker Tony Burt from Maungaraki.
TALES FROM THE ORGAN TRADE
- street brokers, rogue surgeons, desperate patients, narrated by Cronenberg.

Doug's Ten:

Cosign for DETROPIA, ONLY THE YOUNG, TALES FROM THE ORGAN TRADE, and SEEKING ASIAN FEMALE, plus:

BROOKLYN CASTLE
- Follows 5 kids from a poor public school that somehow pumps out chess-champs.
HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE
- Activists battle AIDS, defied Govt. agencies, infiltrated industry & helped fix it.
THE INVISIBLE WAR
- The secrets epidemic of institutionalised rape and rape culture within the military.

KARSU
- 3yrs with the Turkish teen dubbed the Dutch Norah Jones.
MUSCLE SHOALS
- History of tiny music town in Alabama; Dylan, Stones, Skynyrd, Redding, Garfunkel, et al.
SEXY BABY
- Follows 3 females - 12, 22 & 35 - in the days of internet porn, social media, Labiaplasty, etc.

And here's everything else - maybe there's some treasures in here as well; please share with us if you find any!

BIKES FOR AFRICA
- Kiwi bike/live/work every continent before 30, sets them up a bike workshop in Nambia.
CHINA HEAVYWEIGHT
- Boxing trainer in poor rural China trains kids rigorously.
CUTTING LOOSE / MONDAYS AT RACINE
- Scottish jail haircutting competition / Hairdressing for cancer patients.
DANCE FOR ME
- Follows a 15yo Russian shipped to Denmark to be the perfect dance partner for another li'l guy.
FAMILY TIME / NYOSHA
- Gay Israeli films his bickering family's RV trip to the Grand Canyon / 12min clay-mation.
FINDING MERCY
- White kiwi returns to find her black friend who Mugabe may've killed in Zimbabwe 20yrs ago.
FIRST COMES LOVE
- 41yo director films her solo pregnancy.
THE FOUR YEAR PLAN
- Behind the scenes with the billionaires that bought the QPR English football team.
GOING UP THE STAIRS / INOCENTE
- 50yo Iranian needs permission to exhibit art / Li'l San Diego face painter.
GYPSY DAVY
- Director tracks her Dad, a Cali dude who became famous flamenco guitarist with 5 families.
HENS' NIGHT / THE GREEN CHAIN
- Kiwis fight Dunedin battery farm / dude's 30yr fight over sawmill PCP deaths.
HER MASTER'S VOICE
- Ventriloquist goes to get her inheritance of retired dummies when her lover/ mentor dies.
I AM BREATHING
- Paralysed 33yo dying of Motor Neuron Disease blogs for his 1yo with voice recognition.

I AM ELEVEN
- Interviews with kids around the world, comparing what it's like to be 11yo.
THE IRAN JOB
- US B-Baller joined Iranian B-Ball team and helped spark free speech, prelude to Arab Spring.
THE ISLAND PRESIDENT
- Prez of the Maldives' global campaign to save his 2000 islands from climate change.
LAST CALL AT THE OASIS
- Jessica Yu documents the World's Water Crisis with Erin Brockovich's help.
THE MACHINE WHICH MAKES EVERYTHING DISAPPEAR
- Georgian teens audition, and tell of their country.
MISSING IN THE LAND OF GODS
- Aussie parents still looking for their son in India 6yrs after he walked off.
MR. CAO GOES TO WASHINGTON
- Follows passionate New Orleans Vietnamese congressman, Obama's pal.
MY FATHER AND THE MAN IN BLACK
- Director's Dad used to manage Johnny Cash - and killed himself in '05.
OUTLAWED IN PAKISTAN / SAVING FACE
- 13yo raped & ordered killed / Pakistani women deal with acid attacks!
A PLACE AT THE TABLE
- Follows 3 American families struggling to afford food. Jeff Bridges chimes in.
PRETTY BRUTAL / POUTERS
- 3 kiwis train together to scrap in roller derby / UK rivals in pigeon-stealing hobby.
RAFEA: SOLAR MAMA
- Jordanian desert woman studies solar engineering against the wishes of hubby/ society.
RED WHITE BLACK & BLUE
- US teens on an NZ Rugby Tour, ahead of Olympic Rugby's reinstatement in 2016.

ROAD TO THE GLOBE / A DELICATE CANVAS
- Maori Shakespeare in London / Kiwi hiker makes nature art.
THE RUSSIAN WINTER
- John Forté was with The Fugees at 21, then jailed for drugs, now fresh & touring Russia.
SALMA
- A Muslim girl locked up by her family for 25yrs (no study, forced marriage) became famous poet.
SCARLET ROAD
- Aussie sex-worker has clients with disabilities and wants to deriminalise prostitution.
SHADOWS OF LIBERTY
- Don't believe the news. Media conglomerates, monopolies & the loss of unbiased info.
SOLDIER ON THE ROOF
- Jews, Christians & Muslims living in Hebron, with armed soldiers on the rooftops.
THIS BAND IS SO GORGEOUS
- British punk band Sham 69 - now middle-aged - reunite & tour China.
TRASHED
- Jeremy Irons reckons Earth is out of space due to rubbish. China, Lebanon, Jakarta…Everest??
THE TSUNAMI AND THE CHERRY BLOSSOM / SCATTERED
- Japan tsunami recovery / Late-Dad's videos.
UNRAVELED: THE 750 MILLION DOLLAR THIEF
- 60 days of house arrest with a famed Ponzi scheme criminal.
THE WAITING ROOM
- A look at patients & staff in an American hospital dealing mainly with uninsured patients.
THE WORLD ACCORDING DICK CHENEY
- A frank look at the man, his troubled youth, his controversial choices.
A WORLD NOT OURS
- 3 generations of a Palestinian family's footage at their Lebanese refugee camp.

Interview: Miriam Smith and Christopher Pryor.

HOW FAR IS HEAVEN, the debut film by Miriam Smith and Christopher Pryor, was one of the more unexpected breakout hits of last year's NZFF. The story of three nuns remaining in a 120-year old convent in Jerusalem (New Zealand) - also known as Hiruharama - and the Maori youth whose lives they touch is beautifully and quietly observed, full of humor and honesty, acknowledging the challenges the children face without being a "social issue" documentary. Despite its many virtues, its slow pace and lack of a propulsive narrative made it seem an unlikely bet to play in theatres across New Zealand for months on end; however, bucking the odds through self-distribution, it did exactly that.

On the 10th of April (THIS WEDNESDAY, just sayin'), Rialto Cinemas Newmarket is hosting a special screening at 6:30 PM of HOW FAR IS HEAVEN, with Smith and Pryor present for a Q&A. The occasion is to promote the crowdsourcing initiative for their new film, THE GROUND WE WON, which is currently in production. Entry will be via donation, with all proceeds going to the new film - or you can contribute online here.

This seemed as good an excuse as any to do our first interview, conducted via email to their as-of-yet undisclosed secret shooting location. Even the interview turned out to reify their status as a team: while my contact was Pryor, the answers appear to all come from Smith, or at least sometimes are written from her point of view, except the last question, which I'm reasonably sure was answered by Pryor.

Most documentaries in New Zealand that play at the festival never step past its boundaries, but HOW FAR IS HEAVEN has had a rather successful run all around the country. Could you speak to your experience self-distributing the film and what you learned from it?
We actually loved the experience of self-distributing the film. It’s hard work, but allows filmmakers the opportunity to build relationships directly with cinemas and also to experience the full life cycle of a film - from making a film to connecting to cinema audiences. We did a lot of direct marketing - such as sending letters to community groups who we felt might be interested etc. We also did an extensive tour of the country to do ‘Q&A’ screenings, which was a wonderful way to meet the film’s audience, create a screening event that helped to build publicity, and also allowed us to do lots of flyer drops etc all around the country! We also worked with Trigger Marketing for the film’s publicity who did a fantastic job. Self-distributing the film really highlights the importance of needing to know who your audience is and how to reach them - something to think about from the conception of an idea.

What's been your biggest surprise in audience reactions to the film?
The biggest surprise with HOW FAR IS HEAVEN was that audiences nationwide were open to the film having a complex narrative structure, and one that raised questions, rather than gave concrete answers. We were really happy to learn that they enjoyed the complexities, the gentle contemplative pace, and that this not only held their attention throughout, but also often stirred them to think about the film for days.

Presumably, while handling the release, you've also been setting up your new film, THE GROUND WE WON, which I understand you're already shooting. How have you managed to get another project off the ground so quickly?
We have actually been developing up THE GROUND WE WON for the last few years, so began the process before we had even completed HOW FAR IS HEAVEN. In fact, we found the location/community where we are now filming on the way back down for a filming trip to Jerusalem/Hiruharama. Chris had long had the idea to make a cinema film that explored the culture of a rural rugby club/team in NZ, so we had been looking for the right place for ages, and thanks to his eternal desire to travel different back roads, we finally found the perfect place! Thankfully, the good people from the rugby club were up for it, when we had our first meeting with the team about the idea in 2011 one of the guys said “we always thought there should be a film about us”. And so it all began...

The Ground We Won - on Boosted from Deer Heart Films on Vimeo.

From a distance, as an immigrant to this country, rugby seems a strange left turn of subject matter after HOW FAR IS HEAVEN, albeit more obviously commercial. What drew you to the subject matter, and what affinities do you feel between these two films that may not seem obvious from a distance?
Chris and I are both rugby outsiders - and yet we, like all New Zealanders, have grown up in a culture that is so steeped in the “love of the game” that rugby feels almost omnipresent. We wanted to learn why rugby is so deeply important to the lives of so many people here, and explore the world in a cultural light. Surprisingly, the world of rugby hasn’t been explored in a cultural sense since the landmark play FORESKIN’S LAMENT, over 30 years ago - so we felt it was high time for a contemporary exploration - this time being an observational documentary for the big screen. I guess the link to HOW FAR IS HEAVEN is that we see rugby as defining the core set of values for NZ - in this way it is essentially our nation's biggest religion, or unifying philosophy, that shapes and defines many people’s lives. So we have set out to explore this ritual of rugby, in a philosophical light, and through this come to understand ideas around the perceived role of a man in NZ today. We are also doing a lot of filming with the men from the team on their farms - so are weaving their daily lives into the fabric of the story. Like HOW FAR IS HEAVEN, THE GROUND WE WON will be mainly observational - as opposed to being built out of interviews, facts and figures. We have Sir Colin Meads on board the film as the narrator - who will add another layer of philosophical insight, as opposed to “telling the story”. We have been filming for over a month now and are loving the process - there is a bounty of great bawdy jokes and laughter here.

As a filmmaking team, how do you divide your responsibilities?
For THE GROUND WE WON, Chris is director/cinematographer, and I am producer/writer. In terms of shooting, Chris films everything, and I operate the sound boom. Outside of actual filming and logging the footage, our time is spent getting to know the local community and world better. We are eternally discussing story and ideas of what we should film as things evolve, so that we can continually respond to what is happening and try to “get it in the can” in a way that is most interesting.

The impetus for the upcoming screening of HOW FAR IS HEAVEN is to raise money for THE GROUND WE WON, using the new Arts Foundation crowd-funding initiative, Boosted. Can you speak to how you came to use crowd-sourcing as part of your strategy for getting this film off the ground, and what makes Boosted different from other platforms?
We liked the idea of using crowd-funding to raise some of the funding for the film as it seems to us a great opportunity to connect to the film’s audience from the outset. We chose Boosted as we love that it is supported by the Arts Foundation, and encourages genuinely philanthropic support, whereby the artists/projects don’t have to give “rewards” in return for donations. The reward is the finished work and the feeling that each donor has helped to make it happen! We feel this is an important shift in crowd-funding thinking, for as we all know, artists/filmmakers resources are limited enough without having to administrate and pay for “rewards”. Also, with Boosted, because no rewards are given, the donor is entitled to a tax rebate - which we feel is another great plus for the donor.

Given the commercial success of HOW FAR IS HEAVEN and the seemingly more commercial subject matter for this film, it seems strange that the Film Commission isn't fully supporting this. Or is there something I'm missing?
The NZ Film Commission are supporting THE GROUND WE WON and have generously granted the film both development and production funding. The reason that we are also crowd-funding for contributions to post-production, is that the NZFC have a policy whereby they can’t give 100% funding to any production - therefore, we committed from the outset to finding additional funds from elsewhere.

What filmmakers/films, or other works of art, are you currently drawing inspiration from as you work on your film?
One of the early inspirations was listening to PJ Harvey's 'Let England Shake' album... I'm currently reading 'The Classical World' by Robin Lane Fox (ie greek/roman myth/history)... and it's very hard not to think of Bela Tarr on these foggy rural mornings ...

In Cinemas: Apr 4 - Apr 10

CURRENTLY SHOWING

* It's been a while since we've been excited about a mainstream wide release that we're not getting ages after the States, but Danny Boyle's new film TRANCE certainly piques our interest. Combining the heist film with hypnotherapy and copious violence, it stars James McAvoy, Rosario Dawson, and Vincent Cassel, and is adapted from the 2001 tv movie written and directed by Joe Ahearne (with some script doctoring by longtime Boyle collaborator John Hodge to bring it into 2013).

* We're also a bit excited about the Hong Kong historical war epic SAVING GENERAL YANG (忠烈楊家將 - which translates to "Valiant Legend") opens here simultaneously with its Asian release. So we've got pretty limited word of mouth, but we DO know that it's Ronny Yu's follow-up to the rather excellent Jet Li film FEARLESS - if you're not familiar with that, then perhaps you'll have seen BRIDE WITH THE WHITE HAIR, BRIDE OF CHUCKY, or FREDDY VS. JASON. The few people who've seen it so far have been quite enthusiastic, and this could very well be one of those films that you hear about later and get annoyed that you've missed out on seeing on the big screen. Or, you know, you could go see it now and not go through that heartbreak.

* Korea may be more well known by most for its vengeance and gangster films (and by one-half of the AC team for the soju-soaked multi-threaded tales of Hong Sang-Soo), but they also do their share of big-budgetish action films, and so we have THE TOWER (타워) exclusively at Sylvia Park Hoyts. Starring Kim Sang-kyung from 2003'a MEMORIES OF MURDER (살인의 추억), it's basically a Towering Inferno-type scenario set on Christmas Eve. Could be fun for those looking for a big blockbuster, although the general word of mouth is that it's about the effects first, script second. Also this is listed on Flicks but NOT on Hoyts' website ... not sure what's up there, but we'll keep you posted.

* Also on the way: the widely-reviled Jason Bateman/Melissa McCarthy comedy IDENTITY THIEF; the surprisingly well-received coming of age film THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER, starring everyone from the teen trio of Hermione Granger, the Kevin we need to talk about, and Percy Jackson to an adult cast ranging from Paul Rudd and Joan Cusack to Melanie Lynskey and Tom Savini; the Bollywood comedy CHASME BADDOOR; and more weekend preview screenings of THE CROODS.

* And of course there's a lot of great films still out there: THE RED HOUSE, RUST AND BONE (DE ROUILLE ET D'OS), NO, AMOUR, and lingering on, ANNA KARENINA and DJANGO UNCHAINED. We might even try catch that IP MAN: THE FINAL FIGHT (葉問：終極一戰) this week, too...

REPERTORY / ONE-OFF SCREENINGS

* Academy Cinemas and Flicks are presenting a one-off screening of Peter Strickland's masterful BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO this Tuesday. Starring Toby Jones as a mild-mannered sound designer who gets pulled into working on an Italian horror film, it's a divisive film, but we're in the camp that it's a cinematic experience that deserves the big screen, with some of the best sound design you'll hear all year. Some found the story a bit slight and/or frustrating, but if you grooved on, say, AMER, you better not miss this. Also there's an exclusive and rather awesome poster available! So book yr tix now!

* Filmmakers Miriam Smith and Christopher Pryer are hosting a special one-off screening of HOW FAR IS HEAVEN Wednesday 6:30 at the Rialto as a fundraiser for their new film, THE GROUND WE WON, which is currently in production. There will be a Q&A afterwards.

* Film Society Monday 6:30 PM features the first film in the Claire Denis retrospective, BEAU TRAVAIL (1999). A genuine certified masterpiece, this retelling of Melville's BILLY BUDD, set largely in Northern Africa, stars Denis Lavant, over a decade before he picked up his accordion for Leos Carax.

* The Documentary Edge Festival will be showering us with films, but this Wednesday it starts at Q Theatre with its opening night film, the global warming/sea rising/charismatic and lovable guy taking on the world doco THE ISLAND PRESIDENT. If all goes to plan, we'll have a spectacular overview of the entire program before next Thursday. If.

* This one's a bit left-field and potentially exciting, if you, like us, enjoy ratcheting up the number of countries you've seen films from and haven't seen any Indonesian films, the Auckland Indonesian Film Festival this Saturday at Western Springs has two films playing; THE HOUSE WITHOUT WINDOWS (RUMAH TANPA JENDELA)(2011) and THE MIRROR NEVER LIES (LAUT BERCERMIN)(2012). They both look like kid's films, so you're not going to get the next LADY TERMINATOR, which is a shame. Have we mentioned yet that you should watch LADY TERMINATOR? It's really great.

In Cinemas: Mar 28 - Apr 3

CURRENTLY SHOWING:

* Nothing to do with the Donnie Yen flicks, IP MAN: THE FINAL FIGHT (葉問：終極一戰) is from the writer and the director of 2010's THE LEGEND IS BORN: IP MAN (葉問前傳). They are together again to detail Ip Man's twilight years, this time starring Anthony Wong from real good things like EXILED (放‧逐, 2006) and INFERNAL AFFAIRS (無間道, 2002). Playing on select Event screens starting now.

* Not even JGL could save the first one, but G.I. JOE 2: RETALIATION has arrived regardless (also in a 3D option). And weirdly, it looks kinda 'good'. With a cast featuring The Rock, Bruce Willis, RZA, the dude from I SAW THE DEVIL (악마를 보았다) / A BITTERSWEET LIFE (달콤한 인생) and Channing Tatum, I'm really hoping for FAST FIVE-type cartoonishness. In fact, remember when Bruce Willis has his own animated show? He even sang the theme song;

* Shot on lo-def 3/4-inch Sony U-matic magnetic tape, NO tells the true-ish tale of advertising executive Gael García Bernal and co. taking on Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet during the 1988 referendum. While I'm unfamiliar with the director, screenwriter Pedro Peirano has worked on a couple of wildly different things that've well impressed me over the years - psycho-servant drama THE MAID (LA NANA, 2009) as well as the adult-friendly kidnapped-TV-news-executive puppet-film 31 MINUTES: THE MOVIE (31 MINUTOS, LA PELÍCULA, 2008). I'm hoping that this thing has a similarly unique take and that my allergy to foreign politics doesn't come into play...

* RUST AND BONE (DE ROUILLE ET D'OS) is out in general release now, from the director behind UN PROPHÈTE (2009). I only know that it's a love story with Marion Cotillard as a killer whale trainer and that awards-folk seem to like it.

* On the other hand, Stephenie Meyer is back. THE HOST is thankfully NOT a remake of the awesome Bong Joon-ho monster flick; it's about aliens possessing human minds or something. Bridget von Hammersmark and Hanna are both in it, but I doubt that'll help.

* The poster actually says "Executive Produced by Ryan Reynolds & Scarlett Johansson". I s'pose THE WHALE is working with what it's got. Starting this Saturday at Rialto Newmarket and The Vic, this doco - also narrated by Reynolds - is about a friendly killer whale. Theme of the week. And don't forget - Friendship is bigger than we know.

* HYDE PARK ON HUDSON looks dull, but I doubt I can turn down a Bill Murray film. He plays Roosevelt, and this film assumes that he indeed did have an affair with Daisy Suckley, played here by Laura Linney. Also featuring Olivias Williams and Colman - Soph from PEEP SHOW as The Queen?!

* HIMMATWALA starts at select 'plexes on Friday and boasts being both a Sajid Khan "entertainer" and an action-romance that is a remake of the remake of 1981's OORIKI MONAGADU.

* And then there is the stack of Easter previews - Hoyts has a few screenings of IDENTITY THIEF; select Event and Hoyts cinemas have screenings of THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER for Hermione fans; and Ryan Reynold's other family flick of the week - caveman cartoon THE CROODS with Nic Cage and Emma Stone - has sneak previews EVERYWHERE.

REPERTORY / ONE-OFF SCREENINGS:

* The long Easter weekend means that Auckland Film Society won't be playing Ernst Lubitsch's DESIGN FOR LIVING (1933) until Tuesday 2nd next week. Based on the Noël Coward play, it's a screwball comedy about a trio of Americans doing a terrible job living together platonically in Paris. Having not seen much Lubitsch, this'll be a highlight of my week.

* If you're a fan of Studio Ghibli's animated wonders or the magical testicles of Japanese raccoon-dogs, I'll meet you under the University Library this Thursday 28th. The Consulate-General of Japan is playing POM POKO (平成狸合戦ぽんぽこ, 1994) as their FREE monthly Japanese film screening. Things kick off at 6:50 PM with LIGHT UP NIPPON, a half-hour doco about the tsunami recovery. And to get you in the mood (actually I just use any excuse to thrust Ghibli-fan Kyary Pamyu Pamyu upon people), have some two-week old J-pop;

* West Auckland's EcoWest Festival wraps up in a few days, but before then they are playing the 2012 documentary FOUR HORSEMEN. Join them at 7:30 PM Thursday 28th to see loads of clever fellows like Noam Chomsky talk on film about how the world really works.

* Uxbridge Arts Cinema Club is playing 2009's I, DON GIOVANNI at 8 PM Thursday 28th. It follows Mozart and the titular Don as they mess about writing an opera.

* There is a FREE screening of THE CASTLE (1997) at Silo Cinema 9 PM Friday. Get the family down for an outdoor screening of some Australian comedy; who doesn't enjoy that film?

* Rialto are down to their final two screenings (for now) of CASABLANCA (1942); 6 PM Saturday or 3:30 PM Easter Monday if you haven't seen that in a while.

* The Vic still has MONSTERS, INC. (2001) and Alyx Duncan's THE RED HOUSE showing, plus have added Tim Burton's beautifully claymated FRANKENWEENIE to their current roster.

All sessions above are accurate at the time of publication. Your best bet would be to check Flicks or the theatre website before attending. Please let us know in the comments if you spy anything we've messed up/missed out!

In Cinemas: Mar 21 - 27

CURRENTLY SCREENING:

Apart from the new 3D / IMAX blockbuster JACK THE GIANT SLAYER (which I may end up seeing for Stanley Tucci, Eddie Marsan, Ian McShane, Ralph Brown, Warwick Davis, Bill Nighy, et al...) and the new French film A LADY IN PARIS (UNE ESTONIENNE À PARIS) that I mentioned last post, this week is really all about next week;

* There's a Wednesday member's preview of G.I. JOE 2: RETALIATION (3D) at St. Lukes Vmax and Hoyts (the latter even has a midnight premiere for non-members). After part one was so horrible, it's kinda odd how they're treating this thing like it's highly anticipated. That being said, I ain't skipping a film with this cast-list; The Rock, Bruce Willis, the dude from I SAW THE DEVIL and A BITTERSWEET LIFE, Channing Tatum and RZA?!

* One of Gael García Bernal's recent films - NO - has weekend screenings at Bridgeway, Monterey and Rialto Newmarket.

* Event has a $10 member's preview of THE HOST on Wednesday (Stephenie Meyer's new thing with Bridget von Hammersmark and Hanna, not a remake of Bong Joon-ho's monster flick).

* And featuring Marion Cotillard and a load of light in the camera, RUST AND BONE (DE ROUILLE ET D'OS) from the director of UN PROPHÈTE is previewing at a bunch of the art-houses on Saturday and Sunday.

* The only other new thing out properly this week, is MetOpera's latest offering, AIDA. No idea what it is, but there is the link.

REPERTORY/ONE-OFF SCREENINGS:

* Monday night, Auckland Film Society is playing Cronenberg's VIDEODROME (1983), with James Woods and Debbie Harry. Goodness me I'm having a lot of fun at the Academy lately...

* Silo Cinema has Indiana Jones in RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981) on the big screen down the waterfront this Friday night. If I hadn't seen it on the big screen last year, I'd be there myself...

* AUT is having a four-day animation forum, something very close to my heart. Animation Revelations began on Wednesday the 20th and runs until Saturday. There'll be a run of collections showcasing animation of all sorts, from NZ, Canada, Belgium, etc...Shame that you can only purchase day-passes. Here's one that I saw there last night;

* There is still a film or two left out west at the EcoWest Festival; this Thursday at the Waitakere WEA is LAST CALL AT THE OASIS (2011), a documentary about our water crisis.

* Director Alyx Duncan is still on her Q&A tour for THE RED HOUSE. This week, Matakana Cinemas has a 6 PM and an 8 PM Thursday 21st, she'll be at The Vic on Saturday 23rd at 8 PM and on Sunday she's at The Bridgeway for a 5 PM chat.

* I squeezed CINDERELLA and TANGLED in last weekend before the Disney Princess Film Festival finished up at Event, then they went and continued it on me. You won't catch me at HI-5's new 'movie' SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL playing at Hoyts, though; not even I will stoop that low...

* The Vic is playing Pixar's MONSTERS, INC. (2001) again this week, ahead of the release of its sequel. They're also still playing THE RED HOUSE. A tonne of other films too, some of them cool, like ARGO...

* And finally, Rialto has a couple more screenings of CASABLANCA (1942) on, if you haven't already caught it.

All sessions above are accurate at the time of publication. Your best bet would be to check Flicks or the theatre website before attending. Please let us know in the comments if you spy anything we've messed up/missed out!

In Cinemas: Mar 14 - 20

CURRENTLY SCREENING:

* There's not much I can say about Alyx Duncan's THE RED HOUSE that Cinephile hasn't already said this week; now on at The Bridgeway, The Vic, Matakana Cinemas, Waiheke Community Centre and Rialto Newmarket (the latter also have a Film Talk screening this Friday evening complete with a director Q&A!).

* Much like his first feature (HAPPYTHANKYOUMOREPLEASE), Josh Radnor writes, directs and leads his second film, LIBERAL ARTS (NZIFF 2012). About a 30 year old falling for a college student while visiting his old professor, this one also features Liz Olsen, Dick Jenkins and Allison Janney. And Zac Efron.

* Legal comedies mightn't normally pop to mind when thinking Bollywood, but JOLLY L.L.B. is here to change all that. Opening at Sylvia Park, Botany Downs and Manukau Event this week. This would've been the perfect place to embed Taika's Heinous Crimes, but as I posted that last week, here's my other favourite legal comedy (and favourite cartoon intro):

* BROKEN CITY is directed by one half of the Hughes brothers (MENACE II SOCIETY, THE BOOK OF ELI) and is the first IMDB credit to the writer's name. And it's about an ex-cop vs. a corrupt mayor. I might go to see Markie Mark, Jeffrey Wright, Barry Pepper and Griffin Dunne, mind. Not so fussed with Russell Crowe, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Kyle Chandler though.

* Rialto Newmarket & The Bridgeway also have 2011's SILENCE OF LOVE (TOUS LES SOLEILS) starting in their e-Cinema. It's a second feature for the writer-director behind 2008's Kristen Scott Thomas flick I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG (IL Y A LONGTEMPS QUE JE T'AIME).

* The Bridgeway has A LADY IN PARIS (UNE ESTONIENNE À PARIS) screening twice this weekend. They must be previews and it'll no doubt be out properly in the next week or so...

REPERTORY / ONE-OFF SCREENINGS:

* Jan Grefstad's Hollywood Cinema is dusting off its Mighty Wurlitzer organ once again, this time to provide live accompaniment for Charlie Chaplin's 1925 silent film THE GOLD RUSH. These are wonderful events that kick off with about an hour of scratchy old shorts and you're even required to stand up to footage of the Queen. Probably in the three hour region, this is one of the better ways to spend $20 this Sunday 17th.

* Crispin Glover himself is bringing his film IT IS FINE! EVERYTHING IS FINE. (2007) to Auckland this upcoming film week!! Chuck in a slide show, a Q&A and a book signing, and Tuesday 19th is going to be quite the film event. Crispin Hellion Glover!

* As well as a typically interesting line-up of films like MONSTERS, INC. (2001), THE IMPOSTER and ON AIR (PARLEZ-MOI DE VOUS), The Vic also has a treat for the hordes of Armenian film fans over on The Shore this weekend; 1968's THE COLOR OF POMEGRANATES (Սայաթ-Նովա) has been called "startling", "bizarre" and "straight-up bonkers", in a good way. I'll hitch a lift, if anyone is heading over to Devonport this Saturday 16th...

* Auckland's Film Society has a screening of DEEP END (1970) playing Monday 18th at Academy Cinemas. Set in a London bathhouse during the late 60s, this film from Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski (who got beaten up by ScarJo in THE AVENGERS last year) has me rather fascinated.

* I thought that by screening the double-episode opener to season 6 of DR. WHO this Thursday 14th, Event were forcing my hand; I was finally going to get around to checking this show out. But nope, both sessions bloody well sold out. Guess it's more popular than I thought. Queue just in case, assume the sell-out means there'll be a repeat or give up? Hmm.

* At the risk of sounding repetitive, THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (1975) is on yet again. $8 for a 10 PM showing at the Uxbridge Arts Cinema Club out in Howick this Saturday 16th. CASABLANCA (1942) has a couple more screenings at Rialto Newmarket this week, MARLEY is playing Silo Cinema on Friday night after being postponed last month, and the collection of Disney Princess movies calling itself a Film Festival has one final weekend.

* Auckland Arts Festival runs late this Saturday 16th; called White Night, a bunch of venues across town are open 6 PM till midnight showcasing all kinds of arty things; the piece that's caught my eye is David Downes' animated short "KINGDOM", with live score performed by NZTrio. Playing at 8 PM, 8:30 PM and 9 PM for free at the Auckland Art Gallery, this is just one tiny piece of all that Saturday madness.

* And finally in film-related; just as ONCE fans got to enjoy The Frames perform last Wednesday, those of us that enjoyed SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN can see Rodriguez play Logan Campbell Centre this Sunday 17th. Actually, that's not quite right, as that also sold out.

All sessions above are accurate at the time of publication. Your best bet would be to check Flicks or the theatre website before attending. Please let us know in the comments if you spy anything we've messed up/missed out!

Spotlight: THE RED HOUSE

When THE RED HOUSE debuted last year at NZFF, it slipped past many people's radar, mine included. This despite festival director Bill Gosden singling it out as a staff pick, noting director Alyx Duncan's "formal sophistication" and calling it "a thing of quiet wonder".

Sorry, Bill. I won't ignore you again. When I finally got to view THE RED HOUSE, I was fully struck by its beauty and intellect, its compassion and rigor. It's simultaneously a spare, finely observed love story between two people in their 60s (in and of itself a rare cinematic gift, so infrequently are these stories explored cinematically) and a quietly meticulous, thoughtful exploration of the intrinsic dialectics of the situation (which, in a nutshell: he's a white man, she's a Chinese immigrant, and after creating a life together in the titular red house on a rural island, she must return to her homeland to take care of her aging parents, leaving him to pack up their life).

But freaking hell you're probably bored already when I use phrases like "intrinsic dialectics", and I do find THE RED HOUSE difficult to discuss in a way that does full justice to not only its cinematic craft but also its basic approachability. While I love some films that demand a lot from the viewer, and while I do think THE RED HOUSE has much to offer the viewer who's willing to wrestle with it, I also think that it's not a film that requires you to do battle, so to speak; between the beautiful surfaces and the lovely human story at the core, it's far from a dry, rigourous experience. Or perhaps the pictures can speak for themselves for a moment.

Thankfully, others were more on the ball than I, and are more articulate to boot. Tim Wong at The Lumiere Reader prefaced his excellent, lengthy interview with Duncan with a well-deserved smattering of praise:

"DIRECTED WITH PATIENCE, intelligence, and visual finesse, Alyx Duncan’s The Red House is one of the strongest local features to emerge in the digital era. Seldom do we get to witness a New Zealand filmmaker reconcile artistic practice and cinematic vision so seamlessly; rarer still, do we get to encounter a narrative work from this country as serious minded and artistic minded as Duncan’s independently funded film."

Wong proceeded to include the film in his top ten of the year for that publication, and in the same article Steve Garden also made note of THE RED HOUSE, remarking:

"Alyx Duncan deserves special mention for The Red House, a rare New Zealand film in that the filmmaker’s personal and artistic vision is so successfully (and intelligently) integrated into the aesthetic fabric of the work. Duncan’s film is one of the most contemporary and forward-thinking cinematic achievements yet from a New Zealand filmmaker, a film that does more for my sense of pride in New Zealand film-art than all of the vapid hyperbole (let alone the mind-numbing boredom) of middle-earth."

All of which is to say that, whether or not you trust my personal raves for the film (I included it on my list of ten favorite films of 2012 and, along with my co-host Jacob Powell [who ALSO loved the film], spoke with Duncan on episode 15 of Best Worst Podcast about her film), quite a few other people have also fallen for THE RED HOUSE. (Most recently, Helene Wong's 4-star Listener review evoked Ozu.)

Now, it's being self-released across New Zealand. While it's a pity that no distributor saw fit to pick up the cause of such a well-received and accomplished film, there's some consolation in the number of theatres (from Auckland to Feilding, from Nelson to Dunedin) that will be screening the film. It's great to see THE RED HOUSE getting a national audience - hopefully as a first step to it getting an international audience. (Which, if by some strange passing chance, you're an international festival programmer? Get on it now or regret passing it up later.)

(For further reading: an interview with Flicks; another interview with Jane Ross at critic.co.nz; a summary of a Script to Screen roundtable discussion; and an interview with The Big Idea.