World Cinema Showcase 2007: Lineup
For more information on the following titles + festival venues, times and dates, visit worldcinemashowcase.co.nz.
The African Queen (1951/USA) Rated G
The only pairing of two of classic Hollywood's most legendary stars, Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn out-do even themselves in John Huston’s classic adaptation of C.S Forester’s novel of the same name. Adventure, humour, and romance – this film has everything! Bogart received the Best Actor Academy Award that year for his performance as the gin-swilling Charlie Allnut.
Aurora Borealis (USA) Rating TBC
The joys and pitfalls of slackerdom, the pain of prematurely losing a parent, and geriatric suicide are all issues explored in this entertainingly profound drama about becoming an adult and moving on. Starring Donald Sutherland, Joshua Jackson and Juliette Lewis.
Beast in the Heart (Italy) Rating TBC
Nominated for the Best Foreign Film Oscar in 2006, The Beast in the Heart (aka Don’t Tell) looks at the lives of a brother and sister haunted but bonded by their traumatising childhood experiences.
Black Gold (UK) Not Confirmed
A welcome return from the 2006 Film Festivals, Black Gold is a persuasive and sobering investigation of the world coffee trade, from the hype and glitz of the World Barista Championships to the Ethiopian farmers who grow the world’s finest coffee beans but live in near starvation. “It threatens to do for the multibillion-pound coffee industry what Morgan Spurlock’s Super Size Me did for fast-food: Shock consumers into thinking again about what they are buying...” —Ben Hoyle, The Times
Black Snake Moan (USA) Rating TBC
From the writer and director of Sundance hit Hustle and Flow, comes a gritty tale of redemption set in the blues-soaked south of Tennessee. The film stars the new-look Christina Ricci as the out-of-control town tramp in need of saving. Her saviour comes in the form of Lazarus (Samuel L Jackson) who has some demons of his own to battle with...
Catch a Fire (South Africa)
Rated M – violence and offensive language
Set in the 1980’s in a turbulent South Africa, the film tells the true story of Patrick Chamusso, a model black South African with a good job at an oil-refinery, who after being unfairly arrested and tortured by government terror squads, trains to become a freedom fighter for the ANC. Directed by Australian Philip Noyce (Rabbit Proof Fence, The Quiet American) and starring Derek Luke (Antwone Fisher) and Tim Robbins.
Dans Paris (France) Rating TBC
Featuring two of France’s hottest actors du jour – Louis Garrel (The Dreamers, Regular Lovers) and Romain Duris (The Beat My Heart Skipped, Russian Dolls) – Dans Paris was one of the popular hits in Cannes last year. A thoughtful, honest and at times uncomfortably funny family drama, Dans Paris tells the sparse but startling story of a younger brother (a crazy Garrel) trying to coax his older brother (an intense Duris) out of his post-relationship-break-up depression. “A chic but substantial pleasure” —London Film Festival
Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing (USA)
Rated M – offensive language and sexual references
An insightful and entertaining documentary about the Dixie Chicks in the wake of singer Natalie Maines' anti-George W. Bush statement at a 2003 concert.
Eden (Germany) Rating TBC
Winner of the audience award at last year’s Rotterdam Film Festival, Eden has been described as a ‘culinary, romantic, dramedy’. The magic of the rotund, lonely chef, Gregor’s ‘cucina erotica’ restores a spark to waitress Eden’s dull marriage in a story that revels in the pleasures of food.
Em4Jay (Australia) Rating TBC
Outstanding performances and a gritty realism ensures this film about two young downwardly spiralling drug addicts delivers a powerful blow leaving other recent Australian films of similar ilk (Candy, Little Fish) in its wake. “A Down-Under low-budget triumph” —Russell Edwards, Variety
Go For Zucker (Germany) Rating TBC
A smash hit in Germany, Go For Zucker is said to be the first German comedy about Jews since World War II. Set around the reunion of two brothers who have grown up on other sides of the Berlin wall this gloves-off comedy spares no-one. “...rare's a movie that has an Orthodox Jew tripping on Ecstasy while getting a massage from a Palestinian prostitute hours before his mamala's funeral.” —Dallas Observer
Habana Blues (Cuba) Rating TBC
“An enjoyably anarchic love letter to the never-say-die spirit of Cuba and to music as a way of life, Habana Blues is a vibrant portrayal of a group of musicians struggling to make the big time” —Variety
Heartbreak Hotel (Sweden) Rating TBC
The unlikely friendship between a parking warden and her gynaecologist at a similar stage in their lives is the subject of the latest film by Colin Nutley (Queen of Sheba’s Pearls). More than an art-house chick-flick Heartbreak Hotel offers plenty of surprises, a blunt honesty and exceptional performances from the two leads.
Hula Girls (Japan) Rating TBC
With the imminent closure of the coal mine in the small town of Joban, the mine’s owners decide to open a Hawaiian theme park as a tourist attraction. Based on real events this is likely to be the most enjoyable, cheer-out loud inducing film you will see all year!
Infamous (USA) Rating TBC
Based on George Plimpton’s oral biography Truman Capote: In Which Various Friends, Enemies, Acquaintances and Detractors Recall His Turbulent Career, Infamous is another take on Truman Capote’s tortuous six-year quest to write his masterpiece In Cold Blood. Released a year after Oscar winning Capote, here is a “unique opportunity to see how two sets of filmmakers can take exactly the same story, make extremely tough though different choices in emphasis and tone and achieve brilliant movies” –Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter
Journey From the Fall (USA/Thailand) Rating TBC
Described as a Vietnamese Schindler’s List and inspired by actual events, Journey From the Fall follows one family’s fight for freedom in the wake of war-torn Vietnam, communist political prison camps, and the mass exodus of boat people.
Lemming (France)
Rated M – violence and offensive language
From the director of Harry, He’s Here To Help comes this tension filled thriller about how the lives of a perfectly normal and successful couple can change over night. The film features an unnerving and stand-out performance by Charlotte Rampling, as well as a lost lemming. “Spooky, intellectually titillating and darkly funny” —Variety
Like Minds (Australia/UK)
Rated M – violence and offensive language
This contemporary psychological thriller about a privileged English public school boy charged with the murder of a fellow student will keep you guessing right up to the last moment. “Every once in a while a great thriller doubles as an extraordinary character study, and every once in a while a filmmaker can plunge their audiences so deeply into the recesses of a character’s mind that no amount of cold showers or skin scrubbing can remove the psychological creepy crawlies.” —In Film Australia
Little Children (USA) OPENING NIGHT FILM – CHCH/DUN
Rated R16 – offensive language and sex scenes
The latest film from the director of the acclaimed In the Bedroom is an absorbing domestic drama about adultery in the suburbs. It has been nominated for three Golden Globes this year including Best Motion Picture, Best Actress (Kate Winslet) and Best Screenplay. “One of the best American movies of the year... Painful, beautiful, provocative and compelling.” —Chicago Tribune
The Namesake (India/USA) Rating TBC OPENING NIGHT FILM – AKLD/WGTN
Mira Nair’s (Monsoon Wedding) adaptation of Jhumpa Lahiri’s Pulitizer Prize winning novel is a richly compelling film spanning two generations and two clashing cultures. Set in Calcutta and New York this stunning film invites us into the lives of an unforgettable immigrant family in America. (Auckland and Wellington only)
Pierrepoint (UK)
Rated M - content may disturb
Set in 1930’s England this fascinating portrait tells the story of Britain’s most prolific executioner, Albert Pierrepoint. Keeping his grocery delivery day job Albert takes his part-time job moonlighting as a hangman very seriously, working hard to prove himself even as rising anti-capital punishment sentiment grows. This captivating but never heavy-handed drama stars Timothy Spall as Pierrepoint in a career best performance.
Rampage (Australia)
Rated M – offensive language
“As a non- embedded cameraman in Iraq, [director] Gittoes discovered U.S. serviceman Eliott Lovett hip-hopping in Baghdad, and made him a subject of doco Soundtrack to War (2005). Rampage picks up with Eliott returning home to Brown Sub, a Miami nabe noted for a high proliferation of street rappers and notorious for gang-related violence. It’s here the idea of what actually constitutes a war-zone is brought into question... Buzzing with energy from all sorts of social, musical and street-political directions.” —Variety
Razzle Dazzle (Australia) Rated PG
An hilarious fly-on-the-wall look at the world of children's competitive dance – the glitz, the glamour, the tantrums, the rivalry. Hilarious, clever and completely wicked, Razzle Dazzle follows Mr Jonathan's Dance Academy and his Jazzketeers on their quest for Grand Final success.
Sabah (Canada)
Rated M – low level offensive language
At 40, eternally single and living a quiet life in Toronto with her mother, Sabah falls in love with the wrong man. She is a Syrian Muslim, he is not. As the pressures of living a double life mount, culture and love collide.
Suburban Mayhem (Australia) Rating TBC
If you thought Emily Barclay was good in In My Father’s Den don’t miss this opportunity to see her revel in the role of the wild, manipulative Katrina in Aussie black comedy Suburban Mayhem. ‘Barclay is sensational, combining defiant callousness with a youthful innocence that begs forgiveness.’ —Urban Cinefile. WINNER: Best Actress (Emily Barclay) – Australian Film Institute (AFI) Awards
Time to Leave (France) Rating TBC
Romain (Melvil Poupaud), a chic Parisian fashion photographer, learns he has terminal cancer, and only a short time to live. Hiding his diagnosis, he alienates his family and his young boyfriend, only confiding in his grandmother (Jeanne Moreau). This is the second film (after Under the Sand) in a planned trilogy about death and grief by French director François Ozon
Transylvania (France) Rating TBC
Transylvania starts where most love stories end. Zingarina (Asia Argento) arrives in Romania from France, in search of the man who has just left her – only to discover a new, unique land and another life. This is the latest film by the prolific and talented Tony Gatlif (Gadjo Dilo, Exils).
U.S. vs. John Lennon (USA) Rating TBC
Exploring Vietnam-era struggles that remain relevant today, The U.S. vs. John Lennon tells the true story of the U.S. Government's attempts to silence John Lennon, the beloved musician and iconic advocate for peace. “Lennon's spirit, like his music, shines through this movie like a beacon. Powerful stuff” –Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
We Feed the World (Austria)
Moving around the globe We Feed the World looks at how local farmers and fishermen are being driven out of business by large multinationals and how machines are taking over from people – decreasing the quality of our food and vastly increasing waste. The havoc this is wreaking on our planet, not to mention our stomachs, is obvious and distressing. It’s a fascinating though unsettling journey and don’t be surprised if your poultry intake decreases dramatically post-viewing.
Wordplay (USA) Rating TBC
You don’t need to be American or even that good at crossword puzzles to enjoy this ingenious documentary about New York Times puzzle editor and NPR puzzle master Will Shortz. Along the way, director Patrick Creadon interviews celebrity cross-worders who all swear by the Times puzzle and the clever climax takes us to the final of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. “Brilliant and exhilaratingly brainy…” —Justin Chang, Variety
The African Queen (1951/USA) Rated G
The only pairing of two of classic Hollywood's most legendary stars, Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn out-do even themselves in John Huston’s classic adaptation of C.S Forester’s novel of the same name. Adventure, humour, and romance – this film has everything! Bogart received the Best Actor Academy Award that year for his performance as the gin-swilling Charlie Allnut.
Aurora Borealis (USA) Rating TBC
The joys and pitfalls of slackerdom, the pain of prematurely losing a parent, and geriatric suicide are all issues explored in this entertainingly profound drama about becoming an adult and moving on. Starring Donald Sutherland, Joshua Jackson and Juliette Lewis.
Beast in the Heart (Italy) Rating TBC
Nominated for the Best Foreign Film Oscar in 2006, The Beast in the Heart (aka Don’t Tell) looks at the lives of a brother and sister haunted but bonded by their traumatising childhood experiences.
Black Gold (UK) Not Confirmed
A welcome return from the 2006 Film Festivals, Black Gold is a persuasive and sobering investigation of the world coffee trade, from the hype and glitz of the World Barista Championships to the Ethiopian farmers who grow the world’s finest coffee beans but live in near starvation. “It threatens to do for the multibillion-pound coffee industry what Morgan Spurlock’s Super Size Me did for fast-food: Shock consumers into thinking again about what they are buying...” —Ben Hoyle, The Times
Black Snake Moan (USA) Rating TBC
From the writer and director of Sundance hit Hustle and Flow, comes a gritty tale of redemption set in the blues-soaked south of Tennessee. The film stars the new-look Christina Ricci as the out-of-control town tramp in need of saving. Her saviour comes in the form of Lazarus (Samuel L Jackson) who has some demons of his own to battle with...
Catch a Fire (South Africa)
Rated M – violence and offensive language
Set in the 1980’s in a turbulent South Africa, the film tells the true story of Patrick Chamusso, a model black South African with a good job at an oil-refinery, who after being unfairly arrested and tortured by government terror squads, trains to become a freedom fighter for the ANC. Directed by Australian Philip Noyce (Rabbit Proof Fence, The Quiet American) and starring Derek Luke (Antwone Fisher) and Tim Robbins.
Dans Paris (France) Rating TBC
Featuring two of France’s hottest actors du jour – Louis Garrel (The Dreamers, Regular Lovers) and Romain Duris (The Beat My Heart Skipped, Russian Dolls) – Dans Paris was one of the popular hits in Cannes last year. A thoughtful, honest and at times uncomfortably funny family drama, Dans Paris tells the sparse but startling story of a younger brother (a crazy Garrel) trying to coax his older brother (an intense Duris) out of his post-relationship-break-up depression. “A chic but substantial pleasure” —London Film Festival
Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing (USA)
Rated M – offensive language and sexual references
An insightful and entertaining documentary about the Dixie Chicks in the wake of singer Natalie Maines' anti-George W. Bush statement at a 2003 concert.
Eden (Germany) Rating TBC
Winner of the audience award at last year’s Rotterdam Film Festival, Eden has been described as a ‘culinary, romantic, dramedy’. The magic of the rotund, lonely chef, Gregor’s ‘cucina erotica’ restores a spark to waitress Eden’s dull marriage in a story that revels in the pleasures of food.
Em4Jay (Australia) Rating TBC
Outstanding performances and a gritty realism ensures this film about two young downwardly spiralling drug addicts delivers a powerful blow leaving other recent Australian films of similar ilk (Candy, Little Fish) in its wake. “A Down-Under low-budget triumph” —Russell Edwards, Variety
Go For Zucker (Germany) Rating TBC
A smash hit in Germany, Go For Zucker is said to be the first German comedy about Jews since World War II. Set around the reunion of two brothers who have grown up on other sides of the Berlin wall this gloves-off comedy spares no-one. “...rare's a movie that has an Orthodox Jew tripping on Ecstasy while getting a massage from a Palestinian prostitute hours before his mamala's funeral.” —Dallas Observer
Habana Blues (Cuba) Rating TBC
“An enjoyably anarchic love letter to the never-say-die spirit of Cuba and to music as a way of life, Habana Blues is a vibrant portrayal of a group of musicians struggling to make the big time” —Variety
Heartbreak Hotel (Sweden) Rating TBC
The unlikely friendship between a parking warden and her gynaecologist at a similar stage in their lives is the subject of the latest film by Colin Nutley (Queen of Sheba’s Pearls). More than an art-house chick-flick Heartbreak Hotel offers plenty of surprises, a blunt honesty and exceptional performances from the two leads.
Hula Girls (Japan) Rating TBC
With the imminent closure of the coal mine in the small town of Joban, the mine’s owners decide to open a Hawaiian theme park as a tourist attraction. Based on real events this is likely to be the most enjoyable, cheer-out loud inducing film you will see all year!
Infamous (USA) Rating TBC
Based on George Plimpton’s oral biography Truman Capote: In Which Various Friends, Enemies, Acquaintances and Detractors Recall His Turbulent Career, Infamous is another take on Truman Capote’s tortuous six-year quest to write his masterpiece In Cold Blood. Released a year after Oscar winning Capote, here is a “unique opportunity to see how two sets of filmmakers can take exactly the same story, make extremely tough though different choices in emphasis and tone and achieve brilliant movies” –Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter
Journey From the Fall (USA/Thailand) Rating TBC
Described as a Vietnamese Schindler’s List and inspired by actual events, Journey From the Fall follows one family’s fight for freedom in the wake of war-torn Vietnam, communist political prison camps, and the mass exodus of boat people.
Lemming (France)
Rated M – violence and offensive language
From the director of Harry, He’s Here To Help comes this tension filled thriller about how the lives of a perfectly normal and successful couple can change over night. The film features an unnerving and stand-out performance by Charlotte Rampling, as well as a lost lemming. “Spooky, intellectually titillating and darkly funny” —Variety
Like Minds (Australia/UK)
Rated M – violence and offensive language
This contemporary psychological thriller about a privileged English public school boy charged with the murder of a fellow student will keep you guessing right up to the last moment. “Every once in a while a great thriller doubles as an extraordinary character study, and every once in a while a filmmaker can plunge their audiences so deeply into the recesses of a character’s mind that no amount of cold showers or skin scrubbing can remove the psychological creepy crawlies.” —In Film Australia
Little Children (USA) OPENING NIGHT FILM – CHCH/DUN
Rated R16 – offensive language and sex scenes
The latest film from the director of the acclaimed In the Bedroom is an absorbing domestic drama about adultery in the suburbs. It has been nominated for three Golden Globes this year including Best Motion Picture, Best Actress (Kate Winslet) and Best Screenplay. “One of the best American movies of the year... Painful, beautiful, provocative and compelling.” —Chicago Tribune
The Namesake (India/USA) Rating TBC OPENING NIGHT FILM – AKLD/WGTN
Mira Nair’s (Monsoon Wedding) adaptation of Jhumpa Lahiri’s Pulitizer Prize winning novel is a richly compelling film spanning two generations and two clashing cultures. Set in Calcutta and New York this stunning film invites us into the lives of an unforgettable immigrant family in America. (Auckland and Wellington only)
Pierrepoint (UK)
Rated M - content may disturb
Set in 1930’s England this fascinating portrait tells the story of Britain’s most prolific executioner, Albert Pierrepoint. Keeping his grocery delivery day job Albert takes his part-time job moonlighting as a hangman very seriously, working hard to prove himself even as rising anti-capital punishment sentiment grows. This captivating but never heavy-handed drama stars Timothy Spall as Pierrepoint in a career best performance.
Rampage (Australia)
Rated M – offensive language
“As a non- embedded cameraman in Iraq, [director] Gittoes discovered U.S. serviceman Eliott Lovett hip-hopping in Baghdad, and made him a subject of doco Soundtrack to War (2005). Rampage picks up with Eliott returning home to Brown Sub, a Miami nabe noted for a high proliferation of street rappers and notorious for gang-related violence. It’s here the idea of what actually constitutes a war-zone is brought into question... Buzzing with energy from all sorts of social, musical and street-political directions.” —Variety
Razzle Dazzle (Australia) Rated PG
An hilarious fly-on-the-wall look at the world of children's competitive dance – the glitz, the glamour, the tantrums, the rivalry. Hilarious, clever and completely wicked, Razzle Dazzle follows Mr Jonathan's Dance Academy and his Jazzketeers on their quest for Grand Final success.
Sabah (Canada)
Rated M – low level offensive language
At 40, eternally single and living a quiet life in Toronto with her mother, Sabah falls in love with the wrong man. She is a Syrian Muslim, he is not. As the pressures of living a double life mount, culture and love collide.
Suburban Mayhem (Australia) Rating TBC
If you thought Emily Barclay was good in In My Father’s Den don’t miss this opportunity to see her revel in the role of the wild, manipulative Katrina in Aussie black comedy Suburban Mayhem. ‘Barclay is sensational, combining defiant callousness with a youthful innocence that begs forgiveness.’ —Urban Cinefile. WINNER: Best Actress (Emily Barclay) – Australian Film Institute (AFI) Awards
Time to Leave (France) Rating TBC
Romain (Melvil Poupaud), a chic Parisian fashion photographer, learns he has terminal cancer, and only a short time to live. Hiding his diagnosis, he alienates his family and his young boyfriend, only confiding in his grandmother (Jeanne Moreau). This is the second film (after Under the Sand) in a planned trilogy about death and grief by French director François Ozon
Transylvania (France) Rating TBC
Transylvania starts where most love stories end. Zingarina (Asia Argento) arrives in Romania from France, in search of the man who has just left her – only to discover a new, unique land and another life. This is the latest film by the prolific and talented Tony Gatlif (Gadjo Dilo, Exils).
U.S. vs. John Lennon (USA) Rating TBC
Exploring Vietnam-era struggles that remain relevant today, The U.S. vs. John Lennon tells the true story of the U.S. Government's attempts to silence John Lennon, the beloved musician and iconic advocate for peace. “Lennon's spirit, like his music, shines through this movie like a beacon. Powerful stuff” –Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
We Feed the World (Austria)
Moving around the globe We Feed the World looks at how local farmers and fishermen are being driven out of business by large multinationals and how machines are taking over from people – decreasing the quality of our food and vastly increasing waste. The havoc this is wreaking on our planet, not to mention our stomachs, is obvious and distressing. It’s a fascinating though unsettling journey and don’t be surprised if your poultry intake decreases dramatically post-viewing.
Wordplay (USA) Rating TBC
You don’t need to be American or even that good at crossword puzzles to enjoy this ingenious documentary about New York Times puzzle editor and NPR puzzle master Will Shortz. Along the way, director Patrick Creadon interviews celebrity cross-worders who all swear by the Times puzzle and the clever climax takes us to the final of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. “Brilliant and exhilaratingly brainy…” —Justin Chang, Variety
Pineapple Express: The funniest stoner movie I can remember. Seth Rogen's horsepowered performance anchors a consistently amusing flick. George Washington's David Gordon Green ably directs. Rogen effortlessly draws on his natural affability. He tells Lumiere his numerous acting roles aren't hard; generally they are "pretty similar" to his own life: "
Zach wrote: