NZIFF 2020: DEGNZ Member Round Up
After unveiling a brand new look and identity, Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival has announced the highly-anticipated programme for its online and in cinema programme.
Congratulations to all of the Directors & Editors Guild of NZ members who have been selected to play in the 2020 festival! We strongly encourage you to support these filmmakers and your film community by packing out limited cinema screenings or renting Kiwi films to enjoy at home. DEGNZ members are eligible for concession prices where offered.
The Girl on the Bridge
Directed by member and NZ Arts Laureate Leanne Pooley and edited by DEGNZ board member Margot Francis, The Girl on the Bridge follows the inspiring journey of 21-year-old Jazz Thornton during the pivotal two-year period she was emerging out of her own struggles with suicide to become a powerful advocate for mental health.
The feature documentary is set to have its world premiere at NZIFF on July 25, 4pm at ASB Waterfront Theatre, then available online and in select venues.
New Zealand’s Best 2020
This year, director Tusi Tamasese was the guest curator for this competitive short film programme, selecting the top six finalists. Four of the six feature the talents of DEGNZ members.
Set in 1973, Oranges & Lemons tells a bullied girl’s story to find her voice in the strangest place, directed by Robyn Grace and edited by Kerri Roggio.
Anna Duckworth‘s Pain, Claire van Beek‘s Daniel and Cian Elyse White‘s debut short Daddy’s Girl (Kōtiro) were made through the NZ Film Commission’s Fresh Shorts initiative. Pain explores a young girl’s earth-shattering realisation that her father is not invincible and is edited by member Brendon Chan.
Daniel will have its NZ premiere at Whānau Mārama after its world premiere at MIFF and in competition selection for Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival. The film was edited by John Gilbert and member Conan Mornard-Stott.
Cut by Annie Collins, Daddy’s Girl (Kōtiro) is a story about the powerful love between a father and his daughter in the face of a painful truth.
The programme will be in cinema at select venues or online from July 26 – August 1. If you watch NZ’s Best, make sure you vote for the Audience Choice Award.
Ngā Whanaunga Māori Pasifika Shorts 2020
For the first time, Ngā Whanaunga will be a competitive programme. Purea is written and directed by Kath Akuhata-Brown. Māori elder Hamo must bear the burden of carrying the spirits of her ancestors to their sacred mountain.
Ngā Whanaunga will premiere in cinema on July 26 and is available to watch online from July 27 – 2 August.
Kiwi Shorts
Kiwi Shorts is a curation of six New Zealand shorts that the Festival promises will put a smile on your face. Garage Stories: A Strange Collective Experience of Isolation, directed by Catherine Bisley, captures our nation’s recent experience under Level 4 lockdown.
Two nine-year-old girls find an enterprising way to satisfy their craving for ice cream in Ruby Abbott Harris‘ Triple Scoop. The programme also features Missy Fishy from director Erin Murphy – a whimsical tale about Miss Fish, a super mum, who struggles to tame her otherworldly urges.
Available to rent from August 1 – 7.
Rūrangi
Premiering at the Festival and directed by DEGNZ member Max Currie, Rūrangi is New Zealand’s first transgender drama series. Made by gender-diverse talent, the drama is about a burnt-out trans activist returning to the rural dairy community from which he fled ten years ago. All five episodes have been programmed together as a special festival presentation, which will have its world premiere in cinema at ASB Waterfront Theatre in Auckland, on July 26, 7pm. You can also rent it online between July 26 – August 1.
Tickets for the Festival’s premiere screenings go on sale from July 10 and rental options can be purchased from the first available screening date, starting July 25. If you’re planning to watch at home, NZIFF suggests you start getting ready: set up your account, test, browse and start planning.
Tema Pua
Events & Marketing Manager
Last updated on 6 July 2020
