Doc Edge Festival 2024 Booklet

Days

Welcome to Doc Edge 2024 –a documentary festival like no other.

Doc Edge is the home for storytelling that changes your world. Our kaupapa is to celebrate, support and showcase documentary.

“We find ourselves at a point in history when reliable information is more important than ever. It’s important for us to examine all points of view, no matter how long held our own beliefs are. This festival is highly regarded around the world both for its courage to screen the controversial and also for the breadth of its offerings.”

Judy Bailey

Helen Clark

As a Patron of Doc Edge Festival, I extend a warm welcome to you all to this year's event.

I am passionate about the power of documentary films to inspire, educate, and challenge our perspectives. It is heartening to see the festival growing and becoming an Asia Pacific hub for all things documentary in Christchurch, attracting both local and international visitors.

I commend ChristchurchNZ and the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment for their support in making this vision a reality. This year, the festival's theme, "Truth, Impact, and Reconciliation," resonates deeply in a world where these values are more important than ever.

With 66 films and 28 immersive projects from around the globe, including some with their world and international premieres in New Zealand, there is much to explore and learn from. In addition to screenings, the festival offers an Immersive Exhibition, Industry Events & Market, the Oscar-qualifying Awards, and live events across multiple venues in Christchurch.

It is great that the festival continues its presence in Wellington, Auckland, and nationwide through its Virtual Cinema, making it accessible to all Kiwis. I am particularly interested in the category "Democracy on the Edge," which explores the challenges faced by democracies worldwide. In these turbulent times, it is crucial that we engage in meaningful conversations about the future of democracy.

I wish you all a wonderful festival experience.

Helen Clark

Welcome from Festival Team

Kia ora koutou

Welcome to Doc Edge Festival 2024, the premier destination for documentary storytelling in the Asia Pacific region.

Picture this: a festival so epic, it’s been handpicked by the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment (MBIE) to be part of the Major Events Incubator. Yep, it’s kind of a big deal. Doc Edge has earned recognition as we work towards establishing the first dedicated Asia-Pacific documentary centre, featuring an Oscar-qualifying Documentary Festival, Industry Events & Market, Schools Programme, and Immersive Exhibition.

As we proudly launch this year’s festival in the resilient and innovative city of Ōtautahi Christchurch, in partnership with ChristchurchNZ, we are excited to bring the spotlight to the South Island. Together, we are fostering a vibrant hub for documentary that showcases the diverse stories of our region and beyond.

Doc Edge is a celebration of documentary storytelling, exploring themes of Truth, Impact, and Reconciliation from around the world and diverse communities. Prepare for thought-provoking discussions and immersive exhibitions that push the boundaries of storytelling.

In an era of challenges to public journalism, disinformation, and social media abuse, we believe that change and reconciliation occur when people engage in respectful dialogue and listen to other stories.

This year’s festival boasts the largest number of world premieres, many of which are international films: 11 feature films, 9 short films, and 10 immersive projects. This record underscores our reputation as a must-premiere screening festival, offering a unique viewing opportunity to local audiences and showcasing films destined to be the world’s latest most important documentary works from.

Whether attending in person at our cinemas in Ōtautahi Christchurch, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, and Pōneke Wellington, or joining us virtually from anywhere in the country, our rich programme of 66 films and 28 immersive projects offers something for everyone. The festival’s immersive exhibition, schools’ programme, industry events and market are all crafted with a vision for wayfinding — to transform the present and illuminate the path to the future through collective wisdom and mindfulness.

This year, we are honoured to present Ted Hope with the Doc Edge Superhero Award. A titan in the screen industry, Hope’s visionary work has shaped the future of storytelling and inspired generations of filmmakers.

Join us in Ōtautahi Christchurch for a journey of discovery and courageous conversations. Your participation can help shape the future of documentary and storytelling in Aotearoa New Zealand and the wider Asia-Pacific region.

As the whakataukī says, “Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini” — “My success should not be bestowed onto me alone, as it was not individual success but success of a collective.”

We are immensely grateful to our members, partners, filmmakers, audiences, and team for their unwavering support.

Together, let’s celebrate “life unscripted” and create lasting memories at the Doc Edge Festival 2024.

Ka kite anō

Dan Shanan Alex Lee Rachael Penman Executive Director General Manager & Director Festival Producer

Judy Bailey

Kia ora koutou, 2024 promises to be a watershed year for Doc Edge.

We are thrilled to have been awarded $100,000 grant from the Ministry of Business and Innovation, an impressive vote of confidence in Dan, Alex and the team, who had still managed to produce a top quality international event over a number of challenging years.

The grant will help cement the festival into New Zealand’s cultural landscape and we’re enormously grateful for it. It also aims to turn Doc Edge into a premier event not only for this country but for the Asia Pacific region.

And…. this year we are on the move!

The Doc Edge team is excited to be basing the festival in Christchurch for the very first time. The opportunities the city offers were just too hard to pass up. While the festival films will also continue to screen in both Auckland and Wellington and online, the opening and closing ceremonies and the immersive exhibition and industry workshops will all be based in the garden city.

We are always keen to attract new audiences to the documentary genre. You may think it’s not for you but I would encourage you to check out the films on offer, there literally is something there for everyone and I know that once you’ve sampled Doc Edge’s offerings, you’ll be as hooked as I am.

As always the festival includes world premieres, among them,

Neil Waka

I was first invited to become a Doc Edge Ambassador in 2022 and continue to be involved with an organisation that continues to push the boundaries and encourages the development and creation of high quality documentary making.

As a television news presenter / reporter of more than 30 years, along with working in senior management in Corporate Affairs, I learned early the importance of developing authentic relationships with people from all walks of life and professions.

Having the opportunity to see some of these documentaries come to life from the documentary makers perspective

a Canadian French production, I Shall not Hate, which follows a Palestinian doctor who worked in an Israeli hospital, his ethos of forgiveness and reconciliation is put to the ultimate test when an Israeli tank bombs his house, killing his three daughters.

There’s a visceral and unprecedented behind the lines insight into what it is to be a Russian soldier in the war with Ukraine.

We meet an 84 year old DJ …. a star of Warsaw’s nightclubs and journey alongside the first woman to sail solo around Antarctica.

As I write this, New Zealand’s media landscape is being decimated by closures and retrenchment ….. we are losing a significant number of talented story tellers, people who tell our own stories. I can only hope that some of them will turn their sights to documentaries and that they will be well supported to do so.

A healthy democracy needs to be constantly explored and questioned.

I do hope you enjoy Doc Edge ‘24. Nga mihi, Judy Bailey

can provide some great insights into other people’s lives and interests. Unpacking a film maker’s journey can often take us into previously unknown experiences.

Simply put, great filmmakers are great storytellers and take us on a journey of discovery.

Thank you to the team at Doc Edge who work hard to bring to Aotearoa New Zealand one of the most highly regarded and respected festivals in the Asia Pacific region.

Nga mihi, Neil Waka

For more information contact Blake Douglas, email: blake@benefitz.co.nz or visit www.benefitz.co.nz

Doc Edge is an Oscar-qualifying festival. Winners of the Best NZ and International feature and short film categories are eligible for Oscar consideration for 2024 Awards.

The 2024 Doc Edge Awards will be presented in Christchurch on Thursday 27 June. A list of all winners will be available on the Doc Edge website.

NEW ZEALAND COMPETITION

Best New Zealand Feature

Best New Zealand Short

Best New Zealand Director

Best New Zealand Editing

Best New Zealand Cinematography

Best New Zealand Sound

Best New Zealand Emerging Filmmaker

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION

Best International Feature

Best International Short

Best International Director

Best International Editing

Best International Cinematography

Best International Sound

NZ STUDENT AWARDS

Best Secondary School Film

Best Tertiary Film

IMMERSIVE EXHIBITION

New Zealand Project International Project Q+As

Live Q+As sessions with filmmakers will be presented in all cities. Please check the website for up-to-date information.

Ticketing Information

In Cinema Ticket Prices

Full $25

Concession ............................................................ $21

Available for students, seniors 60+, and community services cardholders. Appropriate card and/or proof of age required.

Doc Edge Members

$17.50

30% off, use your membership number on the film page.

5 Pass $100

20% off, save $25, valid for up to 5 films with max 2 tickets per film.

10 Pass

$187.50

25% off, save $62.50, valid for up to 10 films with max 2 tickets per film.

Vir tual Cinema Ticket Prices

Full ............................................................................... $21

Concession $17

Available for students, seniors 60+, and community services cardholders. Appropriate card and/or proof of age required.

Doc Edge Members ................................. $14.70

30% off, use your membership number on the film page.

5 Pass $84

20% off, valid for any 5 films.

10 Pass ............................................................. $157.50

25% off, valid for any 10 films.

Short Film Pass

Watch all 23 Short Films.

$50

Full Binge Pass ............................................... $399

Watch all 66 films. All films are automatically added to your cart.

Members Binge Pass $299

Watch all 66 films, Use your membership number to buy the pass. All films are automatically added to your cart.

Other Packages:

Various packages may be available, please check the festival website for details.

Gift Vouchers:

Give an unforgettable Doc Edge experience to your nearest and dearest. Gift Vouchers are available at any value, and can be redeemed for Doc Edge festival tickets, passes or memberships.

Doc Edge Members:

As a special perk, Doc Edge Members receive the guaranteed lowest ticket prices along with exclusive benefits. If you are not already a member, we encourage you to become one today to enjoy discounted ticket prices and other privileges.

Cashless Festival:

Please note that Doc Edge Festival 2023 is a cashless event, and all transactions at the venues will be made via Ferve, our ticketing platform.

Cash will not be accepted for ticket purchases at the venues, so be sure to bring your credit or debit card for purchases.

Allocated Seating:

All cinema seats at the festival are allocated, which means you can choose your preferred seat when booking your tickets.

However, seats are limited and can fill up quickly, so we recommend booking early to secure the seat you want for the screenings you plan to attend.

Accessible Seating:

If you require accessible seating or have any other special seating requirements, please contact us. We will be happy to assist you in making the necessary arrangements for a comfortable and enjoyable festival experience.

Ticketing Enquiries:

For any ticketing enquiries, please contact us via email at tickets@docedge.nz or by phone on 09 360 0329 or 0800 DOC EDGE (362 3343).

Christchurch Venues

HOYTS Cinemas –EntX Christchurch

Screenings

Screenings at HOYTS EntX Christchurch are in Cinema 5, Cinema 1, and LUX 1 and 2 cinemas. All of our cinemas have recliner seats. Screenings will start as scheduled. Please turn off all electronic devices prior to the start. Any recordings and photography are strictly prohibited.

Eating and Drinking

HOYTS Cinemas –

EntX Christchurch

The cinema gives people the magic of the big screen. But we’re not just a cinema. We’re HOYTS. We strive to deliver the future of cinema for people who want to experience more. From its small beginnings, HOYTS has become one of the world’s leading entertainment companies. HOYTS Australia and New Zealand owns and operates 59 cinemas with 497 screens and more than 59,000 seats. HOYTS cinemas are located in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Australia Capital Territory, South Australia, Western Australia and New Zealand.

Booking and Ticket Information

Tickets can be booked via the Doc Edge website.

The Doc Edge box office will be located next to the LUX escalators in the foyer and in the LUX lounge during festival time.

Take a walk through our Treat City, an immersive Candy Bar experience before your film, or a more gourmet choice - Artie’s Bar & Café, with a selection of delicious hot food and an extensive selection of beer and wine to take into the cinema with you. With a simple press of the call button in LUX cinemas, order food at your leisure and enjoy the ultimate dine-in experience.

Accessibility

You can book wheelchair access on the Doc Edge website when purchasing a ticket, or please contact Doc Edge on 09 360 0329. There is an elevator and ramps to our cinemas for ease of accessibility.

Parking and Transport

The best parking access is at Lichfield Street or The Crossing car parks, with paid parking based on duration. The Christchurch Bus Exchange is located directly across the road.

617 – 649 Colombo St

Christchurch City Central

Christchurch Venues

Screenings

Alice Cinema

Alice Cinema

We opened in 1985 as Alice in Videoland, a little video shop determined to whet the appetites of discriminating filmlovers. Now located in the old Post Office building on Tuam Street, we added two cinemas, the Egyptian Room and the Wonderland Cinema, both fully digital with superb picture and huge Dolby surround sound.

Alice has a fully licensed bar serving a carefully selected choice of local craft beers, boutique wines, mulled wine and non-alcoholic beverages incl. Hummingbird coffee and the Karma Cola range, that you can enjoy while we entertain you!

Booking and Ticketing Information

The Doc Edge box office will be located in the Alice foyer during festival time.

Eating and Drinking

You can enjoy a pre-show drink in the Alice foyer and we offer an assortment of unique cinema snacks. Or for something more substantial, there are plenty of great options in the surrounding vibrant SALT District. https://www.saltdistrict.nz/

209 Tuam Street, Christchurch City Central

Screenings at Alice will be in the Wonderland Cinema. Screenings will start as scheduled. Please turn off all electronic devices prior to the start. Any recordings and photography are strictly prohibited.

Accessibility

Hearing loops are available at the box office, please notify staff on arrival.

There is a mobility car park across from Alice outside the EPIC Building. Alice is all ground level access.

You can book a wheelchair seat on the Doc Edge website when purchasing a ticket, or please contact Doc Edge on 09 360 0329. Be sure to specify whether you need a wheelchair space or if you are able to sit in one of our seats. Companion seats are available for those booking wheelchair spaces.

Parking and Transport

Alice is located in the SALT district of the Christchurch CBD. The Chch Bus Exchange is located one block away. There is paid street parking on the surrounding streets, and many car park facilities nearby: Central Carpark - 226 Tuam Street, The Crossing Carpark - 71 Lichfield Street, SALT District Carpark - 160 Lichfield Street, Little High Carpark - 255 St Asaph Street, Lichfield Street Carpark - 33 Lichfield Street (see map). For more information, visit: https://alice.co.nz/carpark/

Christchurch Venues Screenings

Lumière Cinemas

Screenings at Lumière Cinemas are in the Bardot and the Bernhardt cinemas. Screenings will start as scheduled. Latecomers will not be permitted entry once a screening has commenced. Please turn off all electronic devices prior to the start. Any recordings and photography are strictly prohibited.

Accessibility

Lumière Cinemas

Right across the road from the majestic Christchurch Botanic Gardens in Rolleston Avenue and housed within the West Lecture Block of the historic Christchurch Arts Centre, our bespoke art deco cinema complex is a Christchurch mecca for all movie lovers. We offer the Bardot screen (downstairs) which seats 42 (including a wheelchair space) and the Bernhardt screen (upstairs) which seats 73 (including a wheelchair space); along with state-of-the-art sound design and projection technology; great hospitality; and artisanal beverages and eats.

Booking and Ticket Information

Tickets can be booked via the Doc Edge website.

The Doc Edge box office will be located upstairs in the Ticket Office of Lumière Cinemas during festival time.

Eating and Drinking

Select from our extensive range of local and regional wines, craft beers, non-alcoholic beverages, and delicious cheeseboards and gourmet treats. Enjoy your fare in the cinema, or head on up to the bespoke art deco Bijou Bar (floor 2) before or after your film.

26 Rolleston Avenue, Christchurch Central City

You can book wheelchair access on the Doc Edge website when purchasing a ticket, or please contact Doc Edge on 09 360 0329.

Please be sure to specifically request wheelchair seats. Companion seats are available for those booking wheelchair spaces. A hearing loop is available; please notify staff on arrival. A photo ID is required for the use of hearing aid equipment.

There is an accessible door on the ground floor (within our courtyard on Rolleston Ave) and an elevator for your convenience.

Parking and Transport

The Art Centre car park offers 16 free (for a maximum of 180 minutes) P60 car parks (check availability on your arrival). Park your car in the designated P60 car park and come to our ticket office to collect your complimentary parking pass to display on your car dashboard. There are also 2 accessible car parking spaces in the Art Centre car park, and 3 more accessible car parking spaces near our cinema in Rolleston Ave.

Christchurch Venues

Tech Community Hub

Opening Hours

Monday – Friday 9.30am - 7pm

Saturday – Sunday 9.30am - 7pm

Accessibility

The path to the main entrance is ground level and accessible, accessible toilet.

Exhibition Hub

At 231 High St, our mission was to cultivate a vibrant and inclusive community space where collaboration, innovation, and positive impact flourished. We were committed to fostering an environment where people from diverse backgrounds came together to share knowledge, ideas, and resources. Our core principles were built on the belief that collective effort could drive meaningful change.

Free Exhibition Schedule, Booking and Ticket Information

The Immersive Exhibition Hub is free and open to the public. During the activation time of the Exhibition Doc Edge will be running hosted sessions.

From 20 – 30 June there will be some experiences where we offer the ability to book and secure a free ticket, as capacity of these sessions will be limited and to reduce wait time and queuing. These sessions along with tickets can be booked on the Doc Edge website.

For all up to date schedule and ticketing information go to https://docedge.nz/immersive-exhibition/

Parking and Transport

The closest parking building is The Crossing Carpark on 71 Lichfield Street. Central Park street parking and Lichfield St Carp park is also nearby. There are also some street parking immediately outside the building along High Street.

Christchurch Bus Interchange is nearby on corner of Lichfield Street and Colombo Street.

The Tram goes past the Hub and stops nearby on the corner of High Street and Cashel Street.

Bike stands are located near the High Street Entrance.

231 High Street, Christchurch Central City

Christchurch Venues

Tūranga

Tūranga

Free Exhibition Schedule, Booking and Ticket Information

The Immersive Exhibition at Tūranga is free and open to the public. During the activation time of the Exhibition Doc Edge will be running hosted sessions.

From 21 – 30 June there will be some experiences where we offer the ability to book and secure a free ticket, as capacity of these sessions will be limited and to reduce wait time and queuing. These sessions along with tickets can be booked on the Doc Edge website.

For all up to date schedule and ticketing information go to https://docedge.nz/immersive-exhibition/

Opening Hours

Monday – Friday 9am - 8pm

Saturday – Sunday 10am - 5pm

60 Cathedral Square, Christchurch Central City

Accessibility

The path to the main entrance is level and accessible, Automatic doors, Accessible toilet.

Parking and Transport

The closest off-street car parks to Tūranga are 158 Hereford Street and 105 Worcester Street.

Get an hour’s free parking at Christchurch Art Gallery or Lichfield Street car park buildings.

There are four P120 mobility parking spaces immediately outside Tūranga, two on Gloucester Street and two on Colombo Street.

The Bus Interchange is located approximately 500 metres from Tūranga, a short walk of about 7 minutes. The Manchester Street Bus Stop is approximately 250 metres from Tūranga, a short walk of about 4 minutes.

Bike stands are located near the Gloucester Street entrance

Additional cycle parking will be located in Cathedral Square. This area will be able to store cycles, scooters and mobility devices, however please take care and bring your own lock as we can’t take responsibility for lost or damaged items.

Christchurch Venues

Christchurch Town Hall

Opening Hours

Monday – Friday 9.30am - 7pm

Saturday – Sunday 9.30am - 7pm

Accessibility

The path to the main entrance is level and accessible, Automatic doors, Accessible toilet.

Christchurch Town Hall

Victoria Room

Nestled on the banks of the Avon River, this heritagelisted venue has inspired guests and performers alike, for generations. The Victoria Room offers a distinctive stage for events, with striking wooden ceilings and seamless, integrated technology.

Booking and Ticketing Information

The Immersive Exhibition Sessions at Town Hall are ticketed for Scheduled Sessions.

Tickets can be booked via the Doc Edge website.

For all up to date schedule and ticketing information go to https://docedge.nz/immersive-exhibition/

Parking and Transport

The closest off-street car parks to Town Hall is Central Park parking lot on 99 Kilmore Street, and Wilson Public Parking on 119 Kilmore Street.

The nearest bus stop is on Kilmore Street outside Town Hall.

Bike stands are located near the entrance of Town Hall.

86 Kilmore Street, Christchurch Central City

Auckland Venues

Accessibility

The Capitol Cinema

The Capitol Cinema

Built in 1922, Balmoral’s heritage-listed Capitol is Auckland’s second oldest cinema. Renovated most recently in 2009, the cosy 130-seat cinema is plush with large comfortable seating and original decor. The Capitol screens the best in new release arthouse films together with upmarket commercial releases, regular special film events and festivals. The cinema is licensed and supports local wines, craft beers, a selection of imported brands, six different types of gin and a range of sodas and tonic water. The candy bar also offers hand-rolled, organic Little Island ice creams.

Booking and Ticket Information

Tickets can be booked via the Doc Edge website.

The Doc Edge box office will be located downstairs during festival time.

Eating and Drinking

You can enjoy a pre-show drink in the Cinema bar.

610 Dominion Road, Balmoral, Auckland

Access for patrons with disabilities - Currently it is not possible to install wheelchair access into our cinema. We sincerely apologise for this inconvenience.

Screenings

Screenings will start as scheduled. Latecomers will not be permitted entry once a screening has commenced. Please turn off all electronic devices prior to the start. Any recordings and photography are strictly prohibited.

Parking and Transport

There is free street parking available near the cinema on Rocklands Ave and on Wiremu Street. Alternatively, there is a paid Secure Parking lot behind the cinema (in the old Warehouse car park). If you’re bussing to the Capitol, the 25B and 25L stops right outside and the OuterLink and 650 stop nearby on Balmoral Road.

For other parking options please visit: at.govt.nz

Public Transport

Visit Auckland Transport or download the AT app to see what public transport options are available.

Auckland Venues

Auckland Central City Library

Opening Hours

Monday – Friday 10am - 8pm

Saturday – Sunday 10am - 5pm

Accessibility

The path to the main entrance is level and accessible, Automatic doors, Accessible toilet.

Auckland Central City Library

Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero

Free Exhibition Schedule, Booking and Ticket Information

The XR Exhibition is free and open to the public. During the activation time of the Exhibition Doc Edge will be running hosted sessions.

From 10 – 14 July there will be some experiences where we offer the ability to book and secure a free ticket, as capacity of these sessions will be limited and to reduce wait time and queuing. These sessions along with tickets can be booked on the Doc Edge website.

For all up to date schedule and ticketing information go to https://docedge.nz/immersive-exhibition/

Parking and Transport

Central City Library has three Mobility parking spaces on Rutland Street right next to the library building.

For more information about parking, we recommend the Auckland Transport website. Go to AT’s Auckland Central parking page.

For public transport visit Auckland Transport or download the AT app to see what public transport options are available.

44/46 Lorne Street, Auckland

Wellington Venues

The Roxy Cinema

The Roxy Cinema

Nestled in the heart of New Zealand’s movie-making capital, Miramar, Wellington, this gorgeous art deco cinema theatre, multi-arts venue and restaurant, is one of the city’s leading attractions.

This versatile multi-arts venue now boasts state of the art sound design and projection technology, two luxurious theatres (capacity 164 & 55), generous Italian leather seats and the ability to enjoy wine and snacks while you watch, making this a very special film experience.

Booking and Ticket Information

Tickets can be booked via the Doc Edge website.

The Doc Edge box office will be located upstairs in the Grand Foyer of The Roxy during festival time.

Eating and Drinking

You can enjoy a pre-show drink in the theatre bar, or for something a bit more substantial, Coco at The Roxy is Miramar’s leading dining destination serving award-winning dishes and cocktails. The restaurant is open from Thursday –Sunday from 5pm. Bookings are recommended and can be made through our website, www.cocoattheroxy.co.nz.

5 Park Road, Miramar, Wellington 6022

Parking and Transport

There is unrestricted car parking space on nearby Tahi Street, and further north on Park Road. There are 30-minute parking spaces directly outside the building. Buses 2, 30x and 31x all depart from Courtney Place (CBD) and go directly to The Roxy. The trip takes roughly 25 minutes but allow time for traffic and delays. For more information & bus timetables head to metlink.org.nz.

Screenings

Screenings at The Roxy are in Cinema One upstairs, and Cinema Two on the ground level. Screenings will start as scheduled. Latecomers will not be permitted entry once a screening has commenced. Please turn off all electronic devices prior to the start. Any recordings and photography are strictly prohibited.

Accessibility

You can book wheelchair access on the Doc Edge website when purchasing a ticket, or please contact Doc Edge on 09 360 0329.

Be sure to specifically request wheelchair seats. Companion seats are available for those booking wheelchair spaces. Infrared hearing assist headphones are available; please notify staff on arrival. A photo ID is required for the use of hearing aid equipment. There are two mobility car parks at the front of the building.

Wellington Venues

Te Auaha Gallery

Opening Hours

Monday - Friday 12pm - 6pm

Saturday - Sunday 12pm - 6pm

Accessibility

The path to the main entrance is level and accessible.

Te Auaha Gallery

Free Exhibition Schedule, Booking and Ticket Information

The XR Exhibition is free and open to the public. During the activation time of the Exhibition Doc Edge will be running hosted sessions. The Schedule for these sessions will be posted on our website.

From 03 – 14 July there will be some experiences where we offer the ability to book and secure a free ticket, as capacity of these sessions will be limited and to reduce wait time and queuing. These sessions along with tickets can be booked on the Doc Edge website.

For all up to date schedule and ticketing information go to https://docedge.nz/immersive-exhibition/

Parking and Transport

The Cuba Street/Dixon Street area is a busy and bustling place at night, which can mean traffic and parking queues. We encourage you to allow plenty of time to get to the venue before the event is due to start.

Parking near Te Auaha

There are a range of parking buildings near Te Auaha:

• Wilson Parking - Bond Street

• Wilson Parking - Willis Street

• Taranaki Street Parking

There are also limited on-street carparks available on Dixon Street and Victoria Street.

There are multiple bus-stops near Te Auaha. To plan your trip head to the Metlink website.

65 Dixon Street, Te Aro, Wellington

THE EDGE OF IMPACT

Films that showcase the power of human actions to make a positive difference in our world. Through inspiring stories of regeneration farming, indigenous wisdom, historical preservation, environmental conservation, and wildlife protection, each film invites audiences to reflect on the impact of our choices and actions and inspires us to strive for a more sustainable and equitable future for our planet.

From survivor to warrior.

In 1997, 17-year-old old Devi, was arrested, accused of being a rebel, tortured, and raped in custody. A civil war had just begun. Rebel leaders revealed her as a rape ‘victim’. Tagged with this shameful taboo, Devi battled depression, social ostracism, joined the rebel frontlines, and rose through the ranks, even serving as a member of the parliament when the war ended. Shot as an immersive verité, the film travels with Devi, as she consolidates the voices of survivors. As Devi confronts her former lawyer and her counsellor, the film dives into deeply intimate and vulnerable moments. Through her diary, supported by archives and sweeping images, Devi reconstructs history erased to rewrite her new destiny.

Subina Shrestha | 2024 | 80 min | Nepal

Every Little Thing

Sally Atiken | 2024 | 93 min | Australia, New Zealand

CHC

AKL WLG

Tue 25 June | 6:30 PM | Alice Cinema

Sun 30 June | 5:15 PM | Lumiere Cinemas

Wed 03 July | 7:45 PM | The Capitol

Thu 04 July | 8:15 PM | The Roxy

Flickering Lights

Anupama Srinivasan, Anirban Dutta | 2023 | 89 min | India

CHC

AKL WLG

Thu 20 June | 1:30 PM | Alice Cinema

Sun 23 June | 11:00 AM | Hoyts EntX Cinema

Fri 12 July | 4:00 PM | The Capitol

Fri 12 July | 4:00 PM | The Roxy

New Zealand Premiere

A big celebration of tiny things.

The film follows Terry Masear, who, amidst the glamour of Hollywood, Los Angeles, finds herself on a transformative journey as she nurtures wounded hummingbirds. Unravelling a visually captivating and magical tale of love, fragility and healing, award winning Doc Edge alumna director Aitken has found the perfect documentary subject in Masear, who is not only warm, knowledgeable and slightly eccentric but also the author of the bestselling memoir Fastest Things on Wings Coupled with breathtaking slow-motion macro photography to capture the antics of hummingbirds barely bigger than a bumble bee, the film celebrates the delicate beauty found in tiny acts of greatness.

*Screening with Looking Up 12 min | page 59

New Zealand Premiere

Hope flickers as a village waits.

Far from the mainland and mainstream consciousness, in a region ridden with uncertainties, Tora is a quaint village on the Indian–Myanmar border with bad roads, erratic transport service, a dysfunctional school, no hospital, no power supply, no mobile network, and no job opportunities. But that is about to change. Soon, the town will have electricity.

People are sceptical as they have been let down too often in the past. A woman dreams of a better future for her family. A century-old man dreams of sovereignty for his people. Life flickers between hope and frustration, idealism and pragmatism, as a village waits. Will progress deliver all it has promised to Tora?

Ko au te Awa, ko te Awa ko au I Am The River, The River Is Me

Petr Lom | 2024 | 86 min | Netherlands

CHC

AKL WLG

Wed 19 June | 7:00 PM | Hoyts EntX Cinema

Fri 28 June | 11:30 AM | Alice Cinema

Wed 03 July | 7:00 PM | The Roxy Thu 04 July | 6:00 PM | The Capitol

Mauri

Zaya Benazzo, Maurizio Benazzo | 2024 | 71 min | USA

CHC

AKL WLG

Fri 28 June | 5:30 PM | Lumiere Cinemas

Sun 30 June | 1:00 PM | Alice Cinema

Mon 08 July | 4:00 PM | The Capitol

Mon 08 July | 4:00 PM | The Roxy

A journey binding hearts and igniting change.

The Whanganui River is the first river in the world to be recognised as a legal person, as a living adult indivisible being.

Māori river guardian Ned Tapa invites a First Nations Elder from Australia and his daughter, who are activists to saving their own dying river back home, on a five-day canoe trip down this sacred river. Both mirror and inspiration, the river unites all the travellers organically, where everyone has a voice to share stories of humour and light, and a space to heal from the darkness of the past, of enduring historical injustice.

Made over a three-year period, in close collaboration with the Whanganui Māori, the film is a positive, urgent call to action for the rights of nature: now the fastest growing legal movement in the world.

Asia Pacific Premiere World Premiere

A testament to the radiant beauty and unbreakable resilience of Māori culture.

The film is an intimate, visually stunning testament to a land and a people who have survived removal, exploitation and colonisation — and to the healing ways that are part of the Māori ancestral knowledge. It juxtaposes the enduring trauma of colonialism with the resilience offered through ancestral healing traditions.

Exploring intergenerational trauma and the loss of indigenous identity it also contrasts traditional healing practices, which provide a holistic approach to well-being, with Western therapeutic trauma-healing methods, disconnected from the indigenous worldviews and relationships

Searching For Amani

Nicole Gormley, Debra Aroko | 2023 | 80 min | Kenya

CHC

Sun 23 June | 8:00 PM | Alice Cinema Sat 29 June | 8:15 PM | Lumiere Cinemas

Sat 06 July | 6:15 PM | The Roxy Sun 07 July | 6:15 PM | The Capitol

New Zealand Premiere

His father’s job was to protect the animals. Whose job was it to protect him?

13-year-old Simon Ali is an aspiring investigative journalist living in Laikipia, Kenya, a lush area where elephants roam, and part of the savannah still thrives. It’s also one of the most unstable regions, making headlines for its violent clashes and record-breaking droughts.

In 2019, armed pastoralists killed his father while he worked as a tour guide. For over a year, Simon waited for the investigators to come and do their job, but they never came.

Taking up the mantle of the investigation himself, Simon begins to search for the answers his family seeks. Shot over three years, exploring the life and death of Simon’s father catalyzes a conversation about the changing environment, conservation, and community equity in a time of crisis.

*Screening with Then Comes the Body 14 min | page 65

Standing Above The Clouds

Jalena Keane-Lee | 2024 | 83 min | USA

CHC

Fri 28 June | 1:00 PM |Lumiere Cinemas

Sun 30 June | 11:00 AM | Alice Cinema

Sun 14 July | 12:00 PM | The Capitol Sun 14 July | 12:00 PM | The Roxy

International Premiere

They thought they were building a telescope, instead they awoke a nation.

When the massive Thirty Meter Telescope is proposed to be built on Mauna Kea, an uprising of kia’i (protectors) in Hawai’i and around the world dedicate their lives to protecting the sacred mountain from destruction. The film follows teacher and community organiser Pua Case and her two daughters—artist/activists Hāwane Rios and Kapulei Flores—who have been called to stop the telescope since 2010. Their lives quickly become consumed with frontline actions and court proceedings and immersed in ceremonies and cultural practices. As they face opposition and arrests, they are joined by a community that has dedicated its lives to protecting Mauna Kea.

*Screening with Rising Nations 7 min | page 64

Films that offer a gripping exploration of the darker side of human nature, uncovering secrets, unraveling mysteries, and delving into the complexities of crime and conspiracy. From espionage to human rights violations, from tragic events to high-stakes investigations, each film offers a unique perspective on the intricate and intriguing world of crime and conspiracy.

Citizen Sleuth

Chris Kasick | 2023 | 82 min | USA

Hunt for truth tests moral boundaries.

The film follows Emily Nestor and her Mile Marker 181 podcast, as she conducts an amateur investigation into the death of Jaleayah Davis. It examines the ethics of the true crime genre through Emily’s pursuits of her top suspects. With a growing audience of millions, the podcast becomes a hit, but as she probes deeper into the case, she’s confronted with a new truth she struggles to tell her listeners. Told in real time over several years, the film chronicles the rise, fall and redemption of a podcaster in the new media language.

New Zealand Premiere

The Jewish Nazi?

Dan

Goldberg | 2023 | 86 min | Australia

Sat 22 June | 7:45 PM | Alice Cinema

Sun 30 June | 3:00 PM | Lumiere Cinemas

Wed 03 July | 5:30 PM | The Capitol Thu 04 July | 6:00 PM | The Roxy

Pistachio Wars

International Premiere

A choiceless choice.

A young boy witnesses his family being massacred during the Holocaust but cheats death by escaping into the frozen woods in Belorussia. He is eventually captured by a battalion that was absorbed into Hitler’s SS and faces the firing squad and their death pits.

But instead of killing him they make him their child soldier, their ‘Mascot’. They give him a false name, fake birth date, adorn him with a pint-sized uniform and arm him with a sawed-off rifle.

The film is a gripping true crime-esque investigation into whether his incredible survival story – as well as the discovery of his long-lost Jewish family in the late 1990s – was in fact true or a Holocaust hoax. It follows director Goldberg on his quest across the globe in his bid to solve the mystery of The Mascot.

Yasha Levine, Rowan Wernham | 2024 | 75 min | New Zealand, USA

Sat 22 June | 6:00 PM | Hoyts EntX Cinema

Thu 27 June | 6:15 PM | Alice Cinema

Sun 07 July | 4:45 PM | The Capitol

Sun 07 July | 5:00 PM | The Roxy

World Premiere

A road trip into the dark heart of the American Dream.

Journalist Yasha Levine follows a lead on a water sale between a farmer and a small desert town and discovers a hidden side to California’s healthy snack industry.

At the centre of the story are the Resnicks, billionaires with the flashiest mansion in Beverly Hills and a monopoly on the pistachio trade.

They’ve taken control of California’s water: draining rivers, building plantations in the middle of a desert, leaving a trail of environmental collapse.

Towns ravaged by drought, farms built on oil fields, mass extinction, a water heist straight from the plot of Chinatown, and…war with Iran?

Rhino Man

John Jurko II, Matt Lindenberg, Daniel Roberts | 2023 | 96 min | USA

CHC

Thu 20 June | 8:00 PM | Alice Cinema

Wed 26 June | 4:00 PM | Hoyts EntX Cinema

Sat 06 July | 6:30 PM | The Capitol

Sat 13 July | 6:30 PM | The Roxy

Sugarcane

Asia Pacific Premiere

The true heroes in our efforts to protect the world’s wildlife.

This is the true story of the courageous field rangers who risk their lives every day to protect South Africa’s rhinos from being poached to extinction.

We follow Anton Mzimba, the head ranger of the Timbavati, as he protects the rhinos. He faces long deployments, dangerous working conditions, and constant threats to his life.

Nearby, a legendary trainer, Ruben de Kock, struggles to inspire a group of 41 candidates, as he takes them through a rigorous ranger selection.

Tragedy strikes when Anton is assassinated at home by a poaching syndicate. Ruben laments the loss of his friend. Prince William and the international community cry out for justice. We’re left with Anton’s hopeful message, and the determination of the rangers who vow to carry his torch.

Julian Brave NoiseCat, Emily Kassie | 2024 | 107 min | USA, Canada

Fri 21 June | 1:30 PM | Alice Cinema

Sat 22 June | 3:00 PM | Hoyts EntX Cinema

Sat 13 July | 2:00 PM | The Capitol

Sat 13 July | 2:00 PM | The Roxy

New Zealand Premiere

The past is present here.

A stunning tribute to the resilience of indigenous people and their way of life, this debut film from Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, is an epic cinematic portrait of a community during a moment of international reckoning. Set amidst a ground-breaking investigation into abuse and death at an Indian residential school, the film empowers participants to break cycles of intergenerational trauma by bearing witness to painful, long-ignored truths and the love that endures within their families despite genocide.

We Will Dance Again

Yariv Mozer | 2024 | 89 min | Israel, USA, UK

Sun 23 June | 3:30 PM | Alice Cinema

Tue 25 June | 6:00 PM | Hoyts EntX Cinema

Thu 11 July | 6:00 PM | The Roxy

Thu 11 July | 8:00 PM | The Capitol

The Man I Left Behind

World Premiere

7 October, the day the music stopped, and the world changed.

Friendship, love, peace, and freedom — these ideals drew young hearts from around the globe to Nova’s EDM music festival in south Israel. But as the sun rose on 7 October, rockets sliced through the sky, and the music stopped. Confusion morphed into fear as gunfire erupted amidst the chaos. Terror breached the border fence and unleashed violence on the unsuspecting people. The film meticulously captures the events, raw emotions and heroism that emerged, the day the world changed.

Larry Towell, Matthieu Rytz, Hubert Hayaud | 2024 | 83 min | Canada

Tue 25 June | 8:30 PM | Hoyts EntX Cinema

Fri 28 June | 1:30 PM | Alice Cinema

Sun 14 July | 6:15 PM | The Capitol Sun 14 July | 6:15 PM | The Roxy

International Premiere

The power of bearing witness.

Larry Towell’s business card reads: ‘Human Being’. And for the past 40 years, the celebrated Magnum photographer has chronicled humankind’s deepest struggles. The Canadian artist and folk musician reflects on his relentless pursuit of stories shaped by conflict and displacement. He pulls from a vast archive of photos, videos, songs, and poetry to contrast the turmoil of conflicts over territory with the serenity of his own family farm. The film poignantly explores how losing land can mean losing self and is a testament to the power of bearing witness. Ultimately, it portrays the profound absurdity of war.

All over the world, democracy is under attack. This selection of films profiles the challenges faced by the nations of The Philippines, Taiwan Hong Kong, and China’s dissidents in the United States as well as the roles of the International Criminal Court and the advertising industry. Witness firsthand the struggles, triumphs, and complexities of safeguarding democratic principles in an ever-evolving world.

And So It Begins

CHC AKL WLG Sun 23 June | 5:30 PM | Alice Cinema Sun 30 June | 12:30 PM | Lumiere Cinemas Wed 10 July | 8:00 PM | The Capitol Wed 10 July | 8:00 PM | The Roxy

The cost of speaking truth to power.

In a decades-long nation saga of the Philippines, director Diaz presents the latest chapter on her homeland as the despotic reign of President Rodrigo Duterte is coming to an end. The film proffers unbridled access to all the key players in the months leading up to the country’s 2022 presidential election. With all her keen observational eye and deep knowledge of the socio-political history and landscape, Diaz continues to find her own forms of storytelling as political disruption.

Weaving together multiple narratives against the backdrop of a gloves-off campaign for the most powerful office in the land, what emerges is a dazzling cinematic portrait of a beleaguered nation fighting for its very soul.

Ramona S. Diaz | 2024 | 115 min | USA, Philippines

Asia Pacific Premiere

Dissidents

Yi Chen | 2024 | 75 min | USA

12 July | 1:00 PM | The Capitol

12 July | 12.30 PM | The Roxy

Invisible Nation

Vanessa Hope | 2023 | 85 min | USA, Taiwan

Not even exile is safe.

From harassing relatives back home to disrupting protests and spying on critics in other countries, China is one of the most aggressive governments in targeting dissents abroad. We follow three dissidents in America as they continue their fight for democracy.

An artist’s sculpture is burnt down, a protestor is charged with a criminal case, and a democracy movement is violently attacked.

Combining intimate observational footage, rich archival materials and investigative approach, the film uncovers transnational repression by an authoritarian state targeting dissidents who are keeping the democratic flame alive during the darkest hours.

International Premiere CHC

Mon 24 June | 8:30 PM | Alice Cinema Sat 29 June | 6:00 PM | Lumiere Cinemas Tue 09 July | 6:00 PM | The Capitol Tue 09 July | 6:00 PM | The Roxy CHC

Australasia Premiere

Taiwan’s troubled past and uncertain future come into focus.

With unprecedented access to Taiwan’s sitting head of state, director Hope investigates the election and tenure of Tsai Ing-wen, the first female president of Taiwan. Thorough, incisive and bristling with tension, the film is a living account of Tsai’s tightrope walk between the colossal geopolitical forces of the U.S. and China, carefully balancing the hopes and dreams of her nation. At a time when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine demonstrates the everpresent threat of authoritarian aggression, the film brings a timely focus to the struggle of Taiwan and its vibrant democracy as it fights for autonomy and freedom from fear.

Rather Be Ashes Than Dust

Alan Lau | 2023 | 114 min | China, UK, Hong Kong

When fear dictates, objectivity retreats.

What are the challenges journalists face when covering increasingly challenging global crisis of war, civil disobedience, famine and hunger? Witnessing acts of government crackdown and injustice, should they remain objective? What are their choices when the government turns against them?

Although journalism is not listed as one of the most dangerous professions, journalists have been killed, kidnapped, imprisoned, attacked, and accused of spying while doing their job.

Using the Hong Kong protest movement in 2019 as a backdrop, this film follows a Hong Kong video-journalist who recounts his experience during the protest movement that leads to his decision to leave Hong Kong.

The Click Trap

Peter Porta | 2024 | 90 min | Spain

Is it time to regulate online advertising?

The film exposes the alarming truths behind the digital advertising economy, worth hundreds of billions of dollars, showing the farreaching impact it’s having on our lives, both on and offline. New advertising technology, monopolized by big tech companies, has turned hate and mis- and disinformation into a profitable business opportunity, which cyber scammers worldwide are also exploiting. By revealing how this complex industry works, who controls it and who is choosing to fight back, the film questions whether a safer, fairer and more transparent digital ad business is possible in the future.

War And Justice

Marcus Vetter, Michele Gentile | 2023 | 90 min | Germany

Is the biggest war crime of all war itself?

On February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. A short time later, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against Vladimir Putin for alleged war crimes.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas committed a cruel massacre of Israeli civilians. Israel responded with the largest offensive on Gaza ever. The ICC Chief Prosecutor announced that he would prosecute any kind of war crimes on both sides. But what has come to pass?

Focusing on ICC Chief Prosecutors past and present, this film gives a complex legal process a face, and viewers will understand why wars of aggression can hardly be brought to justice when the major world powers - China, Russia, India and the United States - are unwilling to recognize the ICC as a global court.

BRIDGES OF UNDERSTANDING

Documentaries serve an important role enabling people to tell their stories. Cancellation is not an option to foster reconciliation. Whether or not you may start off agreeing with the point of view in the story, it opens the opportunity to have a dialogue. You may not be convinced, but you may agree to disagree, or you may change your mind. Regardless of the outcome, these stories will help to build bridges of understanding, critical to our ongoing humanity.

Bye Bye Tiberias

Vanished places, scattered memories.

In her early twenties, Hiam Abbass left her native Palestinian village to follow her dream of becoming an actress in Europe, leaving behind her mother, grandmother, and seven sisters.

Thirty years later, her filmmaker daughter Soualem returns with her to the village and questions for the first time her mother’s bold choices, her chosen exile and the way the women in their family influenced both their lives. Set between past and present, the film pieces together images of today, family footage from the nineties and historical archives to portray four generations of daring Palestinian women who keep their story and legacy alive through the strength of their bonds, despite exile, dispossession, and heartbreak.

*Screening with The Poem We Sang 20 min | page 65

Lina Soualem | 2023 | 82 min | France

New Zealand Premiere

Dancing On The Edge Of The Volcano

Cyril Aris | 2023 | 87 min | Lebanon, Germany

I Shall Not Hate

Tal Barda | 2024 | 90 min | Canada, France

Fri 21 June | 4:00 PM | Alice Cinema

Wed 26 June | 6:00 PM | Hoyts EntX Cinema

Wed 10 July | 6:00 PM | The Capitol

| 6:00

New Zealand Premiere

Amid chaos, cinema’s resilience shines bright.

In the aftermath of the catastrophic explosion from August 4th 2020 in Beirut, a film crew is facing a serious dilemma: should they defy the chaos and move forward with the shooting of their film or surrender to the multiple crises that are spreading all over the country? This film captures their relentless battle to keep making cinema in a shattered city.

International Premiere

Tragedy to tolerance.

From Gaza’s Jabaliya refugee camp, to the University of Toronto and the Supreme Court of Israel, the film follows the uncharted path of Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish, the first Palestinian doctor that worked in an Israeli hospital delivering babies. His ethos of forgiveness and reconciliation is put to the ultimate test when an Israeli tank bombs his house, killing his three daughters. Against all odds, he turns his tragedy into a global campaign to eradicate hate. Following the Hamas attack on October 7th, and the war on Gaza ever since, the doctor’s journey becomes even more fateful to the possibility to imagine a future for Palestinians and Israelis. It is a letter of tolerance from a deeply inspiring man with a message as urgent as ever.

Life Is Beautiful

Mohamed Jabaly | 2023 | 93 min | Norway, Palestine

New Zealand Premiere

Stranded and stateless.

A young Palestinian filmmaker invited to tour Norway to share images of his hometown, Gaza, is stranded when the border closes indefinitely. Applying for residency, he finds himself stuck in the Arctic, stripped of his identity when Norway refuses to recognise an independent Palestinian state. Thus begins a bureaucratic odyssey. Using his personal archive and video calls, he shares his longing for home, friends, and family, all while trying to adapt to life in the Arctic. As much a love letter to Gaza as to his adopted hometown, Tromsø, the film embodies the empowering force of storytelling.

Mourning In Lod

Hilla Medalia | 2023 | 75 min | Israel

Thu 20 June | 6:15 PM | Alice Cinema Sun 23 June | 7:45 PM | Hoyts EntX Cinema Sun 07 July | 12:30 PM | The Roxy Sun 07 July | 12:30 PM | The Capitol Sat 22 June | 11:00 AM | Hoyts EntX Cinema Thu 27 June | 10:30 AM | Alice Cinema Sun 14 July | 10:00 AM | The Capitol Sun 14 July | 10:00 AM | The Roxy

New Zealand Premiere

Three Women. Three Faiths. One Search for Justice.

A microcosmic look at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through Musa, Yigal, and Randa— three people whose fates become inextricably linked in a vicious cycle of violence. Lod/ Lydd is a “mixed” city inhabited by Arabs and Jews who live side-by-side in a strained co-existence.

In May 2021, two of these three people lost their lives, and one regained hers – thanks to an unlikely organ transplant. The outpouring of love, anger, forgiveness and sorrow that follows in their wake is a ray of light that offsets a collective state of mourning with no end in sight.

Sabbath Queen

Sandi DuBowski | 2024 | 102 min | USA

Thu 27 June | 8:15 PM | Lumiere Cinemas

Sun 30 June | 3:30 PM | Alice Cinema

Sun 07 July | 8:30 PM | The Capitol Sun 07 July | 8:30 PM | The Roxy

The Other Side

Sean Langan | 2024 | 99 min | UK

Fri 21 June | 6:30 PM | Alice Cinema Sat 29 June | 1:00 PM | Lumiere Cinemas

Tue 09 July | 7:45 PM | The Capitol

Tue 09 July | 7:45 PM | The Roxy

Drag queen rebel, radical rabbi of reinvention, interfaith love and peace.

Filmed over 21 years the film follows Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie’s epic journey as the dynastic heir of 38 generations of Orthodox rabbis. He is torn between rejecting and embracing his destiny and becomes a dragqueen rebel, a queer father, and the founder of Lab/Shul - an everybody-friendly, Godoptional, artist-driven, pop-up experimental congregation. The film joins Amichai on a lifelong quest to creatively and radically reinvent religion and ritual, challenge patriarchy and supremacy, champion interfaith love, and stand up for peace, ceasefire, and an end to the Occupation in Israel/Palestine. The film interrogates what Jewish survival means in a difficult rapidly changing 21st century.

International Premiere World Premiere

Russia’s war on Ukraine – as rarely seen through Russian eyes.

Journalist Sean Langan travels into the Russian side of the war in Ukraine, offering a never-before-seen perspective on the conflict.

He witnesses the lethal reality of this war, where drones loiter threateningly over WW1style trenches. He meets Russian special forces who threaten to eat his liver and mercenaries who have seen action in Bucha. But this remarkable film also shows the human face of the other side of this war - civilians living under siege, young students and an old babushkas who invite him for tea, coffee and pickles.

Dark, intimate and at times bleakly funny, this film captures what life is like for those fighting, and for those civilians who’ve been caught up in conflict in Eastern Ukraine’s conflict for the past decade.

Doc Edge Superhero 2024

Ted Hope

Ted's resume reads like a Hollywood blockbuster: he's produced over 70 films, served as a studio executive for over 60, spearheaded a start-up streamer, co-headed three production companies, led a film society and festival, served as a Professor of Practice at two universities, and founded a postproduction facility, two websites, two think tanks, and an app. Phew!

Not content with just one feather in his cap, Ted also launched Amazon's venture into feature film production, netting them an impressive 19 Oscar nominations and 5 wins. As a producer, his films have garnered 25 Oscar nominations and 6 wins.

Ted's memoir and newsletter, "Hope For Film," are essential reading for anyone passionate about the industry. He's played a pivotal role in launching the feature film careers of Ang Lee, Nicole Holofcener, Hal Hartley, Michel Gondry, and countless others.

In addition to his impressive portfolio, Ted's recent projects include "Cassandro," the first narrative feature from Oscar-winning documentary director Roger Ross Williams, and "Invisible Nation," a documentary on Taiwan directed and produced by Vanessa Hope, which is part of this year's Doc Edge Festival lineup.

Ted's visionary approach to storytelling and unwavering commitment to innovation make him a true superhero of the film world. We are honoured to recognise his contributions and look forward to seeing where his creative path takes him next.

“We deserve a culture predicated on today’s realities, not yesterday’s routine. As an independentfilm producer and an avid fan of ambitious and diverse work in all forms—and as a citizen of the world—I am always excited to keep up with the changing times. But nothing has prepared me for the onslaught of the last few years.”

― Ted Hope, Hope for Film: From the Frontline of the Independent Cinema Revolutions

Special Presentation Evening With FIFO In Christchurch

6pm on Wednesday 26 June at Christchurch Art Gallery

Presented by FIFO Director Laura Théron

The International Oceanian Documentary Film Festival, created in 2004

Since its creation, FIFO has become a regional event that opens a dialogue between the islands and territories of Oceania and an incomparable window on the region. The objective of this festival is to promote Oceania and make it visible through documentary films.

In a context of rapid globalisation, it aims to bring the voice of the peoples and cultures of Oceania beyond its shores and to make it heard on a broader media stage.

Finally, it aims to promote Oceanian cinema and filmmakers on the screens of the world. An annual meeting with the Pacific taking place in Tahiti. A must-see in our country, our region and far beyond our shores, our festival innovates, creates, and gathers year after year.

Doc Edge and FIFO continue to work together to support our pacific filmmakers.

WILLIAM ALBERT ROBINSON / LA DERNIÈRE TRAVERSÉE

Paul Manate, Denis Pinson | 2023 | 52 min | French Polynesia

William Albert Robinson became famous in 1931 after a world tour of more than 3 years on a sailboat of only 10 meters long. In 2019, a research centre in his name was inaugurated in Tahiti where he fought to eradicate filariasis. Between these two dates, the film traces the extraordinary life of one of the last navigators of the 20th century. But the film also seeks to reveal the intimate truth of an elusive, complex, and fascinating man.

KAUGERE: A PLACE WHERE NOBODY ENTERS (Grand Prize at FIFO 2024)

Stephen Dupont | 2023 | 60 min | Australia, PNG

Kaugere in Port Moresby, PNG. Rugby coach Albert Muri is no stranger to crime and the raskol gangs that tore his family apart. His eldest son was killed by the police and his second son is serving life in prison. Dia, his youngest son remains his last bea- con of hope helping him training the local rugby team, channeling criminal minds into sporting heroes. As Desmond is pardoned and gets out of prison, the question arises: what future is there in a settlement that more closely resembles a slum and where everyone lacks everything?

"Shift72 is proud to partner with the trailblazing talents at Doc Edge whose unwavering dedication to revealing truth through powerful storytelling has firmly established their position as the premier documentary film festival in the South Pacific" David White, Founder & CEO, Shift72

Bring your video content directly to your audience’s devices with the industry’s most trusted Video-on-demand platform.

Visit www.shift72.com or contact us at enquiries@shift72.com for more information.

- TRUSTED BY LEADING ENTERTAINMENT BRANDS -

19 - 26 June

Christchurch 20 - 30 June

Alice Cinema

DATE

JUN

Flickering Lights

Bye Bye Tiberias (& The Poem We Sang)

Mourning In Lod

Rhino Man

Draw For Change: We Are Fire 1.30pm Sugarcane 4.00pm I Shall Not Hate 6.30pm The Other Side 8.30pm Teaches Of Peaches

Draw For Change: We Are Fire

JUN

JUN

Spontaneous Combustion (& Breaking The Mould) 3.15pm Rather Be Ashes Than Dust

Shorts 1 7.45pm The Jewish Nazi?

Invisible Summit 1.30pm Resilient Man 3.30pm We Will Dance Again 5.30pm And So It Begins 8.00pm Searching For Amani (& Then Comes The Body)

JUN 12.30pm Draw For ChangeTree Of Violence 4.30pm Vika! (& The Life Before) 6.30pm Every Little Thing (& Looking Up) 8.30pm Two Strangers Trying Not To Kill Each Other

26 JUN 11.00am Name Me Lawand 1.30pm Shorts 3 3.30pm Shorts 4 6.15pm Shorts 5 8.00pm The Great White Whale THU 27 JUN 10.30pm Life Is Beautiful 12.30pm Mediha 4.15pm Dancing At The Edge Of The Volcano 6.15pm Pistachio Wars 8.00pm Devi

28 JUN *Matariki 11.30pm I Am The River, The River Is Me 1.30pm The Man I Left Behind 3.30pm Citizen Sleuth 6.00pm The Click Trap 8.15pm Mozart’s Sister SAT 29 JUN 11.00am Poised 1.30pm Racing Mister Fahrenheit 3.30pm Renee Gracie: Fireproof 5.45pm Habana Shakes (& They Call Me Wazza) 8.00pm Sharko SUN 30 JUN 11.00am Standing Above The Clouds (& Rising Nation) 1.00pm Mauri 3.30pm Sabbath Queen 6.00pm Dissidents 7.45pm Ice Maiden

Christchurch 27 - 30 June

Lumiere Bernhardt

JUN

JUN

Vika! (& The Life Before)

War And Justice

Rather Be Ashes Than Dust

Standing Above The Clouds (& Rising Nation)

The Great White Whale 1.00pm The Other Side

Bye Bye Tiberias (& The Poem We Sang)

Invisible Summit

Resilient Man

Sharko

Sabhath Queen

Mauri

Dissidents

Invisible Nation 8.15pm Searching For Amani (& Then Comes The Body)

Spontaneous Combustion (& Breaking The Mould) 12.30pm And So It Begins 3.00pm The Jewish Nazi? 5.15pm Every Little Thing (& Looking Up) 7.45pm Habana Shakes (& They Call Me Wazza)

Teaches Of Peaches

Lumiere Bardot

* This Cinema will be used for encore and award winning screenings. Please see website for updates.

Auckland 3 July - 14 July

The Capitol Cinema

Spontaneous Combustion (& Breaking The Mould)

Vika! (& The Life Before)

Mozart’s Sister

Mourning In Lod

Shorts 5

Resilient Man

Renee Gracie: Fireproof

Invisible Summit 9.00pm Teaches Of Peaches

Pistachio Wars 6.15pm Searching For Amani (& Then Comes the Body) 8.30pm Sabbath Queen

8

4.00pm Mauri 5.45pm The Great White Whale 8.00pm Sharko

9 JUL 3.30pm Rather Be Ashes Than Dust 6.00pm Invisible Nation 7.45pm The Other Side WED 10 JUL 4.00pm Dancing On The Edge Of The Volcano 6.00pm I Shall Not Hate 8.00pm And So It Begins THU 11 JUL 4.00pm Shorts 3 6.00pm Mediha 8.00pm We Will Dance Again

1.00pm Dissidents 4.00pm Flickering Lights 6.00pm Habana Shakes ( & They Call Me Wazza) 8.00pm Citizen Sleuth

13 JUL 10.30am Devi 12.15pm Name me Lawand 2.00pm Sugarcane 4.15pm Bye Bye Tiberias (& The Poem We Sang) 6.30pm Racing Mister Fahrenheit 8.15pm Poised SUN 14 JUL 10.00am Life Is Beautfiul 12.00pm Standing Above The Clouds (& Rising Nation) 2.00pm Two Strangers Trying Not To Kill Each Other 4.15pm War And Justice 6.15pm The Man I Left Behind 8.00pm Ice Maiden

Wellington 3 July - 14 July

The Roxy Cinema

Rather Be Ashes Than Dust

Dancing On The Edge Of The Volcano

Invisible Nation 7.45pm The Other Side

I Shall Not Hate

And So It Begins

BEING ONESELF

Films that explore the multifaceted nature of identity, from the challenges of being a present or past icon, and the search for achieving greatness, to the complexities of youth and elders and the struggles they face. Each film offers a unique perspective on the journey of self-discovery and the importance of embracing one’s true self in a world that often imposes societal norms and expectations.

Habana Shakes

Marcelle Lunam | 2024 | 70 min | New Zealand, Australia

CHC AKL WLG Sat 29 June | 5:45 PM | Alice Cinema Sun 30 June | 7:45 PM | Lumiere Cinemas Fri 12 July | 6:00 PM | The Capitol Fri 12 July | 6:00 PM | The Roxy

International Premiere

A unique and intimate portrait of young Cuba.

This film takes us on a rhythm-filled odyssey spanning ten vibrant days in Havana, a pulsating island city teetering on the edge of transformation. Infused with a lyrical heart, this is not just an homage to Cuba’s spirited culture but also provides an intimate window into the dynamic worlds of Cuban youth.

Through the eyes of a skater, a tattoo artist, an actor, a ballerina and an electronica DJ we find ourselves asking: What aspirations do these young Cubans hold for their nation and future, and how might these differ from or echo the dreams and hopes of their parent’s generation?

*Screening with They Call Me Wazza 9 min | page 60

Name Me Lawand

Edward Lovelace | 2023 | 86 min | UK

Sat 22 June | 1:00 PM | Hoyts EntX Cinema

Wed 26 June | 11:00 AM | Alice Cinema

Sat 13 July | 12:15 PM | The Capitol Sat 13 July | 12:15 PM | The Roxy

Poised

Toby Robson | 2024 | 108 min | UK

CHC AKL

Mon 24 June | 6:00 PM | Hoyts EntX Cinema

Sat 29 June | 11:00 AM | Alice Cinema

Sat 13 July | 8:15 PM | The Capitol

Sat 13 July | 8:30 PM | The Roxy

New Zealand Premiere

Home is where they understand you.

Five-year-old Lawand is on a quest to find a world where there are people like him — people who will understand him. Since birth, Lawand has been profoundly deaf and unable to communicate with those around him. He undertakes a treacherous journey with his family from Iraq to Derby, home of the Royal School for the Deaf. But this new life soon comes under threat when the family faces deportation. Along with members of the Derby community, they begin a new quest — the fight to stay in the place they now call home.

World Premiere

A universal underdog tale with its own unique lens.

Out of the ashes of loss, can one man use mixed martial arts to save young people from the toughest parts of our society? Zero opportunity, poverty and crime are common themes in the housing estates of Sunderland, North East England. A once proud region of industry. Now a wasteland scattered with the relics of the past, as generations of government continue to neglect it.

The film immerses viewers in the captivating realm of a mixed martial arts (MMA) club in North East England, dedicated to empowering youth. At its helm is our protagonist Steven, who haunted by his stepfather’s tragic suicide, resolves to effect meaningful change in both his world and the community he calls home. Despite a backdrop plagued by crime, poverty and neglect, can Steven use MMA to a save a group of young people with their own unique challenges?

Renee Gracie: Fireproof

Frances Elliott, Samantha Marlowe | 2024 | 88 min | Australia

CHC

Fri 21 June | 8:00 PM | Hoyts EntX Cinema

Sat 29 June | 3:30 PM | Alice Cinema

Thu 04 July | 8:15 PM | The Capitol Fri 05 July | 6:30 PM | The Roxy

Sharko

Luke Graham | 2024 | 86 min | Australia, New Zealand

CHC

AKL WLG

Thu 27 June | 6:00 PM | Lumiere Cinemas Sat 29 June | 8:00 PM | Alice Cinema

Mon 08 July | 8:00 PM | The Capitol Mon 08 July | 8:00 PM | The Roxy

From Bathurst to OnlyFans, and back again.

19-year-old Renee Gracie became Australia’s first female V8-Star and the first woman to race at the Bathurst 1000 in seventeen years. Despite breaking records, Renee faced blatant sexism at every turn, until she was pushed out of the sport altogether. Capitalising on the sexualisation she faced in motorsport, Renee Gracie became Australia’s biggest earner on OnlyFans.

Now, she’s ready to re-enter the sport she loves, using the millions she made as an Adult Entertainer. But V8s don’t want her back, believing her return is a ruse to promote her OnlyFans. This film uses Renee’s unique experience to examine the greater injustices faced by women in motorsport, exposing the discrimination faced by sex workers in modern Australia and painting a broader portrait of two Goliath companies, V8s & OnlyFans.

A father and son documentary about NZ’s greatest Rugby League player… ever.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest Rugby League players ever, kiwi hard-man Mark Graham was feared off and on the field, though little knew the real man or the destruction behind his success. This is an intimate look at the life of a father, a son and the cost of greatness.

Mark’s story is told through the in-depth lens and skewed perspective of his film-maker son, with Luke revealing a shared personal history scarred by pain and loss. As he learns more about his father’s past, both the hardships and the glory, he comes to a realisation about the man he idolised above all else.

Teaches Of Peaches

Philipp Fussenegger, Judy Landkammer | 2024

| 102 min |

Germany

New Zealand Premiere

‘Cause there’s only one Peaches. Filmed during The Teaches of Peaches Anniversary Tour in 2022, this film seamlessly weaves together exclusive archival gems with dynamic tour footage capturing the transformative journey of Canadian Merrill Nisker into the internationally acclaimed cultural powerhouse Peaches.

From the inception of the stage show to the rigorous rehearsal and riveting performances, the film provides an intimate look at the inner workings of a tour led by this beloved and globally celebrated icon. As a feminist musician, producer, director, and performance artist, Peaches has spent over two decades challenging gender stereotypes, solidifying her status alongside pop and music industry icons. Her fearless originality has challenged social norms, dismantled stereotypes, and confronted patriarchal power structures. Through biting wit, she advocates for LGBTQIA+ rights and tackles issues of gender and sexual identity, leaving an indelible mark on popular culture.

Two Strangers Trying Not To Kill Each Other

Manon Ouimet, Jacob Perlmutter | 2024 | 100 min | UK, Denmark, USA

Every love has its complications.

Thirty years after a chance encounter, Maggie and Joel, aged 75 and 84, are still very much in love. But their relationship is not without complications. Born in the hard-boiled Bronx, Joel Meyerowitz is a world-renowned photographer with major exhibitions and 40 books to his name. British-born Maggie Barrett is a talented but less recognised artist and writer. There is a knot of unease in their relationship, which is further strained when Maggie falls and breaks her leg, and Joel becomes her caregiver. In the shadow of mortality, each with a long and dramatic life behind them, the hard truths of life together provoke in Maggie and Joel an attempt to find a shared inner-peace while there is still time. With unique access to the couple’s lives, directors Perlmutter and Ouimet have created a profoundly moving film about living, creating and loving.

Asia Pacific Premiere

Vika!

Agnieszka Zwiefka | 2023 | 74 min | Poland, Germany, Finland

Australasia Premiere

Vika repeats that age is just a number and inspires others to live life to the fullest.

84-year old Vika is a star of Warsaw clubbing scene. A charismatic DJ and a colourful bird surround herself with young people, repeating that age is just a number. But when her health suddenly begins to deteriorate, Vika can no longer deny the passing of time. Will she find meaning in sharing the joy of life with other seniors by encouraging them to live their lives to the fullest?

The film is a bittersweet portrait of a woman who intense to celebrate life to the very end, a true inspiration both for silver generation and our future selves.

*Screening with The Life Before 7 min | page 60

Bringing the world’s stories to Wellington, and taking

STORIES WELLINGTON’S TO THE WORLD

Wellington is Aotearoa’s UNESCO Creative City of Film. From local and indigenous stories to international blockbusters - Wellington is the best place to study, make, and watch films.

FACING THE EDGE

Films that celebrate the indomitable human spirit and shines a light on the struggles, triumphs, and sacrifices of those who fight against injustice, discrimination, and oppression. Through powerful storytelling and compelling performances, each film portrays the resilience, courage, and determination of individuals and communities who refuse to back down in the face of adversity, inspiring audiences with their unwavering fighting spirit.

Ice Maiden

Sail. Survive. Succeed.

The film charts the astonishing journey of Australian adventurer Lisa Blair, as she attempts to be the first woman to sail solo, nonstop, and unassisted around Antarctica. Equal parts ambitious and treacherous, this trip has only ever been completed twice. Blair aims to break the record for speed.

Confidently conquering the most perilous parts of the journey, Blair’s confidence grows, but it is shattered when unexpected, life-threatening weather conditions cause catastrophe. She will need to dig into every ounce of courage, determination, and self-belief if she wants to finish this course and survive the most dangerous waters on the planet.

Nathaniel Jackson, James Blannin-Ferguson

2024 | 90 min

New Zealand, Australia

World Premiere

Invisible Summit

Lixin Fan | 2024 | 88 min | China

CHC AKL

Sun 23 June | 11:30 AM | Alice Cinema

Fri 28 June | 3:00 PM | Lumiere Cinemas

Fri 05 July | 7:00 PM | The Capitol Thu 11 July | 8:00 PM | The Roxy

Mozart’s Sister

Madeleine Hetherton-Miau | 2024 | 90min | Australia

CHC

Sun 23 June | 1:00 PM | Hoyts EntX Cinema

Fri 28 June | 8:15 PM | Alice Cinema

Sat 06 July | 2:15 PM | The Roxy Sat 06 July | 2:45 PM | The Capitol

World Premiere

Reaching the top is only half the battle.

Zhang Hong is an eternal hustler who comes from a poor family in China and lost his sight when he was only 21 years old. While his wife aspires to a peaceful life, Hong keeps trying to be successful in order to prove himself and to bring a better life for his family. Now as he works as a blind masseur in Tibet, a typical job for a disabled person in China, the 45-year-old family man ventures out for something not so ordinary: climbing Mount Everest. After preparing for this expedition for the past five years he hopes to finally turn his luck around.

International Premiere

Was Mozart’s sister a great unrecognised creator of her time?

A stunning new investigation explores the fascinating theory that Maria-Anna MozartMozart’s elder sister, music partner and early creative collaborator played a bigger role than previously known in musical history. Director Hetherton-Miau’s fascinating feature reveals and tests controversial new evidence by music experts and forensic handwriting analysts to find if Maria-Anna Mozart played a part in wellknown compositions attributed to her brother Wolfgang Mozart, and in the process, turns our gaze to the unrecognised female creators of our time.

Mediha

Hasan Oswald | 2023 | 91 min | USA

New Zealand Premiere

Awareness is the first step towards justice.

Mediha, a teenage Yazidi girl recently returned from ISIS captivity, turns her camera on herself to process her trauma.

Having survived kidnapping and enslavement by ISIS, she and her younger brothers, Ghazwen and Adnan, must now attempt to rebuild their lives with the whereabouts of their father, mother and baby brother unknown. Faced by local and international complexities, which continue to affect rescue and accountability efforts eight years after the genocide, the siblings must turn to a network of Yazidi rescuers in their search.

Confronting her past through personal video diaries, Mediha reclaims her voice and steps bravely towards the future.

Racing Mister Fahrenheit

Michael Rowley | 2024 | 81 min | USA

In the race against death, speed is key.

A 74-year-old billionaire sets out to gain a “pinch of immortality” by attempting to break a world speed record on a hand-built motorcycle - Mister Fahrenheit. Bobby Haas, once the owner of Dr Pepper, 7-Up, and other soda giants, abandons his business career in search of more adrenaline-based endeavours. Atop his world-renowned sidecar racer, he turns the energy of his twilight years towards cementing his name in the land speed record books. But when things take a sudden and devastating turn, Bobby and those closest to him must pick up the pieces and face death at the finish line.

Resilient Man

Stephane Carrel | 2024 | 90 min | France

Sun 23 June | 1:30 PM

Sat 29 June | 3:30 PM | Lumiere Cinemas Sat 06 July | 4:15 PM | The Roxy Sat 06 July | 4:30 PM | The Capitol

Asia Pacific Premiere

How does a dancer bounce back from such a tragic event?

The film charts the physical and mental journey back from the brink. In the middle of a show, Steven McRae, a famous principal dancer at the Royal Ballet of London, is catastrophically injured, breaking his Achilles tendon. He was at the height of his career that was dramatically put on hold.

Will Steven ever be able to dance again? For one year, director Carrel filmed the return of Steven to the stage and his training to recover alongside his engagement for mental health within the dance world. At 35 years old, he either recovers or his career is over. That’s how it is in the world of ballet.

Spontaneous Combustion: Songs For Barry Brickell

Bruce Foster | 2024 | 70 min | New Zealand

CHC AKL WLG

Sat 22 June | 12:30 PM | Alice Cinema Sun 30 June | 10:30 AM | Lumiere Cinemas Sat 06 July | 1:00 PM | The Capitol Sat 06 July | 12:30 PM | The Roxy

World Premiere

When the natural environment and the human imagination combine.

A celebration of Barry Brickell’s legacy and the realisation of his extraordinary dream, Driving Creek Railway, a productive pottery with numerous kilns, a railway, a native bird sanctuary, and a lively creative hub drawing artists from around the globe.

The film reflects the sensual attachment Brickell felt to the land and human form, as expressed in the ceramic sculptures that defined his creativity. It is a paean to all Barry held dear: the bush, the railway, the company of friends, conversation, and song. A cinematic montage of historical stills and film from present-day Driving Creek is woven with a spirited, poetic narration by Greg O’Brien, with a sumptuous soundtrack including compositions by Gillian Whitehead and Ross Harris.

*Screening with Breaking the Mould. 14 min | page 58

The Great White Whale

Michael Dillon | 2024 | 104 min | Australia

Five times it tried to kill them, but back they go!

Deep in the wild Southern Ocean, halfway between Australia and Africa, a snowy volcano almost three thousand meters high rears up from the sea like a mythical great white whale.

Five times that great white whale of a mountain tried to kill the first team that sought to reach its summit. Yet in 1964, back they sailed, through the worst seas in the world, to try again, this time with legendary explorer Bill Tilman as their skipper.

This is the extraordinary tale of those first attempts to climb Big Ben, the smoking glacier ringed volcan on Hard Island told by those who were there. At times expeditioner John Crick sings the songs too, as befits such an epic saga.

CHC

AKL

WLG

Wed 26 June | 3:30 PM | Alice Cinema

Fri 28 June | 1:30 PM | Lumiere Cinemas

Sat 06 July | 11:00 AM | The Capitol

Sat 06 July | 11:00 PM | The Roxy

CHC

AKL WLG

Sat 22 June | 12:30 PM | Alice Cinema

Sun 30 June | 10:30 AM | Lumiere Cinemas

Sat 06 July | 1:00 PM | The Capitol Sat 06 July | 12:30 PM | The Roxy

A Two Hearted Tale

Rory K McHarg, Bret Miller | 2023 | 40 min | New Zealand, USA

Dave Chappelle asked for a Bell’s Beer during a comedy set in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Taking a sip, he casually called out, “The Two-Hearted Ale? Why the hell did you put a fish on the label? “ This is the story of that label, and its eccentric artist, Ladislav Hanka.

*Screening with SHORTS 4: Diary Of A Head Injury | 7 min Life Upside Down | 25 min

Breaking The Mould

Phillida Perry | 2024 | 14 min | New Zealand

A visceral glimpse into the life and work of acclaimed New Zealand sculptor, Jaime Jenkins, whose unconventional upbringing combines with the elements to inform her ceramic explorations.

*Screening with Spontaneous Combustion 70 min | page 55

Diary Of A Head Injury

Jonny Kofoed | 2024 | 7 min | New Zealand

A bleed on the brain and concussion inspire a crash victim to confront the heartbreak, trauma and confusion of losing connection with the only person he ever really knew.

*Screening with SHORTS 4: Two Hearted Tale | 40 min Life Upside Down | 25 min

CHC

AKL WLG

Wed 26 June | 3:30 PM | Alice Cinema

Fri 28 June | 1:30 PM | Lumiere Cinemas

Sat 06 July | 11:00 AM | The Capitol

Sat 06 July | 11:00 PM | The Roxy

CHC

AKL WLG

Wed 26 June | 6:15 PM | Alice Cinema

Fri 28 June | 3:30 PM | Lumiere Cinemas

Sun 07 July | 2:30 PM | The Capitol Sat 06 July | 12:30 PM | The Roxy

CHC

AKL WLG

Tue 25 June | 6:30 PM | Alice Cinema

Sun 30 June | 5:15 PM | Lumiere Cinemas

Wed 03 July | 7:45 PM | The Capitol Thu 04 July | 8:15 PM | The Roxy

Finding Venus

Mandi Lynn | 2024 | 16 min | New Zealand

Australasia Premiere

“Auntie Mandi... Am I fat?” These five words changed the trajectory of Master Photographer Mandi Lynn’s life. Afraid that the next generation was going to face the same body shame that had impacted her life, Mandi answered her niece as an artist and created a “Golden Breasted Shield Wall”.

*Screening with SHORTS 5: Refuge: A Duty To Care | 40 min Yatra | 27 min

Looking Up

Stephanie Guest, Charlotte Gillespie, Lily Winter | 2024 | 12 min | New Zealand

World Premiere

Three individuals with a shared love for birdwatching. Over time they each share their battle with mental health: navigating the turbulent waters of burnout, depression, anxiety, and trauma. This film doesn’t sugar-coat life’s challenges, but it does remind us that sometimes, the simple act of connecting with nature, of watching birds, can be a powerful remedy.

*Screening with Every Little Thing 93 min | page 21

Refuge: A Duty To Care

Annie Goldson | 2024 | 40 min | New Zealand

World Premiere

From Doc Edge Superhero (2023), Director Goldson’s film centres on life and work at a secret haven that shelters pets from violent homes, allowing victims of family violence to seek safety while knowing their animals are being cared for.

CHC

AKL WLG

Wed 26 June | 6:15 PM | Alice Cinema

Fri 28 June | 3:30 PM | Lumiere Cinemas

Sun 07 July | 2:30 PM | The Capitol Sat 06 July | 12:30 PM | The Roxy

*Screening with SHORTS 5: Finding Venus | 16min Yatra | 27 min

Tue 25 June | 4:30 PM | Alice Cinema

Thu 27 June | 11:00 AM | Lumiere Cinemas

Sun 07 July | 10:30 AM | The Capitol

Sun 07 July | 10:30 AM | The Roxy

CHC AKL WLG

Sat 29 June | 5:45 PM | Alice Cinema

Sun 30 June | 7:45 PM | Lumiere Cinemas

Fri 12 July | 6:00 PM | The Capitol

Fri 12 July | 6:00 PM | The Roxy

The Life Before

Diane Young | 2024 | 7 min | New Zealand

World Premiere

Following the death of her mother, Gertie, filmmaker Young found a suitcase that had been packed away for over 60 years containing the remnants of another life - her mother’s life before she emigrated to New Zealand from Hong Kong in 1957.

*Screening with Vika! 74 min | page 50

They Call Me Wazza

Jonathan Smit | 2024 | 9 min | New Zealand

World Premiere

The film intimately captures the remarkable journey of Warren Hawke, the lovable 70-year-old surf photographer from New Zealand as he battles with health, cameras and an obsession with surf.

*Screening with Habana Shakes 70 min | page 46

INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILMS

CHC

AKL WLG

Wed 26 June | 1:30 PM | Alice Cinema

Fri 28 June | 11:00 AM | Lumiere Cinemas

Thu 11 July | 4:00 PM | The Capitol

Fri 05 July | 5:00 PM | The Roxy

CHC

AKL WLG

Wed 26 June | 1:30 PM | Alice Cinema

Fri 28 June | 11:00 AM | Lumiere Cinemas

Thu 11 July | 4:00 PM | The Capitol

Fri 05 July | 5:00 PM | The Roxy

Girl Of Wind

Nanhsi Yuen | 2023 | 38 min | China

International Premiere

Yang Yang, a lonely deaf girl, often climbs with her bare hands on top of 500 tall buildings in the city. By chance, Nanhsi, met her and the two started to share a special life journey together.

*Screening with SHORTS 3: Girls Move Mountains | 20 min

Instruments Of A Beating Heart | 24 min

Losing Blue | 17 min

Girls Move Mountains

Anna Huix | 2024 | 20 min | Spain

Asia Pacific Premiere

A group of young girls who use soccer to fight for gender equality and gain independence in one of the most remote places on earth, the Karakoram Mountain Range, Pakistan.

*Screening with SHORTS 3: Girl Of Wind | 38 min

Instruments Of A Beating Heart | 24 min

Losing Blue | 17 min

Instruments Of A Beating Heart

Ema Ryan Yamazaki | 2024 | 24 min | Japan

International Premiere

First graders in a Tokyo public elementary school are presented with a challenge for the final semester: performing “Ode to Joy” at the ceremony for the new incoming students. Ayame, who often struggles to keep up with the group, is determined to play a major part - the big drum.

CHC

AKL WLG

Wed 26 June | 1:30 PM | Alice Cinema

Fri 28 June | 11:00 AM | Lumiere Cinemas

Thu 11 July | 4:00 PM | The Capitol

Fri 05 July | 5:00 PM | The Roxy

*Screening with SHORTS 3: Girl Of Wind | 38 min

Girls Move Mountains | 20 min

Losing Blue | 17 min

CHC

AKL WLG

Wed 26 June | 1:30 PM | Alice Cinema

Fri 28 June | 11:00 AM | Lumiere Cinemas

Thu 11 July | 4:00 PM | The Capitol

Fri 05 July | 5:00 PM | The Roxy

Losing Blue

Leanne Allison | 2023 | 17 min | Canada

Asia Pacific Premiere

What does it mean to lose a colour? The film is a cinematic poem about losing the otherworldly blues of ancient mountain lakes, now fading due to climate change.

*Screening with SHORTS 3: Girl Of Wind | 38 min Girls Move Mountains | 20 min

Instruments Of A Beating Heart | 24 min

Losing Blue | 17 min

Life Upside Down

Barbara de Baare | 2024 | 25 min | Netherlands

World Premiere

Mery fled from Armenia to the Netherlands and left everything behind. Her fourteen-year-old son David is a talented breakdancer. Can David make up for his mother’s lost dreams, or will he choose his own path?

*Screening with SHORTS 4: Two Hearted Tale | 40 min

Diary Of A Head Injury | 7 min

CHC

AKL WLG

Wed 26 June | 3:30 PM | Alice Cinema

Fri 28 June | 1:30 PM | Lumiere Cinemas

Sat 06 July | 11:00 AM | The Capitol

Sat 06 July | 11:00 PM | The Roxy

CHC

AKL WLG

Sat 22 June | 5:45 PM | Alice Cinema

Thu 27 June | 6:00 PM | Lumiere Cinemas

Thu 04 July | 4:00 PM | The Capitol

Thu 04 July | 4:00 PM | The Roxy

Man Of Arran

Paul McCambridge | 2023 | 19 min | Ireland

Asia Pacific Premiere

A cinematic exploration of Ireland’s beautiful coastline juxtaposed with the inner strength of an 83-year-old man who refuses to let age define him.

Uplifting, inspiring and beautiful, it’s the true tale of the man from Árainn Mhórine.

*Screening with SHORTS 1: The Only Girl In The Orchestra | 34 min

The Presidents' Tailor | 39 min

CHC AKL WLG

Fri 28 June | 1:00 PM |Lumiere Cinemas

Sun 30 June | 11:00 AM | Alice Cinema

Sun 14 July | 12:00 PM | The Capitol

Sun 14 July | 12:00 PM | The Roxy

CHC

AKL WLG

Mon 24 June | 4:30 PM | Alice Cinema

Thu 27 June | 8:00 PM | Lumiere Cinemas

Fri 05 July | 5:00 PM | The Capitol

Fri 05 July | 1:00 PM | The Roxy

Rising Nations

Michael Kirby Smith | 2023 | 7 min | USA

Asia Pacific Premiere

Tuvalu, a tiny island nation, in the Pacific halfway between Hawai’i and Australia, stands at the epicenter of the climate crisis. Unless the international community acts urgently, Tuvalu and other Pacific Atoll island nations face complete inundation of their lands via rising sea-level.

*Screening with Standing Above The Clouds 83 min | page 23

The Ground Under Our Feet

Jim Williams | 2023 | 40 min | UK, Switzerland

Australasia Premiere

In a country facing the devastating effects of climate change, the Solomon Islands Futsal Team battle against the odds to reach the FIFA Futsal World Cup, with the goal of securing a future for their sport and their nation.

*Screening with SHORTS 2: Uncle Bully's Surf Skool | 39 min Wouldn't Make It Any Other Way | 20 min

The Only Girl In The Orchestra

Molly O’Brien | 2023 | 34 min | USA

International Premiere

Orin O’Brien never wanted the spotlight, but when Leonard Bernstein made her the first female musician hired to the NYPhilharmonic, it was inevitable. Exploring Orin’s remarkable career we discover the key to life: “you don’t mind playing second fiddle.”

CHC

AKL WLG

Sat 22 June | 5:45 PM | Alice Cinema

Thu 27 June | 6:00 PM | Lumiere Cinemas

Thu 04 July | 4:00 PM | The Capitol

Thu 04 July | 4:00 PM | The Roxy

*Screening with SHORTS 1: Man Of Arran | 19 min The Presidents' Tailor | 39 min

CHC

AKL WLG

Thu 20 June | 4:00 PM | Alice Cinema

Thu 27 June | 4:00 PM | Lumiere Cinemas

Sat 13 July | 4:15 PM | The Capitol

Sat 13 July | 4:15 PM | The Roxy

CHC

AKL WLG

Sat 22 June | 5:45 PM | Alice Cinema

Thu 27 June | 6:00 PM | Lumiere Cinemas

Thu 04 July | 4:00 PM | The Capitol

Thu 04 July | 4:00 PM | The Roxy

The Poem We Sang

Annie Sakkab | 2024 | 20 min | Canada, Jordan Palestine

Asia Pacific Premiere

An experimental film that meditates on love and longing - the love of one’s family and the longing for one’s home, contemplated through overcoming the trauma of loss of family home and of forced migration, transforming lifelong regrets into a healing journey of creative catharsis and bearing witness.

*Screening with Bye Bye Tiberias 82 min | page 32

The Presidents’ Tailor: From Auschwitz To The White House

Rick Minnich | 2024 | 39 min | Germany

World Premiere

Martin Greenfield learned to sew while mending shirts for the Gestapo in Auschwitz, and went on to make suits for US presidents and stars. Now, at 95, America’s greatest tailor is grappling with his legacy.

*Screening with SHORTS 1: The Only Girl In The Orchestra | 34 min Man Of Arran | 19 min

Then Comes The Body

Jacob Krupnick | 2023 | 14 min | USA

New Zealand Premiere

When a video of kids dancing in the rain goes viral, it brings global attention to an unlikely ballet school outside Lagos, Nigeria. Now, Daniel Ajala, who learned ballet over YouTube, is training students to perform on the world stage.

*Screening with Searching For Amani 80 min | page 23

AKL WLG

Sun 23 June | 8:00 PM | Alice Cinema

Sat 29 June | 8:15 PM | Lumiere Cinemas

Sat 06 July | 6:15 PM | The Roxy

Sun 07 July | 6:15 PM | The Capitol

CHC

AKL WLG

Mon 24 June | 4:30 PM | Alice Cinema

Thu 27 June | 8:00 PM | Lumiere Cinemas

Fri 05 July | 5:00 PM | The Capitol

Fri 05 July | 1:00 PM | The Roxy

CHC

AKL WLG

Mon 24 June | 4:30 PM | Alice Cinema

Thu 27 June | 8:00 PM | Lumiere Cinemas

Fri 05 July | 5:00 PM | The Capitol Fri 05 July | 1:00 PM | The Roxy

Uncle Bully’s Surf Skool

Leah Warshawski | 2023 | 39 min | USA

International Premiere

Surf lessons become life lessons for homeless youth on Maui, and a true example of resilience after the devastating Lahaina wildfires.

*Screening with SHORTS 2: The Ground Under Our Feet | 20 min Wouldn't Make It Any Other Way | 20 min

CHC

AKL WLG

Wed 26 June | 6:15 PM | Alice Cinema

Fri 28 June | 3:30 PM | Lumiere Cinemas

Sun 07 July | 2:30 PM | The Capitol

Sat 06 July | 12:30 PM | The Roxy

Wouldn’t Make It Any Other Way

Hao Zhou | 2024 | 20 min | USA

Asia Pacific Premiere

Having built a colorful queer life in Iowa, an aspiring costume designer visits their island homeland of Guam to make costumes for a children’s theatre while reconnecting with distanced parents.

*Screening with SHORTS 2: The Ground Under Our Feet | 20 min Uncle Bully's Surf Skool | 39 min

Yatra

Hemal Trivedi, Matt Alesevich | 2024 | 27 min | USA

World Premiere

Haunted by her mother’s death, a young IndianAmerican med student journeys back to India to find closure. While there, an unexpected encounter with a young indigenous girl makes her confront her past and question her future.

*Screening with SHORTS 5: Finding Venus | 16 min Refuge: A Duty To Care | 40 min

Behind every grant is a story. What’s yours?

Doc Edge Immersive Exhibition is a showcase of Digital Storytelling and interactive experiences featuring top international and local VR, AR installations and digital stories.

Digital Storytelling

Creating a unique and dynamic storytelling experience using digital media to enhance the storytelling experience. These innovative and engaging stories convey powerful messages which captivate the audience and push the boundaries of traditional storytelling.

Immersive Non-Fiction

Transporting audiences to new and exciting worlds through virtual reality, augmented reality, 360-degree videos, interactive installations, and other immersive mediums. This provides a more visceral and emotionally impactful experience, allowing the audience to connect with the subject matter in a more profound way.

Urban Activation

Provides an opportunity for the public to engage with their city and the storytelling process through immersive urban art installations. These interactive outdoor spaces allow the public to partake in AR projects and attend performances.

Family Friendly Collection

Atuatanga

Wiremu Grace | 2024 | VR Game | New Zealand

New Zealand Premiere

Atuatanga is an immersive experience like no other. Virtual reality guides you deep into a Māori world view, showing future destruction if we don’t take action now. Using cutting edge technology from Meta Quest and the Unreal Engine, Atuatanga lets you see, hear and feel the journey of the Atua.

Kabaret

Gina Thorstensen | 2023 | VR Game | Norway

New Zealand Premiere

Immerse yourself in Kabraet, where users are transported into an interactive VR-experience that not only delves into the intricate world of coral’s synchronised reproduction but also resonates with the poignant worries of a solitary shrimp contemplating the uncertain future of its habitat.

22 - 30 June Tūranga, CHCH 10 - 14 July Central Library, AKL 03 - 14 July Te Auaha Gallery, WLG

Idyll

Demi Schanzel | 2023 | MMO Game | New Zealand

World Premiere

Best enjoyed after a long day away, Idyll is a small social world designed around kinder forms of online conversation and connection. Wander around a gentle pastoral island, strike up small conversations with other passing players, and even toss out small letters into the wide open blue oceans of the internet.

Maui Studios AR Graphic Novels

Vincent Egan, Madison Henry-Ryan | 2020 – 2024 | AR Interactive | New Zealand

New Zealand Premiere

The stories and resources shared in the augmented reality graphic novels made by Māui Studios give viewers a glimpse into the beauty and richness of te ao Māori. This is done through the keystones of whakapapa and te reo and offer unique perspectives into Māori culture by retelling iwi and kaumātua stories in modern ways.

Natalies

Trifecta

Natalie Paneng | 2023 | VR Interactive | South Africa

Asia Pacific Premiere

This interactive experience piece transports the viewer through the different worlds of multidisciplinary artist Natalie Paneng, as they explore her physical studio, a virtual gallery and a digital dreamscape: to experience the whole trifecta.

Pacific Dance NZ MOANA

Ed Davis, Iosefa Enari | 2024 | VR Film | New Zealand

World Premiere

Pacific Dance NZ presents two worldviews of Pacific culture in Aotearoa through dance and camera. Captured by cinematographer Ed Davis and director Iosefa Enari.

1) Tala Tu’upua explores the relevance of Tongan mythology in Aotearoa. Choreographed by Losaline Tupou.

2) Unheard Of is a solo work by NZ born Samoan contemporary dancer Laifa James Ta’ala and shot in a single take.

Night Creatures

Isobel Knowles, Van Sowerwine | 2023 | AR Interactive | Australia

International Premiere

Night Creatures is an augmented reality experience celebrating the energy, connection, and intimacy of the film festival queue via animated cinema-goers who take the form of fruit bats. Eight well-dressed stop-motion puppets talk to you about their cinema favourites.

Reimagined Volume II: Mahal

Michael Ternasky-Holland | 2023 | VR Film | USA

Australasia Premiere

Inspired by Philippine mythology, the story focuses on Apolaki, Mayari, Tala, and Hanan, the four immortal children of the recently passed creator god, Bathala. As each of these deities wrestle with the grief of losing Bathala, their all-powerful actions create ripples in the universe.

Waka Hourua

Priyan Jayamaha | 2024 | AR Game | New Zealand

World Premiere

Waka Hourua is an educational board game for children to play and discover about the early Polynesian migration and navigation. Waka Hourua goes beyond traditional board games, integrating Augmented Reality to create an immersive and interactive play experience.

Films With VR

Draw For Change: Behind The Lines

Alisar Hasan, Alaa Amer | 2023 | 63 | Belgium

New Zealand Premiere

Amany Al-Ali stands out as one of Syria’s few female cartoonists, residing in her father’s home in Idlib, the last city unconquered by Assad’s forces. Like her remaining neighbours she’s submitted to relentless Russian airstrikes and caught between advancing troops and extremist groups. Despite acclaim for her art, she faces threats, condemnation, and degradation, causing her to contemplate leaving.

Draw For Change: We Are Fire

Karen Vazquez Guadarrama | 2023 | 52 | Belgium

New Zealand Premiere

Statistics on gender-based violence in Mexico are diconcerting: every day around 10 women are murdered in the country and over the last six years, the number of disappeared women and girls has tripled. According to official data, in 2022 a total of 3,754 women and girls were assassinated - and only 947 of them were investigated as femicides.

20 - 25 June Alice Cinema

Draw For Change: Tree Of Violence

Anna Moiseenko | 2023 | 71 | Belgium

New Zealand Premiere

Over the past decade, the artist Victoria Lomasko has dedicated herself to meticulously chronicling Putin’s Russia, immersing herself in the heart of rallies and pivotal political moments. Fuelled by a palpable sense of impending catastrophe, just a year before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, she embarks on a profound exploration of the intricate connections between domestic and state-sponsored violence.

Line Rider

Simon Intihar | 2023 | 25 | Slovenia

Asia Pacific Premiere

Like any mad genius, Boštjan Čadež lives life on his own creative terms. Art. Music. Robotics. There’s nothing his mind can’t conquer – except perhaps the legacy of his globally famous, generation-defining video game “Line Rider”…and his tendency to selfdestruct. The VR game is a remake of the classic game, with a rollercoaster-like track builder.

Mature Audience Collection

Dance Permit Denied

Claudix Vanesix | 2023 | VR Film | Peru

Asia Pacific Premiere

Claudix Vanesix was born as a woman, but now goes through life as a non-binary trans person. It is impossible for them to participate in the traditional Peruvian dance Los Negritos de Sipsa, which is passed down in their family from father to son, which cuts them off from part of their own culture. Experience a cross over of theatrical performance and dance.

Human Violins

Iona Mischie | 2023 | VR Interactive | Romania

Asia Pacific Premiere

Immerse yourself in the poignant narrative of Alma, a 15-year-old violin enthusiast navigating the horrors of the Holocaust. Through interactive gameplay and music creation, players embark on a journey of liberation, transforming claustrophobic wires into instruments while exploring the legacy of survival through the real stories of rescued violins.

20 - 25 June Exhibition Hub

Darkening

Ondrej Moravec | 2023 | VR Interactive | Czech Republic

Asia Pacific Premiere

How is the world perceived by someone with depression? The short animated documentary uses virtual reality to address depression and the ways to cope with it using your voice and touch to find your way through the darkening.

International Projects

21-22 China

Thierry Loa | 2023 | VR Film | Canada

New Zealand Premiere

An immersive meditative journey across the largest superpower of the East, for a rare inside look revealing the Anthropocenic reality in these parts of the World where mass urbanisation, major industrial development and expansive topographical changes are taking place.

Draw For Change: We Exist, We Resist

Mariana Cadenas Sangronis | 2023 | VR Interactive | Belgium

New Zealand Premiere

Enter the vibrant world of Maremoto, a young Mexican cartoonist who, through her drawings, empowers women and addresses the taboos of her society.

Visit Maremoto’s studio, join her on an afternoon of making street art and experience what it feels like to move as a woman through a metropolis in Mexico, a country where 10 women are murdered every day and tens of thousands go missing.

20 - 25 June Exhibition Hub, CHCH

Awavena

Lynette Wallworth | 2023 | VR Film | Australia

New Zealand Premiere

A collaboration between a community and an artist, melding technology and transcendent experience so that a vision can be shared, and a story told of a people ascending from the edge of extinction.

Emperor

Marion Burger, Ilan J. Cohen | 2023 | VR Interactive | France

Asia Pacific Premiere

An interactive and narrative experience in virtual reality, which invites the user to travel inside the brain of a father, suffering from aphasia. It is the story of a man who’s lost his ability to speak, and of the daughter trying to communicate with him.

New Zealand Projects

Beyond The Thread

Henry MacKenzie | 2024 | VR Interactive | New Zealand

Beyond The Thread is an interactive immersive experience. The protagonist embarks on a thrilling journey in VR, transcending time to unravel the secrets of humanity through encounters with characters powered by AI.

Lane 25

Shivani Karan | 2024 | Mixed Interactive | New Zealand

Lane 25 is based on a real location in the Fiji Islands - A location that holds secrets from a haunting past. This VR experience combined with AR installation offers an artistic interpretation of oral tales and folklore that have been passed down through generations.

26 - 30 June Exhibition Hub, CHCH

Deja VR

Ed Davis | 2024 | VR Interactive | New Zealand

A series of cinematic roomscale VR scenes play out and begin to loop until the viewer finds the sweetspot that will advance the narrative.

LBC Holopresence

Ed Davis | 2024 | Mixed Immersive | New Zealand

Live 3-piece guitars-ambi-sonics fed into roomscale brutalist VR architecture as live holograms. The Experience combines live performance with a VR environment and experience.

Metramorphosis

Laura Emel Yilmaz | 2024 | Mixed Interactive | New Zealand

World Premiere

A touch-based interactive video/art/game, a meditation on motherhood as an encounter between Self and Other through the image of the mother-asmirror. This phase of the project is a vertical slice, one of three total vignettes.

Transcendence

Ellie Adams | 2024 | VR Interactive | New Zealand

World Premiere

‘Transcendence’ introduces us to Maggie, in her mid60s, navigating the challenging terrain of dementia in a retirement village. Isolated in her new, unfamiliar environment, she spends her days in front of an old TV set, occasionally visited by her granddaughter, Maia.

Vector

Joanna Cook, Becca Weber, Fiona Saunders | 2024 | Mixed Interactive | New Zealand

World Premiere

The work uses avatars and custom-built audio-visual effects to highlight embodied attention. Combining motion capture camera, projector and VR Film it allows audiences both to step inside the dance and to view the movement from a distance, providing an ‘inside out’ look at how dance is made, while challenging traditional theatre space, perspectives, and viewing habits of dance audiences.

International Headliner Ticketed

Murals

Alex Topaller, Daniel Shapiro | 2023 | Mixed Interactive | Ukraine

The Eye And I

26 - 30 June

Victoria Room, Town Hall, Otautahi

Asia Pacific Premiere

‘Murals’ is an immersive visual experience that uses cutting-edge 3D scanning to place viewers face to face with the war devastation in Ukraine. The not-for-profit art project follows captures of Banksy’s artwork left on the rubble of people’s homes, schools and infrastructure.

Jean-Michel Jarre, Hsin-Chien Huang | 2023 | Mixed Interactive | France, Taiwan

Australasia Premiere

Through 12 cells set in a panopticon, visitors explore the influence of surveillance in art, family, politics, social organization and technology. Jean-Michel Jarre’s exclusive music composition enhances the immersive experience, creating a singular collaborative work for the mind and senses.

Unique To Christchurch

64 Ways Of Being

Troy Innocent, Kris Herbert, Gap Filler | 2024 | AR | New Zealand

20 - 30 June Otautahi

Start Exploring from Exhibition Hub Te Pae Projector, Salt District Projector

Knowledge Flows

Johnson Witehira | 2022 | Mixed Immersive | New Zealand

World Premiere New Zealand Premiere

64 Ways of Being is an urban art experience that brings Ōtautahi Christchurch’s lanes, streets, parks and river to life via audio stories and augmented reality – to create a conversation with the city about its past, present and future.

Players are guided along the banks of the Ōtakaro Avon and through the labyrinth of the city. Along the way, players are prompted to reimagine the world through urban play.

He pīriti mai i te Ao Matihiko ki Te Ao Māori. In the project The Spaces Between us, 2022, Toronto, a global indigenous-led project explores how digital and new media art, created through innovative workshops and symposia, might create new paradigms for indigenous community engagement. Experience new adaptions of some of these digital artworks through pop up projector activations.

CELEBRATING 101 YEARS AS ONE OF AUCKLAND MOST LOVED CINEMAS!

OPEN EVERY DAY! (BAR CHRISTMAS DAY)

NEW RELEASE FILMS

PRIVATE SCREENINGS

FUNDRAISERS

LIVE PERFORMANCE A FULLY LICENSED BAR CONTACT US TODAY!

18 May – 17 November | Free entry

Twentieth-century Aotearoa New Zealand artists exploring urban, suburban and industrial landscapes. Rita Angus View from Tinakori Road (detail) 1966–7. Oil on hardboard. Hocken Collections Uare Taoka o Hākena, University of Otago

Team 2024

Executive Director: Dan Shanan

Director: Alex Lee

General Manager & Festival Producer: Rachael Penman

Operations & Projects Executive: Christian Jensen

Web and Digital Marketing Manager: John Lau

Design & Digital Media Coordinator: Jarrod Dobell

Executive Assistant & Schools Coordinator: Amber Rouse

Industry Manager: Kim Georgine

Special Projects: Shoaib Iqbal

Outreach Coordinator: Sarah McMullan

Customer Service & Ticketing Coordinator: Jing Jing Ke

Wellington Customer Service & Ticketing: Emma Fryer

Trailer Editor Intern: Alexander Dickson

Auckland Coordinator: Esme Lansdowne

Wellington Coordinator: Colleen Restieaux

Steering Committee: Jeni Leigh Walker, Erica Austin, Slavko Martinov, Seku Skandan

University of Auckland Interns: Kaitlyn Ziegler, Emily Moran, Asini Nissangaratchie, Ayla Driver

Editor and Content Creator Intern: Elvis Njomo

Event Exhibition Intern: Mia Tetrault, Kaiya Healy

Digital Marketing Intern: Julian Jansen

International Programme Advisor: Shane Smith, Corey Tong

Media & PR (Elephant Publicity): Michelle Lafferty, Ali Nicoll van Leeuwen

Screening Support

Elvis Njomo, Margaret Henley, Alistair Harding, Lynnaire MacDonald, Sacha Handsaker, Kaitlyn Ziegler, Emily Moran, Emily Moran, Simon Mark-Brown, Mia Tetrault, Asini Nissangaratchie, Shoaib Iqbal, Trecia Smith, Benedict Reid, Marilyn McFadyen, Ayla Driver, Blandine Massiet du biest, Jo Barry

A big thank you to all the other supporters throughout the year.

The Documentary New Zealand Trust

Doc Edge Charity #54892

Private Bag 92066 | Victoria Street West | Auckland 1142

09 360 0329

0800 Doc Edge (0800 362 3343)

Chair: Glenn Johnstone

Trustees: Cameron McGregor, Nathan Hoturoa Gray, Alex Lee, Dan Shanan

Secretary: Amanda Steyger

Patron: Helen Clark

Ambassadors: Judy Bailey, Neil Waka

Legal Advisor: David Bigio Q.C.

Index of Films

We grow great stories.

We welcome all filmmakers, story-tellers, content generators and documentary lovers to our picture perfect city.

Ōtautahi Christchurch and Screen CanterburyNZ are proud to host and support Doc Edge Festival.