9 minute read
Incredibly Strange
Films selected to burrow into your mind, haunt your waking moments and ward off any chance of a peaceful night’s sleep. Too strange, deranged or dangerous for us to responsibly suggest, we’ve left this curation to the infamous Ant Timpson, founder of the legendary Incredibly Strange Film Festival.
Cryptozoo
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Filmmaker Dash Shaw and collaborator Jane Samborski seem to be in no great rush to tell a good tale; it took them six years to complete their animated feature debut and Sundance hit, My Entire High School Sinking into the Sea. After another long stint animating, the pair follow up that striking debut with a truly gonzo new concept. A pair of new-agey lovers (voiced by Michael Cera and Louisa Kraus) mistakenly wander into the titular cryptozoo, a sanctuary of sorts where mythological creatures are housed à la Jurassic Park. Lauren Grey (Lake Bell) is a cryptozoologist hired by an heiress to capture cryptids and protect them from a warmonger intent on weaponising them against a burgeoning counterculture movement. Most powerful of all the creatures is the mystical Baku, a dream-eating chimera-elephant hybrid whose supernatural powers may just upset the very fabric of reality in the wrong hands. Funny, surreal, sweet and wildly inventive, Cryptozoo is a spectacular display of old school visual techniques and styles. This anti-patriarchy toon is a smorgasbord of psychedelia that plays like some barmy fusion of Yellow Submarine and the illustrated world of Métal Hurlant magazine. — AT “Adult Swim meets Planet of the Apes in this outrageous though deeply felt animated plea for acceptance and compassion... Employing a rudimentary hand-drawn visual style, director Dash Shaw’s delightfully offbeat creation is based in mythology yet grounded in reality.” — Todd Jorgenson, Cinemalogue
— Bob Strauss, San Francisco Chronicle
Director/Screenplay: Dash Shaw USA 2021 | 91 mins
Voices: Lake Bell, Michael Cera, Emily Davis, Alex Karpovsky Producers: Tyler Davidson, Kyle Martin, Jane Samborski, Bill Way Animation: Jane Samborski, Emily Wolver Editors: Alex Abrahams, Lance Edmands Music: John Carroll Kirby Festivals: Sundance, Berlin 2021 Awards: Innovator Prize (NEXT), Sundance Film Festival 2021
Screenings
LUM Fri 29 Oct, 8.45 pm LUM Fri 5 Nov, 4.30 pm LUM Wed 10 Nov, 8.15 pm
A strong contender for the genre film of 2021, The Innocents comes from the uber-talented Eskil Vogt, known for his scripting duties with Joachim Trier on Louder Than Bombs and this year’s Cannes favourite, The Worst Person in the World, following on from his directorial debut Blind. A deliberately paced, electrifying, atmospheric Norwegian nail-chewer, The Innocents percolates into one heady brew of nightmare fuel. Moody and unpredictable with a robust original conceit and terrific child performances to work from, The Innocents draws us into a troublesome world where lack of parental oversight gives way to fullblown pre-pubescent anger. Set in a housing estate of enormous tower blocks, playgrounds and nearby forests, the film is presented through the lens of the titular innocents, a group of young children who spend most of their summer playing together away from any adult supervision. The casual indifference and lack of morality that many kids display early on soon plays a major role as we discover that there’s something very special about these kids... We meet nine-year-old Ida as she moves into one of these tower blocks with the rest of her family, Mum, Dad and an older autistic sister Anna, whom she treats with nonchalant cruelty. The long, aimless summer holiday sees Ida making friends with the very young Aisha and local boy Ben who, along with a cruel streak, reveals he can telekinetically move objects. It isn’t too long before casual apathy turns nasty as this mini-tribe of youngsters turn on each other. — AT
Mandibles
Mandibules
French absurdist Quentin Dupieux has formed a formidable body of comedic work since his international breakout, the sentient killer-tyre movie Rubber. Mandibles, the followup to his wild, obsessed-jacket movie Deerskin (NZFF 2019) may just be his most accessible and amiable excursion into asininity yet. Manu and Jean-Gab are two nice-but-dim amateur crims on a dodgy errand when they discover that inside the boot of their stolen car is a gigantic housefly. You read the right. A two-foot insectoid behemoth; Sacre-buzzy-bleu! These geniuses decide the best way to capitalise on this remarkable discovery is to train the fly to perform and make them a fortune. Like a Gallic “Stupide et Stupider”, Mandibles rejoices in such pure idiocy that it becomes something delightful as we watch our two anti-hero doofuses stumble through various encounters before running into Cécile, who mistakenly remembers Manu as a long ago onenighter. She invites the two bozos to hang out with her brother Serge and friends Sandrine and Agnès at a stunning mansion. As this absurd buddy-fly bromance movie escalates, Dupieux deceptively injects some tension into the oddball fuzziness by peppering the film with promises of unhinged psychodrama that never play out quite as expected. — AT “Though Dupieux’s films have never shied away from violence and destruction, Mandibles preserves the filmmaker’s penchant for perplexity while asserting that life is a glorious thing – even in its distasteful weirdness.” — Natalia Keogan, Paste “The Innocents… questions the nature of good and evil, pondering whether it is inherited, the work of the devil or something learned. Vogt's ambiguous narrative makes all of these conclusions possible.”
— Kaleem Aftab, Cineuropa
Cast: Rakel Lenora Fløttum, Alva Brynsmo Ramstad, Sam Ashraf, Mina Yasmin Bremseth Asheim, Morten Svartveit Producer: Maria Ekerhovd Cinematography: Sturla Brandth Grøvlen Editor: Jens Christian Fodstad Music: Pessi Levanto Language: In Norwegian with English subtitles Festivals: Cannes (Un Certain Regard), Fantastic Fest 2021
Screenings
LUM Sun 31 Oct, 8.00 pm LUM Fri 5 Nov, 8.30 pm LUM Thu 11 Nov, 3.45 pm
R16 Animal cruelty, violence, cruelty & content that may disturb
Director/Screenplay/ Cinematography/Editor: Quentin Dupieux France 2020 | 77 mins
Cast: Grégoire Ludig, David Marsais, Adèle Exarchopoulos, India Hair Producers: Hugo Selignac, Vincent Mazel Music: Metronomy Language: In French with English subtitles Festivals: Venice, Busan 2020; Rotterdam 2021
Screenings
LUM Sat 30 Oct, 8.45 pm LUM Tue 2 Nov, 4.45 pm LUM Fri 12 Nov, 9.00 pm
NZIFF 2021 in Christchurch and Timaru is scheduled to go ahead as planned in this programme catalogue, however changes to Covid-19 Alert Levels may impact on the ability to present screenings at the scheduled times or venues. Visit nziff.co.nz for the most up to date information. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
Programme changes
Information in this programme catalogue is correct at the time of printing. We reluctantly reserve the right to change the schedule by amending dates or replacing films. Any changes will be updated and communicated on NZIFF’s website nziff.co.nz and in our daily newsletters.
Please arrive early
There are no advertising films or trailers at NZIFF. We reserve the right to ask latecomers to wait until the conclusion of any introductions or short films before they are seated, or to seat latecomers in seats other than those originally purchased, to minimise disturbance to other patrons. Session starting times will not be delayed in deference to late arrivals. If collecting tickets prior to a screening please allow extra time in case there are queues.
Mobile phones
Please ensure mobile phones and other electronic devices are switched off before entering the auditorium.
Censorship classification
TBC – NZ classification pending E – Documentary film exempt from NZ classification labelling requirements G – Suitable for general audiences PG – Parental guidance recommended for younger viewers M – Unrestricted. Recommended as more suitable for mature audiences 16 years and over RP13 – Restricted to persons 13 years and over, unless they are accompanied by a parent or guardian RP16 – Restricted to persons 16 years and over, unless they are accompanied by a parent or guardian R13 – Restricted to persons 13 years and over R16 – Restricted to persons 16 years and over R18 – Restricted to persons 18 years and over Classifications will be published on the NZIFF website and displayed at venue box offices. Children’s tickets are available only for films classified G, PG and M. Please note: At the time of printing some films have not been classified. These are marked TBC and classifications will be updated on the NZIFF website. Until they receive a classification rating, they are considered R18 (unless clearly aimed at children) and can only be purchased by and for people aged 18 and over. Please note: ID may be requested for restricted films. Explore the programme online at nziff.co.nz
Find out more about the feature films and short film programmes we’ve selected for this year’s NZIFF, access exclusive trailers and content, and curate your own shortlist and schedule of screenings to watch this winter. » Films: Explore films by theme, genre, country, language and more. » Register: Sign up to receive monthly news and daily session updates during
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Covid-19 (Coronavirus) advice
At Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival we have the health, safety and welfare of our audiences, filmmakers, staff and volunteers at the forefront of everything we do. On the advice of the New Zealand Ministry of Health, and working with our partner venues and cinemas, we will be implementing health and safety procedures across the festival in line with Government regulations and venue requirements. By entering a cinema or venue for a NZIFF screening, you agree to comply with the Covid-19 related requirements at the time. These requirements may vary from venue to venue and will include sign in (QR code scanning or manual sign in), and other measures such as physical distancing, mask wearing, and, if implemented, proof of Covid-19 vaccination. These requirements will be communicated on the NZIFF website and displayed at the venue. Stay up-to-date: visit nziff.co.nz NZIFF asks that you do not attend a NZIFF film screening if the following applies to you or any members of your group: • You have Covid-19 or are awaiting the results of a Covid-19 test • You have been in close contact with someone who is a known or suspected Covid-19 case and is being asked to self-isolate • You have been asked to self-isolate • You are feeling unwell with symptoms associated with Covid-19 For refunds due to Covid-19 related reasons, please email info@nziff.co.nz In the event that Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF) cancels a screening or screenings due to Covid-19, you will be entitled to a full refund.
