International Film Festival
Tauranga Rialto
New Zealand International Film Festival 2016
The Tauranga International Film Festival is now open and tickets are selling fast. As usual we have an amazing selection of films from around the world and New Zealand. No less than 41 films are showing over three and a half weeks! This is one of the biggest festivals we've ever put on.
Note that all films have allocated seating and are marked No Comps. That means only your gold Rialto Tauranga Gift Vouchers or Special Festival Branded complimentary passes can be used for these screenings.
We look forward to seeing at Rialto.
(R16) – Drama, World Cinema – 2hr 22mins – Brazil - Portuguese with English subtitles - No Comps
Kleber Mendonça Filho's second feature stars Sonia Braga as a well-off woman in her 60s, fighting to hold on to an apartment that has been in her family for decades.
Thursday 18 Aug 6:20pm
Sunday 21 Aug 2:30pm
Friday 26 Aug 11:00am
(M) – Drama, World Cinema, Festival & Independent – 1hr 56mins – France, Poland - French, Polish and Russian with English subtitles - No Comps
During the aftermath of WWII, Mathilde (Lou de Laâge), a young doctor, is urged to visit a local Polish convent. There she finds a nun in labour, and hears other grim tales from other sisters, many of whom still cannot face their own pregnancy, with the army responsible now having disappeared.
See More Info - Watch Trailer Here
Friday 19 Aug 11:00am
Sunday 21 Aug 5:30pm
Tuesday 30 Aug 6:15pm
(M) – Drama, Science Fiction– 1hr 52mins – USA - No Comps
Michael Shannon (99 Homes) is a father on the run with his super-powered child in this sci-fi drama from the director of Mud. With religious extremists and local law enforcement hot on their tails, he has only a small window to discover the origins and meaning of his young son’s abilities. Co-stars Kirsten Dunst (Melancholia), Adam Driver (The Force Awakens) and Joel Edgerton (Black Mass).
See More Info - Watch Trailer Here
Friday 19 Aug 4:15pm
Thursday 25 Aug 8:35pm
Monday 29 Aug 8:35pm
(M) – Drama, Festival & Independent – 1hr 40mins – UK - No Comps
Winner of the Palme d'Or winner at Cannes Film Festival 2016, this is Ken Loach's drama about a 59-year-old carpenter in North-East England who falls ill and requires state assistance for disability. While he endeavours to overcome the red tape involved in getting this assistance, he meets single mother Katie.
See More Info - Watch Trailer Here
Friday 19 Aug 6:30pm
Tuesday 23 Aug 6:15pm
Thursday 25 Aug 11:00am
(R18) – Horror, Thriller – 1hr 35mins – USA - No Comps
The director of cult hit Blue Ruin casts Patrick Stewart as a ruthless neo-Nazi in this confined-space thriller, targeting an innocent indie punk band who saw something they can't unsee.
See More Info - Watch Trailer Here
Friday 19 Aug 8:30pm
Sunday 21 Aug 8:00pm
(M) – Festival & Independent – 1hr 15mins – NZ - No Comps
Kiwi filmmaking legend Lee Tamahori selects six of New Zealand's finest short films in this NZIFF showcase. The films are...
Spring Jam
Director/Screenplay: Ned Wenlock
A young buck suffers a major case of antler-envy in this charming and witty animated short.
"Great commentary on New Zealand. Funny, irreverent, with excellent use of music and imagery." - LT
Cradle
Director: Damon Duncan
In this accomplished outer-space drama, a stranded astronaut must wrestle control of her spaceship from its errant computer.
"A good story, well told. Great set design, sharp editing and generally excellent tech credits. A gripping sci-fi film." - LT
Wait
Director/Screenplay: Yamin Tun
A young girl helps her immigrant mother overcome both cultural and emotional barriers.
"Tense and absorbing narrative with an intentionally enigmatic finale. Good tech credits and finely tuned performances." - LT
Shmeat
Director/Screenplay: Matasila Freshwater
In an animated dystopia, where food and resources are scarce, a mad scientist ventures into the night to procure an icky new food source…
"Excellent production values encompassing a timely global story. Very Tim Burton-esque, but thoroughly entertaining and humorous." - LT
Judgment Tavern
Director/Screenplay: Dean Hewison
A young girl and her disembodied father search for his missing body in this fantasy short filled with swords and sorcery.
"Succinct narrative, excellent production and technical skills. A concise piece of storytelling in such a short format. Good performances help to sustain tension." - LT
The King
Director/Screenplay/Producer: Ursula Grace Williams
Meet Andy Stankovich, scrap-metal merchant by day and sweet-voiced performer by night.
"Likeable documentary with a warm heart. A classic New Zealand character, with a touching bunch of associates." - LT
Saturday 20 Aug 1:30pm
(M) – Drama – 2hr 15mins – UK, Luxembourg - No Comps
Lush, Scottish drama from Terence Davies (The Deep Blue Sea), based on Lewis Grassic Gibbon’s 1932 novel about a farming family struggling to eke out a living against the devastation of World War I.
See More Info - Watch Trailer Here
Saturday 20 Aug 3:15pm
Wednesday 24 Aug 5:30pm
Wednesday 31 Aug 11:00am
(PG) – Comedy, World Cinema – 1hr 28mins – Italy - Italian with English subtitles - No Comps
Italian comedy, the story of an almighty battle of wills that pits a man with a God complex against the hip local priest.
See More Info - Watch Trailer Here
Saturday 20 Aug 6:15pm
Wednesday 24 Aug 11:00am
Friday 26 Aug 6:30pm
(M) – Drama – 1hr 58mins – USA - No Comps
Drama pairing the talents of independent filmmaking giant Jim Jarmusch and actor Adam Driver (TV's Girls, Inside Llewyn Davis). Nominated for the Palme d'Or at Cannes 2016.
See More Info - Watch Trailer Here
Saturday 20 Aug 8:15pm
Tuesday 23 Aug 8:30pm
Wednesday 24 Aug 3:10pm
(G) – Adventure, Documentary, Kids & Family, Sport, World Cinema – 1hr 27mins – UK, Mongolia, USA - Kazakh with English subtitles - No Comps
Documentary following 13-year-old Mongolian girl as she embarks on a journey toward acceptance in the male-dominated arena of falconry.
Sunday 21 Aug 12:30pm
Saturday 27 Aug 2:00pm
(E) – Documentary, Kids & Family, Music – 1hr 27mins – Australia - No Comps
Australian documentary that chronicles the day-to-day running of a non-profit children's choir group in rural New South Wales.
See More Info - Watch Trailer Here
Monday 22 Aug 11:00am
Sunday 28 Aug 2:15pm
(R16) – Comedy, Drama, World Cinema, Festival & Independent – 1hr 49mins – Spain, Argentina - English and Spanish with English subtitles - No Comps
Spanish comedy starring Ricardo Darin (Wild Tales) and Javier Camara (Living Is Easy With Eyes Closed). When theatre actor Julián (Darín) receives an unexpected visit from his childhood friend Tomás (Cámara), the encounter is bittersweet.
See More Info - Watch Trailer Here
Monday 22 Aug 4:15pm
Saturday 27 Aug 8:30pm
Wednesday 31 Aug 8:35pm
(PG) – Drama, Festival & Independent – 1hr 26mins – USA - No Comps
Filmmaker Ira Sachs follows up critical darling Love is Strange with another New York-set tale following the new friendship of two boys who can't avoid their parents' problems.
See More Info - Watch Trailer Here
Monday 22 Aug 6:30pm
Saturday 27 Aug 12:15pm
(E) – Documentary, Sport, Historical – 1hr 30mins – USA, France, New Zealand - No Comps
Amazing Race star Phil Keoghan physically and mentally breaks himself as he replicates the gruelling bike ride taken by Kiwi Harry Watson during the 1928 Tour de France.
See More Info - Watch Trailer Here
Monday 22 Aug 8:40pm
Wednesday 24 Aug 8:30pm
(M) – Drama, Music, True Story & Biography – 1hr 48mins – France, Belgium - French with English subtitles - No Comps
French biopic on American dancer Loïe Fuller, the toast of the Folies Bergères at the turn of the 20th century and a pioneer of modern dance. The story revolves around her complicated relationship with protégé and rival Isadora Duncan.
See More Info - Watch Trailer Here
Tuesday 23 Aug 11:00am
Thursday 25 Aug 6:20pm
Friday 2 Sep 6:15pm
(M) – Drama, World Cinema, Festival & Independent – 1hr 57mins – Japan - Japanese with English subtitles - No Comps
After the death of his father, a private detective with a punishing gambling habit attempts to reconnect with his mother, ex-wife and, most crucially, his young son in this Japanese drama from the director of the sublime Our Little Sister.
See More Info - Watch Trailer Here
Tuesday 23 Aug 3:45pm
Friday 26 Aug 8:30pm
Saturday 27 Aug 4:00pm
Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World
(E) – Documentary – 1hr 38mins – USA - No Comps
Master filmmaker Werner Herzog (Grizzly Man, Cave of Forgotten Dreams) takes on the internet in this documentary exploring its humble origins and its near-future impact on the human race. Says Herzog: "It is one of the biggest revolutions we as humans are experiencing."
See More Info - Watch Trailer Here
Thursday 25 Aug 4:15pm
Sunday 28 Aug 12:15pm
(R16) – Comedy – 1hr 57mins – USA - No Comps
From Richard Linklater (Boyhood) comes this ensemble comedy set in a 1980s college, billed as the "spiritual sequel" to Linklater's classic Dazed and Confused (1993). Follows a group of young baseball players navigating their way through the freedoms and responsibilities of unsupervised adulthood. The title is taken from the 1980 Van Halen single.
See More Info - Watch Trailer Here
Friday 26 Aug 4:00pm
Thursday 1 Sep 8:45pm
Saturday 3 Sep 8:30pm
(M) – Comedy, Drama, World Cinema – 1hr 36mins – Italy - Italian with English subtitles - No Comps
Italian ensemble comedy-drama in which seven long-time friends at dinner decide to share with each other the content of every text message, email and call they receive.
See More Info - Watch Trailer Here
Saturday 27 Aug 6:30pm
Monday 5 Sep 11:00am
Friday 9 Sep 6:35pm
(PG) – Animated – 1hr 20mins – France, Japan - No Comps
Animated fable with no dialogue, co-produced by Studio Ghibli (Spirited Away), about a man stranded on an island with only the company of birds, crabs and turtles.
See More Info - Watch Trailer Here
Sunday 28 Aug 4:15pm
Tuesday 6 Sep 4:30pm
Sunday 11 Sep 1:45pm
(PG) – Comedy, Drama, World Cinema – 1hr 42mins – France - French with English subtitles - No Comps
Comedic French drama set in a countryside community where the people's reliable doctor, Jean-Pierre, falls ill. Natalie, a young hospital doctor, fills his place while also aiding Jean-Pierre, forcing her to prove that she can replace a man deemed irreplaceable.
See More Info - Watch Trailer Here
Sunday 28 Aug 6:00pm
Monday 29 Aug 11:00am
Wednesday 31 Aug 6:25pm
(E) – Documentary, World Cinema – 1hr 39mins – Belgium, France, Switzerland - French and English with English subtitles - No Comps
Swiss documentarian Pierre Morath explores the development of the distance running movement over the past fifty years.
See More Info - Watch Trailer Here
Sunday 28 Aug 8:15pm
Monday 5 Sep 4:30pm
(M) – Adventure, Drama, Thriller, World Cinema – 1hr 41mins – United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan, UK - Arabic with English subtitles - No Comps
Starring mostly non-professional actors, Theeb is UK-born, Jordan-based director Naji Abu Nowar's feature debut; an Arabic western which won him Best Director at the Venice Film Festival and a nomination for Best Foreign Language Feature at the 2016 Academy Awards.
See More Info - Watch Trailer Here
Monday 29 Aug 4:00pm
Tuesday 30 Aug 8:35pm
(M) – Drama, World Cinema, Festival & Independent – 1hr 41mins – France, Germany - No Comps
Mia Hansen-Løve (Eden) won the Berlin Film Festival's Silver Bear for Best Director for this drama starring the stupendous Isabelle Huppert (Amour) as a philosophy teacher attempting to deal with a terrible trifecta of life issues: losing her job, the death of her mother, and dealing with her unfaithful husband.
See More Info - Watch Trailer Here
Monday 29 Aug 6:25pm
Friday 2 Sep 11:00am
(E) – Documentary, Music, World Cinema – 1hr 25mins – Argentina, Germany - Spanish with English subtitles - No Comps
Documentarian German Kral explores the seven-decade career of Argentine tango veterans Juan Carlos Copes and Maria Nieves Rego.
See More Info - Watch Trailer Here
Tuesday 30 Aug 11:00am
Saturday 10 Sep 2:30pm
(M) – Comedy, Drama, Thriller, Festival & Independent – 1hr 35mins – USA - No Comps
Faux-doco conspiracy thriller, partly filmed at NASA after fooling the powers-that-be about the film's intentions. In the midst of the Cold War, two young CIA agents infiltrate NASA to find a mole, but find themselves at ground zero of one of the 20th Century's biggest lies. Forget spies - is there a cover-up about the moon landings? And what won't the White House do to keep it secret?
Tuesday 30 Aug 4:15pm
Wednesday 7 Sep 8:45pm
(E) – Documentary, Music – 1hr 35mins – USA - No Comps
Two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker Barbara Kopple (American Dream) follows R&B singer Sharon Jones as she attempts to ward of pancreatic cancer and reignite her dominant singing career.
See More Info - Watch Trailer Here
Wednesday 31 Aug 4:15pm
Saturday 3 Sep 3:15pm
Monday 5 Sep 6:30pm
(M) – Comedy, Drama, World Cinema – 1hr 56mins – Italy, France - Italian with English subtitles - No Comps
Donatella and Beatrice reside in a psychiatric facility in Tuscany. They have very different life stories, but a chance to escape brings them together in an adventure that will change their lives forever and will help them realize the beauty in imperfection.
Thursday 1 Sep 11:00am
Wednesday 7 Sep 6:25pm
Sunday 11 Sep 3:30pm
(E) – Documentary, World Cinema – 1hr 59mins – France - French and Finnish with English subtitles - No Comps
An upbeat exposé on the many solutions that people around the world are finding for environmental and social challenges. Winner of the César Award for Best Documentary.
See More Info - Watch Trailer Here
Thursday 1 Sep 3:45pm
Saturday 3 Sep 12:45pm
(PG) – Drama, True Story & Biography, Festival & Independent – 2hr 04mins – UK, Belgium - No Comps
Biopic of celebrated 19th century American poet Emily Dickinson by veteran writer-director Terence Davies. Stars Cynthia Nixon and Jennifer Ehle.
See More Info - Watch Trailer Here
Thursday 1 Sep 6:20pm
Sunday 4 Sep 5:30pm
Wednesday 7 Sep 11:00am
(E) – Animated, Documentary – 1hr 31mins – USA, France - No Comps
Coming-of-age documentary biography on Owen Suskind, a young man who was unable to speak as a child until he and his family discovered a unique way to communicate - by immersing themselves in the world of classic Disney animated films. From director Roger Ross Williams, winner of the Oscar for Best Short Documentary in 2010.
See More Info - Watch Trailer Here
Friday 2 Sep 4:15pm
Saturday 10 Sep 4:20pm
(M) – Horror, World Cinema, Festival & Independent – 1hr 25mins – Iran, Jordan, Qatar, UK - Farsi with English subtitles - No Comps
1980s Tehran is the rare setting for this horror film. With her husband drafted into the Iran-Iraq war, Shideh (Narges Rashidi) and her daughter must contend with the stresses of post-revolution, wartime Iran - and a mysterious evil presence haunting them.
See More Info - Watch Trailer Here
Friday 2 Sep 8:30pm
Thursday 8 Sep 4:30pm
(R16) – Comedy, Drama, World Cinema, Festival & Independent – 2hr 42mins – Germany, Austria - German with English subtitles - No Comps
German comedy-drama about a father trying to reconnect with his adult daughter. Nominated for the Palme d'Or at Cannes 2016.
See More Info - Watch Trailer Here
Saturday 3 Sep 5:15pm
Sunday 4 Sep 2:15pm
Tuesday 6 Sep 11:00am
(PG) – Action, Adventure, Animated, Kids & Family, World Cinema – 1hr 22mins – France, Denmark - French and English with English subtitles - No Comps
Animated family adventure set in 1882, following a young girl's quest to find out what happened to her grandfather. The feature debut from Rémi Chayé, who previously worked on The Painting and The Secret of Kells.
See More Info - Watch Trailer Here
Sunday 4 Sep 12:30pm
(M) – Drama, True Story & Biography, World Cinema – 1hr 47mins – Argentina, Chile, Spain, France - Spanish with English subtitles - No Comps
Gael García Bernal reunites with the director of the Oscar nominated No for this 1940s-set true story drama about Pablo Neruda, a Nobel Prize-winning Chilean poet who becomes the target of a witch hunt in his own country for joining the Communist Party.
See More Info - Watch Trailer Here
Sunday 4 Sep 8:20pm
Monday 5 Sep 8:35pm
(E) – Documentary, Festival & Independent – 1hr 52mins – NZ - No Comps
Kiwis are part of a global mass surveillance system, and this documentary by Errol Wright and Abi King-Jones (OPERATION 8) places the incontrovertible fact into context alongside our long history supporting US geopolitical interests. Archival footage sits alongside interviews with experts Nicky Hager and Paul Buchanan, as well as the Waihopai 3, whose raid on the spy base of the same name first brought this issue to national attention.
Tuesday 6 Sep 6:15pm
Wednesday 7 Sep 4:00pm
(M) – Drama, Thriller, Festival & Independent – 1hr 45mins – France - No Comps
Kristen Stewart and her Clouds of Sils Maria director Olivier Assayas team up again for this ethereal and mysterious ghost story. Stewart plays a high-fashion personal shopper to the stars who is also a spiritual medium. Grieving the recent death of her twin brother, she haunts his Paris home, determined to make contact with him. Winner of Best Director at Cannes 2016.
See More Info - Watch Trailer Here
Tuesday 6 Sep 8:30pm
Thursday 8 Sep 6:25pm
Friday 9 Sep 11:00am
(M) – Drama, World Cinema, Festival & Independent – 1hr 36mins – Spain - Spanish with English subtitles - No Comps
From the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind The Skin I Live In, this Spanish drama weaves together three short stories by Alice Munro.
See More Info - Watch Trailer Here
Thursday 8 Sep 11:00am
Friday 9 Sep 8:35pm
Saturday 10 Sep 6:15pm
(R13) – Drama, War, Historical – 1hr 41mins – Denmark, Germany - German, Danish and English with English subtitles - No Comps
German-Danish war drama following prisoners of war forced to dig up two million land-mines with their bare hands.
See More Info - Watch Trailer Here
Thursday 8 Sep 8:35pm
Sunday 11 Sep 6:00pm
(R18) – Thriller, World Cinema, Festival & Independent – 2hr 10mins – France, Germany, Belgium - French with English subtitles - No Comps
Rape revenge thriller starring Isabelle Huppert from director Paul Verhoeven (Starship Troopers, Basic Instinct). Nominated for the Palme d'Or at Cannes 2016.
See More Info - Watch Trailer Here
Friday 9 Sep 4:00pm
Saturday 10 Sep 8:15pm
Sunday 11 Sep 8:05pm
Nga Whanaunga Maori Pasifika Shorts 2016
(PG) – Festival & Independent – 1hr 29mins - No Comps
A collection of M?ori and Pasifika short films curated for the New Zealand International Film Festival by Leo Koziol (Ng?ti Kahungunu, Ng?ti Rakaipaaka), director of the Wairoa M?ori Film Festival, with guest co-curator Craig Fasi (Niue), director of the Pollywood Film Festival.
The Chief’s Speech (to the United Nations)
2015 | 6 minutes | Director/Screenplay Vilsoni Hereniko (Rotuman)
Chief Telematua’s impassioned speech may well change your understanding of climate change. A plea from Moana-Nui-A-Kiwa to the people of the world, a coda for our age. — LK
The Spectacular Imagination of the P?hara Brothers
2015 | 8 minutes | Director/Screenplay Todd Karehana (M?ori)
Two brothers try to help their mother pay her power bill before the power is disconnected in 24 hours. A touching story of two boys with nothing but their imagination to help support their solo mum in an impoverished community. — CF
Smiths Ave
2015 | 10 minutes | Director/Screenplay Robert George (NZ M?ori/Cook Island M?ori)
An unexpected call from his estranged father leads a young man to ponder events from his childhood. The soundscape takes you back in time and thought to marry you to an idea: basketball is clarity. — CF
The Lost Pearl
2015 | 20 minutes | Director Temuera Morrison (M?ori)
Producer Tiairani Drollet-Le Caill (Tahitian Maohi) A life-changing event sends a young man back to Tahiti where he discovers a family he never knew. In his directing debut, Morrison presents a poignant parable of a young man’s yearning to find his roots – and a first love. — LK
Blackbird
2015 | 13 minutes | Director/Screenplay Amie Batalibasi (Solomon Islander)
A story inspired by the little-known history of Australia’s ‘sugar slaves’. Blackbirding was a cruel practice barely a notch below slavery. Amie’s story shines with both pain and beauty. — LK
Stevo
2015 | 15 minutes | Director Heather Hayward
A Wellington security guard brings traditional M?ori ways of trade and barter to his life in the city. Stevo lives in the big smoke and makes a simple living as a security guard by day, and bartering with locals after hours. Insightful and intimate. — CF
?kaip? Whenua
2016 | 17 minutes | Director/Screenplay Kararaina Rangihau (M?ori)
Producer Hineani Melbourne (M?ori) In the misty mountains surrounding Lake Waikaremoana, another generation is poised to inherit the land. Tinged with sadness; Kararaina has crafted in her work a window into the beating heart of a time and place – Tuai, Te Wairoa, today. — LK
Saturday 10 Sep 12:30pm