Film lovers rejoice.
There are plenty of movies currently at the multiplex like Barbie, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, Oppenheimer and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
But for cinephiles, the cold middle of July means the start of Whanau Marama New Zealand International Film Festival and the warmth of some of the best cinemas across the motu.
With the 2023 festival back up to full capacity and around 131 features and short films at the Auckland leg as well as international directors on our shores, there's plenty to choose from - but what to see from a packed list?
Newshub's film critics have delved deep and wide through the programme to select the most exciting 15 on offer - these picks come from Kate Rodger (KR), Dan Rutledge (DR) and Darren Bevan (DB).
#Manhole
I'm a sucker for a good single location film and this has my Buried supersenses tingling. Focussing on a drunk man who falls down a hole after a party, this Incredibly Strange entrant promises a twist that changes everything. I'm in. (DB)
Ennio
A trailer that gave me chills teasing a documentary about my favourite film composer who crafted the score of my favourite film? SIGN ME UP. Ennio Morricone's phenomenal musical and cinematic legacy is showcased by filmmaker Giuseppe Tornatore and my tickets are booked already. (KR)
Perfect Days
The way critics are heralding this Wim Wenders-directed Japanese film suggests it shares the qualities I love about films by Koreeda Hirokazu and Yasujirō Ozu, in that it promises to be a profound and deeply poetic observation on the human experience. Sharing the experience of these sorts of movies at a venue like Auckland's Civic Theatre with a large attentive audience can be very special indeed. (DR)
Plan 75
In a near-future Japan, the aging population is causing very serious problems. The solution: a government-endorsed Plan 75, which is basically euthanasia of anyone over 75. The film looks introspective and thoughtful, but could be a cautionary tale for the world and destined to lead global discussions. (DB)
Bad Behaviour
Shot in New Zealand and crammed with Kiwi talent, this is the feature directorial debut of actor Alice Englert who also managed to get Oscar-winner Jennifer Connelly to Aotearoa to play opposite her in this dark comic tale. Daughter of New Zealand filmmaking icon Jane Campion, Englert will no doubt bring her life growing up on film sets into play in this story about a former child star's fraught relationship with her daughter. (KR)
Holy Spider
Ali Abbasi directed an amazing episode of The Last of Us this year as well as this Iran true crime shocker that has wowed festival critics around the world, landing him Best Director at Fantastic Fest while Zar Amir Ebrahimi won Best Actress at Cannes. Based on a real-life serial killer of sex workers, this sounds incredible, but should definitely be avoided by the faint of heart and is strictly R18. (DR)
Robot Dreams
One of the joys of the NZIFF is always its animated offerings - I have very fond memories of Ponyo packing all ages into Auckland's Civic Theatre one Sunday screening. So I've got hopes for the Spanish/ French pic Robot Dreams, a tale about friendship that looks bright and colourful. The Wrap said it's "one of the loveliest movies" you will see this year, which could suggest tears of joy. I'm packing tissues. (DB)
I Like Movies
You had me at "I Like Movies". (KR)
Beyond Utopia
My pick of the documentaries at this year's festival is this astonishing sounding account of North Koreans being smuggled over the border to freedom. The review quote that most sold me was Christian Zilko of IndieWire exclaiming: "Beyond Utopia is filled with the kind of 'holy shit how did they get this?' footage that the documentary medium exists to preserve". (DR)
How to Have Sex
A simple premise: three British teenage girls go on a rites-of-passage holiday of drinking, clubbing and hooking up in what should be the best summer of their lives. But as it tackles the "minefield of sexual education and consent for a post-#MeToo generation", according to Variety, this Cannes-award winner looks likely to provoke as much as it does entertain. That's a perfect combination for any film festival outing, but is extra pertinent in the social media driven, do-you-know-what-your-kids-are-doing age we find ourselves in. (DB)
Anatomy of a Fall
Opening the fest this year and fresh from winning the Palme d'or at Cannes this story appears to be as much a dissection of a marriage as it is a courtroom procedural after the death of a woman's husband. Their blind son is the sole witness, but which truth will he speak. With Toni Erdmann stand-out Sandra Hüller anchoring the narrative I see no way this film is anything but entirely engrossing. (KR)
Only the River Flows
A Chinese film noir set in the '90s that is giving Zodiac and Memories of Murder vibes? Heck yes! This sounds trippy, unique, unnerving yet somehow darkly hilarious and a great example of what the film festival is all about. (DR)
EO
Having already seen an advance copy of this I can recommend it as perhaps the most "film festival experience" of the programme. A Polish Oscar-nominated road movie with a grey-haired sad faced donkey as the protagonist that is haunting, arty and with social commentary hidden below the surface, it will leave you with your heart in your mouth. Unforgettable fare and a film bound to lead many discussions as the atrium fills up after its conclusion. (DB)
Past Lives
Written and directed by Celine Song and with the brilliant Greta Lee leading the charge this much hyped feature debut fills me with the kind of joyous expectation of cinema-well-spent which feeds my soul. A story of reconnection, memories, friendship and love, I feel like Past Lives will be the film to open my stone cold heart and leave me in shreds. (KR)
Monster
I'll go see anything from Koreeda Hirokazu as a filmmaker responsible for some of the most joyful experiences I've had at the festival. He uses film to make really meaningful, powerful statements about family and modern life that really resonate. If you've not yet experienced it yourself, this latest example of his work on the big screen would be a great way to start. (DR)
Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival opens in Auckland on July 19 followed by Wellington on July 27, Dunedin on August 3 and Christchurch on August 10.
The Hamilton leg goes from August 9 to August 29, while the Christchurch, Matakana, Napier and Tauranga legs of the festival run from August 10 to August 27.
The festival plays in Masterton from August 16 to August 30.
It'll take place in Whangarei, Havelock North, New Plymouth and Palmerston North from August 17, before heading to Nelson, Gisborne and Timaru from August 24.
