Much like the winter chills, there's one thing guaranteed about New Zealand's darkest months - the return of the Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival.
The 2024 edition of the event has just launched its programme, crammed full of goodies and a few changes to what you'd typically expect.
Here are some of the upcoming films that you need to see.
The Teachers' Lounge
A thrillingly intimate piece that stems from the simplest of premises, it's easy to see why The Teachers' Lounge was nominated for an Oscar.
Centring on new Polish teacher Ms Novak's daily battles in a school riddled with petty theft, director İlker Çatak's slow-burning take on the minefield of being in the world of education is a searingly good edge-of-your-seat drama for such a seemingly banal subject.
The Speedway Murders
Tapping into the continuing true crime obsession, this look at the unsolved 1978 murders of four teenagers who worked at a fast-food restaurant in Indiana takes a novel look at the case.
Playing with the conventions of the genre, it deftly spins an engaging tale that offers twists and turns while never overdramatising the victims or playing on their fates. A stunning debut for Australian directors Luke Rynderman and Adam Kamien that even offers up a Kiwi connection in one of its actors.
Flow
A major hit with audiences at Cannes, this immersive animation follows a cat, a capybara, a lemur, a Labrador and a bird on an adventure.
Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis has been praised for the film's simplicity and authenticity as well as its animation, as well as its family feel. It sounds like it could be a spectacle like Studio Ghibli's Ponyo was on the Civic years ago.
The People's Joker
One of the newer things on offer this year is a series of late-night experiences, coupled with movies.
Hoping to get an audience full of cosplayers is American parody superhero film The People's Joker, which thumbs its nose at characters from the Batman world and has a transgender woman lead that's based on iconic villain The Joker.
Warner Bros were reportedly incensed by the film and tried to stop its release - but it seems destined now for fan-filled appreciation nights, something the 2024 festival is seeming to tap into.
The Remarkable Life of Ibelin
This one sounds like a beautiful tear-jerker.
When Mats Steen dies from his degenerative muscular disease, his parents post a message on his blog telling people he has passed. Steen has spent years seemingly locked into his modified computer with his family believing he is lonely and isolated.
However, as their inbox is flooded with messages, they began to realise his World of Warcraft life offered him more than reality sadly ever could.
NZIFF says this is a "heart-rending film that portrays the power of human connection and a life well lived" - but it sounds like it will be crowd-pleaser all our damaged souls in 2024 could well need.
The Substance
The festival's closing night film is going to be one for the books.
A gonzo mix of gore and grotesque, this body horror experience sees Demi Moore's fading actress Elizabeth Sparkle take part in an experiment that offers her the chance to birth a more youthful version of herself. But the Faustian pact has drawbacks - and consequences.
This will be the festival's unmissable experience, an event that will shock and impress with its OTT nature - and one which is best enjoyed with the least knowledge.
Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival runs from July 31 - for the full programme, dates and locations, visit nziff.co.nz.
