Liz Kirkman

Director Bea Joblin’s spirited debut feature boasts snappy dialogue and spot-on performances from a cast including Geraldine Brophy, Sophie Hambleton and Jamie McCaskill. A pungent kiwi slant on classic domestic farce.

"I chose to tell this story from the point of view of the Neighbour, not only because I find his perspective interesting when it comes to this issue, but also because the issue of domestic violence is so heavy and everyone has their own connotations towards it, which is why this film, for me, is not about domestic violence, but rather the influence of it. This allows me to explore a whole range of emotions and feelings, and be able to show them with greater depth by taking us away from the direct environment in which this abuse takes place, and put us somewhere close enough to still reach out to it.

When an attack on a Palmerston North fraud detective made headlines in October 1996, the New Zealand public followed the media reports with fascination. They read like a plot of a Hollywood film or detective novel. Poison pen letters, satanic worship, a police hate crime, and a mysterious and violent pyromaniac. But little did the public know that as the truth emerged, the story was going to get far more bizarre, and the police would turn the focus of their investigation on one of their own.

MARIAN is an 80 year old resident of Meadow Park Rest Home. During a difficult visit, her daughter PHILLIPA is forced out and accidentally leaves something important behind. Wandering out of the rest home, the outside world proves challenging, as Marian battles her mind in an attempt to return her daughter’s beloved possession.

A mother tries to end her teenage son’s relationship with an older woman at the risk of losing him altogether.

In the near future, police detective Richard Manning is investigating the most difficult case of his career – the seemingly impossible locked room murder of a wealthy property investor. The more Richard investigates, the more complex the case seems to become. He soon realizes his own future and survival depend on him solving everything – and quickly.

Inspired by ‘elephant consciousness’, Clark Duke has created Virtology, an internet religion with which he plans to change the world. He attracts thousands of followers which fuel his desire to spread the word In Real Life. When his house burns down under suspicious circumstances he heads out on this fish-out-of-water tale where we witness the main character (now known as Satchimo) in his misadventures attracting new followers and the media, all the while being haunted by two online followers who he neglects in his offer of salvation. Godplex offers insight into the contemporary dogma that you can achieve your goals no matter how lofty – even achieve celebrity status – an occupation that anyone can take up, no matter your experience or abilities. Though the content can be surreal, poetic and philosophical, this tragi-comic story offers an accessible cinema experience featuring moments of incredible beauty and a great soundtrack comprised of industrial and big band jazz.