The Dark Horse

Overview

It's the New Zealand International Film Festival opener and it looks like it'll be a stunner. A bulked up Cliff Curtis plays Genesis Potini, the Gisborne-based speed chess champion who taught kids in poor communities to dream big.

Potini suffered from bipolar disorder and was an advocate for mental health awareness, a cause which Napier Robertson's film subtly promotes. As well as mentoring the local kids for an upcoming competition, he also develops a close friendship with his teenage nephew Mana (James Rolleston). Potini wants more for him than just to be initiated into his father’s gang but family traditions die hard. A film with equal parts tenderness and strength.

Click here to see more of our picks at the NZ International Film Festival 2014.