Whanau Marama: New Zealand International Film Festival 2022

Overview

From Thursday, July 28–Sunday, August 7, Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival rolls into Auckland for its 2022 run. As always, there's plenty to watch. At this year's jam-packed NZIFF, expect everything from homegrown flicks — including the powerful Muru, a response to the Tūhoe raids, which opens the fest — through to international favourites arriving straight-from-Cannes. With 70 feature length films and 32 short films on the bill, get ready to get comfy in a darkened room.

Highlights include documentary Fire of Love, about two French volcanologists; David Cronenberg's Crimes of the Future, the iconic filmmaker's first feature since 2014's Maps to the Stars; Berlin Film Festival Golden Bear winner Alcarràs, a family drama from Spain; the Paul Mescal (Normal People)-starring Aftersun; and Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, the stop-motion comedy based on the shorts and books of the same name.

Or, among the Cannes contingent, there's this year's Palme d'Or winner Triangle of Sadness; Belgian drama Close, which follows two 13-year-old boys; Decision to Leave, a noir romance from Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook (Stoker, Oldboy); and Godland from Icelandic filmmaker Hlynur Pálmason (A White, White Day).

Elsewhere, standouts include Rubber and Deerskin director Quentin Dupieux's Incredible but True and Smoking Causes Coughing, because two weird and wonderful flicks from the French filmmaker are better than one; fellow French director Claire Denis reuniting with Juliette Binoche (High Life, Let the Sunshine In) on Both Sides of the Blade; Aubrey Plaza (Best Sellers)-led heist film Emily the Criminal; and Flux Gourmet, the new comedy from inimitable Berberian Sound Studio, The Duke of Burgundy and In Fabric filmmaker Peter Strickland.

Clearly, the list goes on. Similarly on the program: supernatural witch flick You Won't Be Alone, which stars Noomi Rapace (Lamb); Spanish horror Piggy, a Sundance hit; the Rebecca Hall (The Night House)-starring Resurrection; Danish holiday-from-hell thriller Speak No Evil; and documentary Clean, about Melbourne 'trauma cleaner' Sandra Pankhurst.

Local films joining the lineup include doco Gloriavale, which explores the Gloriavale Christian Community; Shut Eye, marking the feature debut of writer/director Tom Levesque; and Ka Pō, about methamphetamine addiction in Polynesian communities.