Overview
The Documentary Edge Festival has been bringing the very best documentaries from across the globe to New Zealand since 2005. It annually attracts more than 10,000 people to watch a selection of thought-provoking, feature-length documentaries and pint-sized flicks.
With five titles already released, including a George Michael autobiography and a woolly mammoth hit direct from Sundance, the festival has now unveiled its full program for 2018. The 80-film lineup has something for every cinematic palate, from a decidedly anti-Hollywood fame documentary to a homegrown short about K' Road institution Coco's Cantina, and a feature about monstrous swamp rats.
Elsewhere on the lineup film-goers will be treated to unscripted masterpieces from Norway, England, Australia, Switzerland, Palestine and beyond.
Recruiting for Jihad tells the story of a well-known Norwegian extremist and a filmmaker's eventual battle for independent journalism; Gospel According to André is a film from director Kate Novack which explores the career of fashion editor and journalist André Leon Talley; Mermaids follows five women who are part of the growing "mermaiding" subculture; Anote's Ark is a climate change doco about a low-lying Pacific nation which is being swallowed by the ocean; Stan follows New Zealand songwriter Stan Walker as he faces serious health issues; Newtown tells the story of the deadliest mass shooting of school children in American history; and Nests of Gold uncovers of one of the world's most expensive foods. And that's just a tiny slice of the pie — see the full program here.
The 13th Documentary Edge Festival 2018 will play out from May 9-20 at Wellington's Roxy Cinema and from May 23 - June 4 at Auckland's Q Theatre.