Summer – meh. Autumn – yawn. Spring – too springy. But winter… it’s a wonderland! We’ll, not if we’re talking about the weather in Wellington but it is if we’re talking about the New Zealand International Film Festival. It’s the biggest, baddest, mother-festival we have and for us film nerds, it’s New Zealand’s film nirvana.

I’m looking forward to the hand-trembling excitment of the day the festival programme is released, the head-exploding choices I’m going to have to make, and the 6am line up for tickets on release day. Thankfully it’s New Zealand and I didn’t have to write ‘6am the previous day’. No sleeping bags required here people!

Admit One will be there for all the fun, so read on to see how we’ll tackle coverage this year and for the times the fest will be in a town near you. As always, tell us about your love for the fest and what films you hope are part of it.

The first thing you need to know is that the Auckland programme launches next Tuesday – 21 June. Admit One will post the entire line-up then. A majority of these films will screen elsewhere, so you can start picking your ‘must sees’ then. Although some films have already been announced, like the UK indie hit Submarine, that’s kinda old news now so I’ll wait for the full list before our coverage really begins.

As we are part-timers, for now, we will bring you as much coverage as we can. Although we probably won’t be able to do a write-up on every film, from next Tuesday we will, however, do an in-depth write-up on a film each day until launch – for the films we are most excited to see, and think you should too.

I love Wellington, and wouldn’t want to live anywhere else in the country, but at this time of year I always wish I was in Auckland because they get the fest first – so some of our coverage will be a tad later than other sites. And because we’re still working full-time jobs we can’t always get time off to go and see everything. But, with a little luck (fingers… crossed… knuckles… turning… white…), we will be doing this full-time next year and I, for one, will be jumping on a plane and making Auckland my home for two glorious weeks. But for now, Wellington is Operating Base ‘Nerd Fest’.

It’s almost time to say goodbye to the family and tell them that they won’t be seeing me for a few weeks. I’m excited! Bring it on already! Is it July yet!?! Last year’s festival brought us the cinematic gems: A Prophet, Animal Kingdom, Inside Job and, my personal favourite, Winter’s Bone. What wonders will I discover this year?

I look forward to hearing from all of you as the fest sweeps the country. Let me know what films you loved… and what films, if any, you tore your tickets up in disgust over.

For more details on the fest, visit www.nzff.co.nz

Here’s where the 2011 New Zealand International Film Festival is playing:

Auckland: July 14 – 31. Cinemas – Civic, Academy, Rialto, Lido and Bridgeway.
Wellington: July 29 – August 14. Cinemas: The Embassy, Paramount, Penthouse and Te Papa.
Dunedin: August 4 – 21. Cinemas: Regent Theatre and Rialto.
Christchurch: August 11 – 28. Cinemas: TBC
Palmerston North: August 18 – September 4. Cinema: Downtown Cinemas.
Hamilton: August 25 – September 11. Cinema: Lido.
Nelson: September 1 – 18. Cinemas: Suter and State Cinemas.
Tauranga: September 8 – 24. Cinema: Rialto Tauranga.
New Plymouth: September 15 – 28. Cinema: Event Cinemas.
Hawke’s Bay: September 21 – October 9. Cinema: Cinema Gold.
Greymouth: October 13 – 19. Cinema: Regent Theatre.
Masterton: October 27 – November 9. Cinema: Regent 3.
Gisborne: November 3rd – 16th. Cinema: Odeon Cinemas.
Kerikeri: November 10th – 20th. Cinema: Cathay Cinema.