The 2013 New Zealand International Film Festival continues to grow with five more films added to this year’s line-up.
Kiwi director Tim van Dammen‘s Romeo and Juliet: A Love Song, the rock opera re-imagining of Shakespeare’s tale of thwarted love, will have its world premiere at the fest – increasing the number of world premieres to five!
And speaking of The Bard, Joss Whedon‘s Much Ado About Nothing makes an exciting addition to the list. Shot at Whedon’s Santa Monica home not long after he completed work on The Avengers, this low budget contemporary adaptation features Agent Coulson Clark Gregg, The Cabin in the Woods stoner-cum-hero Fran Kranz, and Serenity/Firefly‘s Nathan Fillion.
“The Bard is in great form this year. Much Ado About Nothing is amazing fun. Watching this fresh take on a classic courtship with a delighted 2000-strong crowd of all ages, shapes and sizes was the highlight of last year’s Toronto Festival for me. And we’re thrilled to be presenting the first screenings in the world for Tim van Dammen’s Romeo and Juliet: A Love Song. Set in a caravan park called Verona this modern setting provides surprising opportunities for a riotous retelling of the world’s most famous romantic tragedy.” comments NZIFF Director Bill Gosden.
This year’s NZIFF is already looking superb and we’re only 11 films in.
Here are details of the five new films announced:
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BECOMING TRAVIATA
France | 112 minutes | Documentary
Director: Philippe Béziat
Featuring: Natalie Dessay, Jean-François Sivadier, Louis Langrée, Charles Castronovo, Ludovic Tézier, Adelina Scarabelli
Natalie Dessay prepares to take on the role of Violetta in this documentary about the staging of Verdi’s masterwork at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in France
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GEBO AND THE SHADOW
France, Portugal | 91 minutes | Drama
Director: Manoel de Oliveira
Cast: Michael Lonsdale, Claudia Cardinale, Ricardo Trêpa, Leonor Silveira, Luis Miguel Cintra, Jeanne Moreau
Set in the late 19th century, about a honored but poor patriarch who sacrifices himself to protect his fugitive son.
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MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
USA | 109 minutes | Shakespeare, Comedy, Drama
Director: Joss Whendon
Cast: Amy Acker, Alexis Denisof, Clark Gregg, Reed Diamond, Fran Kranz, Jillian Morgese, Nathan Fillion, Sean Maher, Spencer Treat Clark, Riki Lindhome, Tom Lenk, Emma Bates, Ashley Johnson, Paul Meston
Shot in just 12 days (and using the original text), the story of sparring lovers Beatrice and Benedick offers a dark, sexy and occasionally absurd contemporary view of the intricate game that is love.
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ROMEO AND JULIET: A LOVE SONG
New Zealand | 107 minutes | Shakespeare, Rock Opera, Drama
Director: Tim van Dammen
Cast: Chris Landon, Anton Tennet, Derya Parlak, Ricky Mclennan, Sarah Houbolt, Dan Veint
Shakespeare’s timeless tale of star-crossed lovers retold in this contemporary trailer park rock opera.
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WHAT MAISIE KNEW
USA | 99 minutes | Drama
Directors: David Siegel, Scott McGehee
Cast: Julianne Moore, Steve Coogan, Alexander Skarsgård, Joanna Vanderham, Onata Aprile, Sadie Rae Lee, Jesse Spadaccini, Diana García Soto, Amelia Campbell
An aging rock star (Moore) and a contemporary art dealer (Coogan), Susanna and Beale, are too self-involved even to notice their neglect and inadequacy as parents; their fight for Maisie is just another battle in an epic war of personalities. As they raise the stakes by taking on inappropriate new partners, the ex-nanny Margo (Vanderham) and the much younger bartender Lincoln (Skarsgård), the shuffling of Maisie from household to household becomes more and more callous, the consequences more and more troubling. Always watchful, however, Maisie begins to understand that the path through this morass of adult childishness and selfish blindness will have to be of her own making.
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Which ones will you be buying tickets to see?
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The 2013 New Zealand International Film festival is currently confirmed to screen in the following locations:
Auckland: 18 July – 4 August
Wellington: 26 July – 11 August
Christchurch: 1 – 18 August
Dunedin: 8 – 25 August
Gore: 14 – 25 August
Palmerston North: 15 August – 1 September
Hamilton: 22 August – 15 September
Nelson: 28 August – 15 September
Tauranga: 12 – 29 September
Masterton: 16 – 30 October
Hawke’s Bay: 16 October – 3 November
New Plymouth: 24 October – 6 November
The programme for NZIFF Auckland will be released Tuesday 25 June, with the Wellington programme released 28 June. Auckland tickets will be available from 28 June, with Wellington tickets available from Tuesday 2 July.
As always, for more information head on over to the official NZIFF site (here).
