World Cinema Showcase is here

It's back again - the mini festival brother of the New Zealand International Film Festival.

But just cos it's the kid is no reason to think this is the runt of the litter. The World Cinema Showcase is always full of surprises, quality releases and films which are worth your time and hard earned money.

This year, it's definitely the same. The quality of cinematic talent on display is once again diverse and original.

Sure, some will garner full scale releases a little later on - but it's always good to see these films before everyone else and a chance to share screens with like minded cinephiles.

Of the flicks I've seen so far this year, here's a look at some of them playing this time around.

The Swell Season - definitely not a sequel to Once in any way shape or form, this doco follows the phenomenon of Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova who shot to fame and Oscar success with their star crossed lovers film, Once, a few years ago. However, what you may not know is that despite them forming a relationship, the pair have broken up - and this honest and at times difficult to watch (if you're romantic and don't want your Hollywood love dreams smashed) sumptuously shot black and white doco charts what happened next. It's an interesting look at how fame affects people - Marketa is unhappy with photos and to live a life she's not part of and Glen, who's been after success for years, is more used to playing the game, leading to conflicts and achingly raw honest moments. By trusting the director, the film feels like you've been given an insight into a star burning out - and it's compelling and mesmerising. Even if the end result will break your heart.

Beats, Rhymes and Life - This was a massive success with music fans at the NZ Film Festival and it's nice to see it get another outing before it heads to release from Madman Entertainment. It's the story of hiphop legends A Tribe Called Quest and how the group came together on the streets and formed an indelible mark on the scene. Filled with an infectious enthusiasm, this doco from Michael Rapaport is an interesting look at the personalities within the band and the effects their music and fame had on themselves and within the industry. It's full of a bounding energy and an at times quirky style. Certainly, if you weren't a fan of them before, you'll definitely understand why they've been so influential and also why many are raving about this doco.

Autoluminscent - Sometimes, it's good to see a doco on something you know nothing about. Autoluminscent is one such flick. It's about the late Aussie musician Rowland S Howard, whom I have to confess I've never heard of until the film started playing. This traditional talking heads doco has a lot of contributors - from the likes of Nick Cave through to Wim Wenders; all talk with respect about him and complete with archive footage from some of the earliest performances, it's a fairly standard celebration of a life which will no doubt appeal more to his fans than the non-fans.

The Tall Man - a simply told but powerfully put together doco about the death of Aborigine Cameron Doomadgee on Palm Island back in 2004 and the ramifications it had on relations between the races and the apparent police cover up which followed. Doomadgee was arrested for being drunk and swearing at a policeman Sergeant Chris Hurley, on the island - and 45 minutes later he was dead. The doco presents the case, its subsequent inquests and the implications for the Queensland police force. Taking in the views of eye witnesses to the arrest and family, with little input from the police (no surprises there), this haunting doco has a plethora of images which stay with you long after it's finished - and leave you with a sense of outrage at how it all turned out.

To Hell and Back - War is hell. But surviving it, can sometimes be a lot worse. After being embedded with troops in Afghanistan in 2009 Photojournalist Danfung Dennis was in a position to pretty much know the troops - and you'd think a doco would be easy to put together. However, when the leader of the company Sgt Nathan Harris was wounded after a third tour, the focus of this flick I reckon changed. And it becomes more about the homecoming and impact of the Afghan war on people. It's an interesting mix as Dennis flips between back in Afghanistan and Harris' new daily struggle, but it's a compelling watch and one which really gets to the heart of what being a soldier is actually about these days - stripped down of the glory shots and layered with grittiness, To Hell and Back is worth your time.

This Is Not A Film - the name Jafar Panahi may not mean a lot to many, but this "film" doco about one man's struggle against creative repression is an intriguing insight into what happens when an artist is told he can't create. Imprisoned under house arrest for a year in Iran and waiting a verdict on a 20 year film making ban, Panahi resorts to venting his creative juices by acting out his script and vision for a new celluloid outing, whose future release is never anything less than uncertain. All there is in the flat is his Panahi, his cameras and eyes to the world (the Japanese tsunami a year ago gets a look in to give some context) plus his daughter's gigantic iguana, what plays out on screen is a fascinating insight into creativity and frustrations. Freedom of expression has never been so important - and by putting a face on it, it's never been so watchable.

Under African Skies - I had no idea how controversial Paul Simon's Graceland album was. Being only 13 at the time and a little self obsessed, I wasn't aware that the LP's recording broke so many boundaries and riled so many feathers as Simon wilfully ignored the call for the boycott of the region during the Aparthied reign. So Simon heads back to the area for the 25th anniversary and is reunited with the players as he looks back on the repercussions of what he did. Beatifully vibrant music is the key to this traditionally put together doco; it sings literally as it springs off the scene. While Simon seems naive still about what he did and why, other commenters and contributors give it some kind of context - but the decision to mix in footage from the actual recordings back in 1985 shows how the album came together and maybe, just maybe, Paul's decision sort of makes sense. The politics take some of the film but the overall impression is the heart and soul offered from the music which still packs a joyous tone and lifts this doco into the realms of the truly wonderful.

There's plenty more to watch at the Showcase - from the likes of Our Idiot Brother to Miss Bala, Paradise Lost 3- Purgatory, Damsels in Distress, Das Boot and Chico and Rita, I guarantee there'll be something to tantalise the cinematic tastebuds as this wonderful little festival gets underway.

For the full programme and times of performances, visit the World Cinema Showcase site.