More NZIFF titles unveiled

More NZIFF titles unveiled

Amy Winehouse, Mavis Staples, and The Who Top NZIFF 2015 Music Line-up We could hardly indulge in early announcements without celebrating a selection of this year’s stellar crop of music films. For our 2015 programme, the lives and musical careers of Amy Winehouse and Mavis Staples take centre stage in two powerful bio-pics. Asif Kapadia’s eagerly anticipated Amyand Jessica Edwards’ Mavis! bring two iconic songstresses to the screen, one a living legend and the other gone too soon. Fans of The Who will want to add Lambert & Stamp to their must-see list: an entertaining look at the chaotic early days of Britain’s pop opera maestros. And the poetic From Scotland with Love teams archival footage with the stirring folk songs of King Creosote to resounding cinematic effect. A vibrant, kaleidoscopic elegy for 20th century Scotland, this film is a collaboration between ex-pat New Zealand director Virginia Heath and prolific Scottish indie folksinger King Creosote (Kenny Anderson). A stunning vignette depicting Scotland’s heart: it’s impossible to watch the lively throngs in this film without considering how massively the communal spirit of a nation has changed from decades past. While these titles will be headlining our music section, don’t think this is it. We have a few more musical tricks up our sleeve yet.

Amy UK 2015 | 127 minutes | Censors rating tbc An intimate, overwhelmingly moving tribute to Amy Winehouse, the great young British soul singer whose talent and charisma brought her more fame than anyone might be able to handle. From the director of Senna.

From Scotland with Love UK 2014 | 75 minutes | Exempt Archival film of Scottish life is shaped into a kaleidoscopic evocation of work and recreation in the 20th century, stirringly scored with original songs by Fife musician/singer/songwriter King Creosote.

Lambert & Stamp USA 2014 | 117 minutes | Censors rating tbc The candid, definitive and hugely entertaining tale of the rise of The Who, named for the cinephilic pair of Swinging Londoners who figured that managing a band would be a great way to get a movie made.

Mavis! USA 2015 | 85 minutes | Exempt The life, music and passionate commitment of the irresistible Mavis Staples are lovingly chronicled in this spirited doco – with help from fans Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, Chuck D, Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy and Prince. NZIFF programmes will be available in Auckland from Tuesday 23 June, in Wellington from Friday 26 June, in Dunedin from Tuesday 7 July, and in Christchurch from Tuesday 14 July. NZIFF screens in Auckland from 16 July to 2 August, in Wellington from 24 July to 9 August, in Dunedin from 30 July to 16 August and in Christchurch from 7 to 23 August with other centres to follow.