NZFF Reveal more musical titles

NZFF Reveal more musical titles

Miss Sharon Jones! Leads Our 2016 Music Programme This week we are delighted to reveal five music-themed films as part of our 2016 NZIFF sneaks. The line-up celebrates the best in the world of music from an R&B Queen, to the 60s’ most avant-garde rocker, to a soundstage in Buenos Aires, travelling the world with Yo-Yo Ma, and on to an audition for an outback choir. If you're looking for something a little darker, our Incredibly Strange sneaks are sure to pique your interest... We’ll continue to bring you further sneaks in the coming weeks. The full programme will be revealed at 7pm on Monday 20 June with tickets on sale from Friday 24 June.

Miss Sharon Jones! Academy Award-winning documentary maker Barbara Kopple delivers definitive proof, from show-stopping testimony in a small South Carolina church to Manhattan’s Beacon Theatre, that nobody raises the roof like Sharon Jones. “The narrative arc of the film is the diminutive (‘four foot 11 and a quarter’) singer’s more than year-long battle with cancer – and her return to performing. But by lavishing huge helpings of Jones’ music and explosive performances on what is a very intimate portrait, the two-time Oscar-winning [Barbara] Kopple keeps the doco from ever becoming maudlin, or predictable, or from even slowing down.” — John Anderson, Indiewire

Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in his Own Words Director Thorsten Schütte’s doco splices together performance and interview footage of the ever-articulate rock star (and talk-show guest) Frank Zappa to recount the story of his defiantly non-conformist musical journey. “A compelling gateway documentary that should absorb both fans and novices alike.” — Leslie Felperin, Hollywood Reporter

Argentina Carlos Saura, the Spanish director of such classics as Flamenco, Tango and Blood Wedding, mounts a dazzling showcase for the leading contemporary performers of traditional Argentinian music and dance. “Lyrical and moving, Argentina is also a glorious reminder that every film should be a passion project.” — Vancouver International Film Festival

The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble On a quest to uncover Leonard Bernstein’s ‘universal language of music’, renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma travels the old ‘Silk Road’ with virtuoso musicians from diverse instrumental traditions to collaborate on rousing new musical explorations. “The intersection of cultures is where new things emerge.” — Yo-Yo Ma

Wide Open Sky In this charming documentary from Lisa Nicol, gifted teacher and musician Michelle Leonard travels to under-resourced outback NSW, auditioning children then schooling the chosen 130 to perform in the annual Moorambilla Voices choir. “This down-to-earth crowd pleaser is a terrific antidote to the razzle-dazzle hype of TV talent shows.” — Richard Kuipers, Variety

Incredibly Strange NZIFF Sneaks From the sleazily decadent clubs of 1980's Warsaw to the back room of a backwoods bar in Orgeon, our Incredibly Strange sneaks are just a taste of what's ahead in Ant Timpson's programme. The Lure (Córki dancingu) Directed by Agnieszka Smoczyńska This bizarre, sublimely surreal Polish vampire-mermaid musical about two sibling sirens who lure their prey from the stage of a trashy nightclub is a one of a kind cult movie. Green Room Directed by Jeremy Saulnier Punk rockers and skinheads clash in this intense, darkly humorous game of cat-and-mouse, from the director of bracing indie thriller Blue Ruin.