NZ International Film festival preview - the films to see

With the wet weather showing no signs of abating, it can mean only one thing - the return of Whanau Marama New Zealand International Film Festival.

The 2024 edition may be a little slimmer than the usual, but that doesn't mean there are no less treats involved in this year's event.

Here is a selection of films that need to be seen during the event:

Birdeater: The sense of unease is palpable in Australian directors Jack Clark and Jim Weir's debut. As Louie and his ex-pat fiancee Irene gear up for their wedding, Louie suggests she accompany him with her on the stag do. In theory, it's an idea anyone would baulk at - but Irene agrees, setting in motion a chain of events that are unsettling and upsetting in equal motion.

Best watched without being spoiled, Birdeater could stand to lose maybe 20 minutes of its two hour runtime, but in truth, this Aussie debut is one of the festival's best. Its ideas fester after the film has ended, and while it's pitched as a horror, this is no Australian outback terror - the horrors lie closer to home, thanks to some strong performances within the stags' group and also Clark and Weir's desire to yank the rug from under you without warning.

More of a palette cleanser compared to Birdeater, the Oscar-nominated crowdpleasing The Teachers' Lounge posits a simple theory. Chiefly, what if the beliefs you hold aren't quite strong enough in the face of the overwhelming snowball rolling down the hill toward you. 

Leonie Benesch is Carla an idealistic immigrant teacher who is shocked one day to find two of her students forced to name another student they believe is stealing from within the school. The reality is that everyone is at it - even with a teacher taking money from the coffee donation jar. 

However, when Carla pushes back against the rapidly escalating series of events, she finds her values caught in the crossfire. It's easy to see why director İlker Çatak's film is so engrossing - the morally grey areas of the story quickly blur into the finer edges, with the situation feeling like something many of us could be caught in. The introspective question of what you would do is lost within the reality of others' behaviour - it's a compelling and watchable drama from beginning to slightly mawkish end.

Equally compelling and definitely watchable, Irish movie Kneecap comes flying out of the gate with tremendous energy and thankfully for audiences, doesn't let up.

Director Rich Peppiatt’s second film cocks a snook at traditional Irish films set in the Troubles and laughs in the face of sectarian violence stereotypes with a Trainspotting-esque burst of music and frustration as it follows the rise of Irish language hiphop group Kneecap.

Members Naoise and Liam stumble across the support of a local teacher and end up being the flashpoint for a nation struggling to find its own voice and a youth looking for an outlet. 

This is utterly enjoyable stuff; ignore the comparisons to the Beastie Boys, and settle in for a cleverly constructed origin tale that puts its own heroes in the spotlight, and chooses to don an Irish balaclava rather than swathe them in a cloak. But look beyond the boisterous energy and you'll find an honest and heartfelt paean to the protection of indigenous language.

This year's family film is a sweetly silent animated movie that follows a young no-longer-kitten-not-quite-cat who's caught up in a post apocalyptic flood event. Worry not, this is not a feline Mad Max, but a sincere tale of cross-race cooperation for survival. Thrust onto a boat with a boisterous just-wants-to-be-loved Labrador, a capybara, a Lemur obsessed with shiny things and a tall bird, the group negotiates the waters and encounters.

Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis crafts a wonderfully emotive story that's fuelled solely by animal voices - sure, there are some emotional strings being pulled from time to time, but with a beautiful soundtrack that conveys menace and adoration, this is a journey to dive headfirst into - and a story that screams to be seen and heard on the biggest screen possible. Just a warning - there will be tears.

There are also tears in Didi - but those tears are of self-recognition and nostalgia in Sean Wang's vibrant but familiar coming-of-age story. Izaac Wang plays 13-year-old Chris Wang, who's on the cusp of many things facing teenagers - his first crush, negotiating friendships, dealing with family life.

It may be a bit of an Asian American experience in parts, but the social faux pas from Wang are universal, the awkwardness all-too-familiar and the missteps somewhat painful to watch. While the school and friends side forms most of the movie, the more interesting elements of this crowd-pleaser are to be found within the family dynamics. From a sister moving away to a mother stewing with uncertainty, there's fertile drama to be mined here. But no matter how sensitively constructed, Didi is a more enjoyable hangout experience than a fully-formed drama.

For more on the 2024 NZIFF head to nziff.co.nz.