NZIFF Q&A - Luit Bieringa The HeART of the Matter

NZIFF Q&A - Luit Bieringa The HeART of the Matter 

My film is .the heART of the matter and it's a an educational journey focussing on the impact of creative teaching through the arts

The reason I made this film is: because we ( Director and producer ) have been working for years to put this unique piece of educational history before the public 

What's the one moment that stands out in your film and why?
Geez….  the utter dedication and commitment of the many “players” to the needs and brilliance of our children

What was the hardest thing about completing your film?
Leaving so many excellent anecdotes and stories on the cutting floor!

What's the most satisfying thing about your film? 

To, at last, airing some critical viewpoints before an informed audience unencumbered by the shallowness of our other visual media.

What's been the one piece of feedback from either peers or audiences that has struck you the most and why? 

People flocking to book seats ( at this point of time) and their overbidding interest in issues to do with children’s education. 

What's next on the cards for you? 

Filing away safely all the stuff that wasn’t used. Newly discovered and sound and moving image footage.

Get details of The HeART of the Matter film at the NZIFF

NZIFF Q&A - The 5th Eye co-directors Abi King-Jones and Errol Wright.

NZIFF Q&A - The 5th Eye co-directors Abi King-Jones and Errol Wright

The 5^th Eye

Errol Wright and Abi King-Jones – Director / Producer and Director / Editor

Our film is The 5^th Eye and it's about the Waihopai Three, the War on Terror and the GCSB - New Zealand’s role as the ‘little finger in the fist’ of the Five Eyes global spy network.

The reason we made this film is:

After witnessing the courage, conviction and sacrifice of those who seek justice – of whistleblowers and other rule-breakers – we knew it would be a hard slog, and didn’t know what we’d find when we got there, but knew we had to take the journey to see (much like the Waihopai Three!).

What's the one moment that stands out in your film and why?

The verdict being announced in the Waihopai Three trial for its singular, spine-tingling momentousness.

What was the hardest thing about completing your film?

The massive amount of material we had to navigate through and the complexity of the edit. Also, making a film over several years with limited resources and the stress that comes with that.

What's the most satisfying thing about your film?

Seeing untruths laid bare and truths brought to light, whilst being taken along for the ride by the Waihopai Three as they recount their daring and hilarious misadventure / mission to the spy base.

What's been the one piece of feedback from either peers or audiences that has struck you the most and why?

Adrian Leason (upon seeing the film for the first time and quoting Darryl Kerrigan): “This one’s going straight to the pool room…” If the star of the film is happy, we can rest easy.

What's next on the cards for you?

Sleep and reintegrating with humanity after two years spent in front of the edit machine - we’ve only just finished the film and delivered it! (Insert crying-happy-face here). Enjoying the NZIFF and bringing The 5^th Eye to the people.

Get the details of The 5th Eye at the NZIFF here.

Love Song: NZIFF Review

Love Song: NZIFF Review

The Girlfriend Experience star Riley Keough and Jena Malone take centre stage in this moving and quieter piece about female friendship.

Former college friends Sarah and Mindy have not seen each other for years. Keough's Sarah is estranged from her partner and struggling to cope with their child growing up. When Malone's Mindy comes to stay, an emotional whirlwind that is actually needed in Sarah's life.

With her carefree attitude and desire to shake Sarah out of the funk, the pair freewheel (with a kid in tow) and have fun. But as quickly as she came, Mindy is gone, leaving Sarah aflutter and something stirred up deep within after neglect from her husband and years of friendship.

Until 3 years later, when Sarah's invited to Mindy's wedding...

Director So Yong Kim's created a subtle film that may have a sedentary start that revels in its intimacies, but it's all the better for it as it builds time to pull the lyrical nature of this friendship together.

Keough has a presence that's magnetic and a style that says so much with so little; in terms of her facials, her less is more approach pays off immensely as this restrained tale plays out. But equally, Malone's joie de vivre and signal sending vitality adds much to the proceedings as well, which border on the ambiguous throughout and work all the better for it.

Dividing the film into two distinct parts helps immeasurably to continue proceedings and the addition of extra people to the cast give it a propulsion which is needed. But it does rob proceedings of the nature of the relationship of the pair that we've become so invested in. And the stakes feel a little more contrived and difficult to invest in in the second part of the film.

Perhaps it's So Yong Kim's comment on how life divides us and how complications ensue and abound while we're not looking.

While the observational almost detached tone can take a little getting used to, the honesty of the bond and the veracity of what's being explored on screen is as deep as you'd expect.

A final sequence leaves wondering whether tears shed are of regret or of joy and that's one of Love Song's true successes; thanks to its innate authenticity and its smartly observed intimate moments, this quiet film speaks at volume for the pair. Its minimalism pays off but only if you're willing to let the more lyrical edges wash over you and concentrate on the quite stunning turns delivered by Riley Keough and Jena Malone.

Like Crazy: NZIFF Review

Like Crazy: NZIFF Review

Blending the Tuscan sun with two unpredictable women who break out of psychiatric care should be a formula for both comedy and life-affirming.

But what Italian Paolo Virzi's managed with Like Crazy is a film that suffers a case of tonal dysfunction as much as its leads do.

Leading the pack and re-teaming with her director from Human Capital, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi is the brash Beatrice, a woman who's at the Villa Biondi recovery centre but who lords it up over others and believes she's entitled to more and entitled not to be there. When punkish newcomer Donatella Morelli (Micaela Ramazotti, the film's centre and more fragile of the two) checks into the Villa, Beatrice love-bombs her into a friendship.

But more out of interest in a new thing, rather than interest of a fellow human being, Beatrice betrays the trust of the Villa to break out, dragging along the damaged Donatella with her. But Donatella has her own tragic agenda to follow...

La Pazza Gioia aka Like Crazy is Girls, Interrupted.

While the wackier edges and throwaway comments about madness seem more attempts at gallows humour, the tonal meshing of comedy with poignancy don't quite gel as they should. Tedeschi's larger than life delusions may add a sense of boorishness to proceedings, and she's never really anything more than a caricature later on in proceedings.

And certainly her breakthrough feels forced rather than natural, a tacit admission perhaps from the script writer that redemption needs to come - but registers as feeling unearned. With her Ab Fab Patsy like edges, she certainly gives the story the OTT life it needs, but never feels fully formed. (Interestingly fellow residents at Biondi are former inmates of such institutions, giving scenes a veracity and a sadness that lingers).

Fortunately, Ramazotti's character is more easy to grasp on to. Served up with pathos and tragedy, the broken Donatella is a more realistic being. It's understandable to see why she's swept along by Beatrice's folly despite her early reticence, and Ramazotti underplays every scene she's in, even if the coincidences are piled a little too high in the narrative stakes.

Ultimately, Like Crazy is a road trip that even visually mocks Thelma and Louise in its latter stages, but attempts at poignancy at the end feel contrived and so lose some of their effect. It's understandable what this road trip was trying to do - but its final destination doesn't quite merit the journey.

I, Daniel Blake: NZIFF Review

I, Daniel Blake: NZIFF Review

That I Daniel Blake is book-ended with the voice of its titular hero is no shock.

But that its ending and beginning convey such a dichotomy of feelings is equally no surprise.

The Palme D'Or winner from Brit socialist director Ken Loach is riddled with his usual concerns and stylistic touches. This time tackling the failings of society from two singular viewpoints, Loach has once again exacerbated the increasing common human condition in a world where the state is failing those around them, and they in turn are losing their grip on humanity.

Dave Johns is the ordinary everyman widower and Newcastle resident Daniel Blake stuck in a swirling vortex of increasing lunatic bureaucracy, swimming against a tide of pencil pushers and call centre bound helpers who seem determined to break his spirit.

Set against a backdrop of a council estate where grey is the default colour setting, and recovering from a heart attack and facing the prospect of his benefit being stopped, Daniel finds he is out of touch with the world after spending umpteen years working as a carpenter.

Now faced with online forms, the incessant tide of red tape and a lack of human compassion, Blake's trip to a job centre sees him help a just-moved-to Tyneside Londoner Katie ( Hayley Squires) whose facing similar issues with benefits agencies.

A burgeoning friendship grows between the pair, but the forces of the world are conspiring against them - and despite rallying cries to each for support, this is a battle that only the state can appear to win.

Blessed with a quiet determination and a rallying fanfare for the common man and decency all round, I, Daniel Blake is a study of society teetering, albeit one that's peppered with Loach's masterful eye for humour in the absurdity of life.

Much like 2014 NZIFF entry Still Life with the wonderful Eddie Marsan, I, Daniel Blake presents a salutary look to the solitary man, doing the decent thing when the world around him conspires against him.

You'd have to be a complete Loach virgin to not know where the story is going, but its strength lies in its central performance; Johns is very much the man we all aspire to be. A good neighbour, a friend when in need and a thoroughly decent bloke, the gradual beating down of the man is the film's rallying cry and it's all the more tragic for it.

It would be easy to milk I Daniel Blake for easy wins, and Loach never takes that approach; the impending pathos of the situations as they unfold proffer unsettling parallels in the world we all currently find ourselves in. Granted, there's the protestor toward the end who unleashes a mouthful at the incumbent Tory UK government, but Loach's strength at this point is how incredibly restrained this tirade is - and how the audience would be baying for more as it plays out.

But the ultimate victory of I Daniel Blake is the central performances of the duo. Theirs is a relationship that basks in earnestness, that tries to weather the incoming storm and that provides a quiet poignancy as the denouement rumbles around.

Make no mistake though, this is a polemic of the common man through a prism of Loach - a warning and tribute of what a little dignity can achieve and a harkening back to a time when neighbours were to be treated with open arms, not viewed with suspicion and mistrust.

Jim: The James Foley Story: NZIFF Review

Jim: The James Foley Story: NZIFF Review

Most people know the name James Foley.

And that's largely due to the way he was taken from this world; beheaded, in an orange jump suit by a masked captor in 2014.

But director Brian Oakes' documentary about the titular field correspondent aims to flesh out more of the man whose life will be unknown to many. However, this is a doco of two halves; the first concentrates on giving us the back-story of a brother who caused concern to many with his life choices and exacerbated fears when he was captured in Libya.

The second half becomes a piece about being a hostage, by using those who were with James when he was taken in Syria by IS to share their story and recollections of the man.

And to be frank, while parts of Oakes' doco run the serious risk of deifying Foley thanks to his damned good decency, there's no denying the ultimate resolution of the piece which uses some of the most intimate of moments ever committed to film will undoubtedly leave you emotionally wrecked.

That's due in large parts to Oakes' creation of a film that takes its time to paint a portrait of a man whose sole MO was nothing but the greater good. Be it in his desire to help document a hospital's attempts to save children being shelled by their own government forces or by putting other captors first when in the direst of situations, it's clear that Foley was a good man, whose selflessness was didn't go unnoticed by others.

Using archive footage, interviews with the Foley family, access to emails sent by hostage negotiators and in the latter parts reconstructions, Oakes' desire is clearly to provide a legacy for his friend. Which is in itself no mean feat - and understandable given a) that the brutality of the man's death was the reason he achieved global notoriety and b) that in the face of such tragedy, some kind of good has to emerge.

In fact, one colleague, talking of Foley's selflessness, decries the fact his death gave him a face on the stage and he'd likely be horrified that it were not those of the innocent civilians caught up in the conflicts in Syria and Libya being discussed.

But what emerges is the collective guilt of the family (natural perhaps) over the wait to get any information and Oakes takes a swing at the US Government for not doing more at a brisker pace, given the others in Foley's captivity are freed. Yet, it's a weak shot that has no repercussions and even a cursory glance over Wikipedia shows Oakes leaves out the information over a botched rescue attempt as if to further fuel the fire and hint at a simmering sore that lies exposed.

While it's clear that Jim: The James Foley Story wants to leave a picture of a man who made a difference, its moving testament is not in the construction of the film, or the casual way interviewees address their director (leading to questions of whether professional distance has been maintained) but purely in the demonstration of what Foley was and what a difference he made to those around him.

In the wake of the tragedy and horrific end that befell him, Oakes' sole desire is to have friends and family attest to his virtues, and one assumes this emotional outtake is what Oakes wants us to take away from the film - a sense that while men can do horrific evil still in this world, there is still an overbearing good that cannot be snuffed out.

Tomorrow: NZIFF Review

Tomorrow: NZIFF Review

It's hard to imagine anyone leaving the New Zealand International Film Festival screening of Melanie Laurent's Tomorrow feeling anything other than inspired.

The doco's galvanising cry is to try and save the planet ahead of us all being wiped off the face of it in a forthcoming extinction event. The film-makers would have us believe that potential demise of the human race is a when not an if, and Laurent's wake up call came when Nature magazine published research into this in June 2012.

So, along with a small crew, they go globe-trotting in a style much like Michael Moore recently espoused in Where to Invade Next to see what ideas could be adopted at a local level and within people's communities to ensure that change comes.

Activists with communal gardens, experts with opinions on how to make a difference and an ease of directorial nous make Tomorrow upbeat and will see it succeed locally with audiences already attuned to the realities of wanting to do more.

Armed with ecological activist Cyril Dion, who does most of the on-screen interviewing, there is no denying the directors have the self-awareness and smarts to realise that audiences are already saturated with pieces trying to make a difference.

So by presenting a wealth of information with a clarity of vision vastly helps the genially presented documentary hit its message home.

It could probably stand to lose a little of its baggier run time toward the end and one senses there was an excess of material available, but by dividing the film up into chapters and keeping each section engaging, as well as injecting proceedings with a blast of humour, the inspiring simplicity of it all is quite simply inspiring.

It would be nice to see some talking heads from the governments tackle some of the reasons why things like major community gardens aren't more readily available and why land can't be freed up for others to use, but Tomorrow goes a long way to presenting solutions rather than just showcasing problems.

One senses it's a people powered documentary and loathe to get bogged down in the endless cycle of denial from the major corporations, but with a weight of evidence piling up, it would have been good to have seen the film-makers had tried to reach out for some reasons. Instead, Tomorrow's more interested in helping start some kind of people fuelled revolution.

From intercropping to better recycling, these are all solutions that are proffered and have proven to have worked in other parts of the world.

That alone is Tomorrow's major difference; a compulsive and compelling desire to show that each person can simply make a difference and Laurent and Dion never lose sight of that agenda.

Granted, there's no denying there's an agenda at heart here, and some may decry the liberal leaning intentions, but given there's also no denying the vastness of the problems being faced, perhaps Tomorrow with its non-didactic and digestible approach is a lot smarter than we all believe.