The Lunatics' Ball

Absent Without Leave(en)

In 1942 Wellington, Daisy Edwards, 16 and pregnant, relies totally on her just-wed husband, Ed, who is little older than she. Ed is suddenly drafted into the army and is to be sent overseas to battle while Daisy is sent to her father in Auckland. When Ed's leave is cancelled at the last minute he takes the dangerous decision to go absent without leave to be with Daisy on her journey home. As a deserter, Ed is hunted, captured and imprisoned. Life inside is bad enought without the worry of what is going on outside. The film is based upon a true story.

Bread & Roses(en)

Based upon the life of activist and trade unionist (and later MP) Sonja Davies. The film covers her life up to 1956, when, at age 33, she was elected to the Nelson Hospital Board. During this period she develops strong socialist beliefs, marries and divorces, at age 17 trains as a nurse, has a romance (and a child) with an American marine who is killed in WWII action. She battles tuberculosis and marries a former boyfriend when he returns from the war. She becomes part of a women's ill-fated campaign to save the Nelson railway line from closure and begins to be elected to political bodies.

The Footstep Man(en)

Sam is a sound technician, who must literally walk in the footsteps of the characters on the screen. A "film within a film" that connects the world of modern film-making to the Paris of painter Toulouse-Lautrec and his model/lover Mireille.

Te Rua(en)

A hundred years after the theft from New Zealand of three irreplaceable tribal carvings, two Maori, Rewi and Peter, decide it's time for ancient grievances to be put right. Both men are in Berlin where the carvings are stored in a museum. Plans go awry when a group that Peter has assembled breaks into the museum. Rewi persuades the others to let him put his own, more daring plan into action. Tensions build and international media interest broadens when a sniper's bullet hits Peter.

Christmas(en)

"This singular, bleakly funny, R-rated vision of Kiwi life clinches King's position as the most distinctive new voice in NZ film, as insistent and inescapable as The Warehouse jingle." - New Zealand International Film Festival director Bill Godsen. Made at the beginning of the digital revolution, this micro-budget feature went on to win several awards and be selected for major Fests incl. Toronto, Locarno, Edinburgh, and Melbourne.

The Waimate Conspiracy(en)

The 2005 discovery of a cannonball, buried for 138 years in a paddock, throws Waimate into turmoil. It is all the Maori locals need to confirm their long-held belief that they were forcibly removed from their tribal lands, in a bloody 1866 battle. The hotly contested claim eventually ends up in the District Court and on the lens of cameraman Dave who captures all the arguments, frauds and forgeries of the townspeople, in a cinema verité mockumentary style.

The Waiting Place(en)

Two escaped convicts hold up in a desolate psychiatric hospital while they await their "ride to freedom". Having little to do but talk about their past crimes, a growing conflict develops, enhanced by the dark mood of the grim setting. The desolate hospital effectively becomes a character in this slow building psychlogical thriller, leading to a bloody, not totally expected ending.

White Room(en)

A man wakes up in an endless white void, unable to remember how he got there, he soon encounters an A.I. who takes the man through old memories of himself until he realizes his tragic purpose in the white room.

The Monster of Mangatiti(en)

When 19 year old Heather Walsh accepts a job on a farm in the Mangatiti Valley, she has no idea paradise will become a nightmare. This true New Zealand story tells of Heather's horrific ordeal.

50 Ways of Saying Fabulous(en)

Sweet, chubby, theatrical Billy was never cut out to be a farmer or a rugby player, but as the only son of a ‘good kiwi bloke’ he’s obliged to try. The cows are stubborn and the chores gruelling but Billy finds escape in a fantasy world playing Lana, heroine of his favourite TV show Adventures in Space. Not everyone approves of Billy's transformation. On the brink of adolescene, he discovers growing up is more complicated than he could ever have imagined.

The Devil's Rock(en)

Set in the Channel Islands on the eve of D Day, two Kiwi commandos, sent to destroy German gun emplacements to distract Hitler's forces away from Normandy, discover a Nazi occult plot to unleash demonic forces to win the war.

Mesmerized(en)

An orphan weds an older man in circa-1900 New Zealand, then finds out he's a miser who spies on her.

Beyond Reasonable Doubt(en)

A docu-drama covering one of the most famous cases in New Zealand history, the murder of Harvey and Jeanette Crewe in 1970.

Detective vs. Sleuths(cn)

When Hong Kong is rocked by multiple gruesome murders, the police forms a task force to investigate.

Among the Cinders(en)

A teenage boy, Nick, has difficulty coping with the death of a friend. When Nick's grandmother also dies, his grandfather, thinking that the boy will not be able to handle another loss, conceals her death and takes Nick on a journey into the countryside.

In Dark Places(en)

In Dark Places is the gripping story of an innocent man, imprisoned for two decades for a crime he did not commit, and an ex-cop's heroic battle to win him his freedom.

Until Proven Innocent(en)

In 1993 David Dougherty was found guilty and imprisoned for the abduction and rape of his 11 year old neighbor. It took two trials, two high court appeals, a petition to the Governor General and 3 years, 6 months and 1 week in prison before David finally won his freedom and was found not guilty of the crime he didn't commit. But it wouldn't have happened without the unrelenting efforts of three individuals - a journalist, a lawyer and a scientist - who put their own personal and professional lives on the line in order to prove that David Dougherty was innocent.

Exposure(en)

A photographer's life becomes dangerous when one of his models is murdered.

Mistress, Mercy(en)

This docu-drama dives beneath the sensational headlines to unravel the truth about a murder case that rocked New Zealand and catapulted teenage dominatrix Renee Chignell and cricket umpire Peter Plumley Walker into the national consciousness.

Crush(en)

A car crash blazes a destructive trail trough the lives of three women – an awkward adolescent, a malevolent femme fatale, and a wheelchair-ridden critic.

Sunset Dreams in Thailand(en)

Enjoy a beautiful sunset from Sai Kaew Beach in Thailand as you listen to relaxing music and the gentle sounds of waves rolling into shore.

They Were Witches(es)

Mia, an expert speaker in witchcraft, takes a trip to see a therapist. On the way she meets a group of young people who will begin to die one by one to bring an evil spirit back from death.

Andover(en)

Genetics professor Adam Slope clones his wife Dawn after she dies in a fire but the woman he creates is different than the woman he loved, so he tries over and over, in a desperate attempt to get her back exactly as she was.

I love you mum, I promise I won't die(en)

In May 2014, just months after Dan died, the DSM Foundation commissioned award-winning playwright Mark Wheeller to write a verbatim play that told his story, so other young people could learn the lessons he sadly no longer could, and make choices that would keep them safe. The title takes Dan’s joking last words to his mum, Fiona, before he left home for what turned out to be the last time: ‘I Love You, Mum – I Promise I Won’t Die’. Mark worked on the very first production with his talented youth theatre company in Southampton, Oasis Youth Theatre, and the play had its first public performances in March 2016, with previews in Southampton and its premiere at the BRIT school, just a mile from Dan’s home in Croydon, South London.

Bad(en)

Hazel runs a beauty salon out of her house, but makes extra money by providing ruthless women the oppurtunity to perform hit jobs. L.T. is a parasite, and contacts Hazel looking for work after he runs out of money. She is reluctant to use him for a hit, since she prefers using women, but decides to try him on a trial basis. Meanwhile, the cop she pays off wants an arrest to make it look like he's doing his job, but Hazel doesn't want to sacrifice any of her "associates". The sleazy side of life is explored in this delightfully dark and deadpan film.

Tuhottu nuoruus(fi)

Kirsti works as a reception assistant to Dr. Varjo and is secretly clinging to the doctor's son, Eino, who is studying to become an architect. Even though the film reflects early social problems and class jokes, there is no humor about describing everyday life.

Mantra Warrior: The Legend of The Eight Moons(th)

A story inspired by the original RAMAYANA, retold in a futuristic universe, involving brave warriors who possess ancient powers from another dimension.

Rosamunde Pilcher: Vermächtnis der Liebe(de)

The Companion(es)

At the height of the 1980s AIDS epidemic, Cuban boxing champion Horacio's punishment for failing a drug test is to watch over the brash, combative Daniel, a patient in a sanatorium where HIV patients are compulsorily confined. The two collide as Daniel yearns for freedom while Horacio dreams of returning to the ring.

The Two Mr. Kissels(en)

Drama based on a true story. Rich, high-flying brothers Robert and Andrew Kissel seemingly have everything: beautiful wives who love them, great jobs and huge houses. But beneath the surface lie resentments and secrets that will eventually be their horrible undoing

Digimon Adventure tri. Part 2: Determination(ja)

The DigiDestined go to a nearby hot springs theme park and everyone has a good time, but Joe doesn't show up because he wants to study for his exams. Another infected Digimon, Ogremon, attacks Odaiba. Gomamon runs away from home while Mimi faces problems with the other DigiDestined and her classmates because of her selfish ideas.

Sabían demasiado(es)

A gang of Spanish pickpockets decide to send one of them to Chicago to learn how to be a gangster...

Box(en)

The execution was scheduled and the last meal consumed. The coolness of the poisons entering the blood system slowed the heart rate and sent him on the way to Judgement. He had paid for his crime with years on Death Row waiting for this moment and now he would pay for them again as the judgment continued..

Rosalinda 2020(pt)

Kanthaswamy(ta)

A CBI officer moonlights as a modern day Robin Hood in the guise of the masked Kanthaswamy, as he helps fight corruption and aid impoverished people.

Forky Asks a Question: What Is Reading?(en)

The energetic Peas-n-a-Pod siblings teach Forky about reading and how it is done, with a little help from Mr. Spell

A Night in Hollywood(en)

Filmed record of a burlesque show, featuring Tempest Storm in a Technicolor segment.

La hija del halcón(es)

The Overture to 'William Tell'(en)

In this Lantz Color Cartune (production number 2326), Wally Walrus, masquerading as famed orchestra leader, Sir Wally Walrus, mounts the podium to conduct the orchestra, and his troubles only end when the cartoon does, with the orchestra completely destroyed.