The Christchurch-based Oscar-qualifying Doc Edge Festival announced May 23 a “stunning and provocative” line-up of 43 features, 23 shorts and 28 immersive projects for its upcoming 19th edition. The festival runs 19-30 June before decamping to Wellington and Auckland 3-14 July. The festival programme will be shared virtually across New Zealand 15-31 July.
Partnering with ChristchurchNZ enables Doc Edge to bring the festival to Christchurch for the first time, with support from the University of Canterbury and it’s Kōawa initiative, write organisers.
“In 2024, Doc Edge is proud to confirm a record-breaking 11 world premiere feature films, 9 world premiere short films, and 10 immersive world premiere projects, solidifying their premium position on the international film circuit. All other films in the 2024 programme are international, Asia-Pacific, Australasian or NZ premieres,” organisers underline.
The feature length world premieres are:
- ICE MAIDEN by James Blannin-Ferguson, Nathaniel Jackson | 2024 | 101 min | Australia, New Zealand No amount of preparation can guarantee a safe return. The story of Australian adventurer Lisa Blair, as she attempts to be the first woman to sail solo, non-stop, and unassisted around Antarctica.
- INVISIBLE SUMMIT by Lixin Fan | 2024 | 88 min | China. Zhang Hong is an eternal hustler who comes from a poor family in China and lost his sight when he was only 21 years old. While his wife aspires to a peaceful life, Hong keeps trying to be successful in order to prove himself and to bring a better life for his family. Now as he works as a blind masseur in Tibet, a typical job for a disabled person in China, the 45-year-old family man ventures out for something not so ordinary: climbing Mount Everest. After preparing for this expedition for the past five years, he hopes to finally turn his luck around.
- MAURI by Maurizio Benazzo, Zaya Benazzo | 2024 | 70 min | Italy, Bulgaria. Mauri unveils the profound ancestral wisdom woven into Māori healing traditions, illuminating a restorative path to mend the wounds inflicted by colonialism. The film is a testament to the radiant beauty and unbreakable resilience of Māori culture.
- PISTACHIO WARS by Yasha Levine, Rowan Wernham | 2024 | 75 min | New Zealand, USA. Kiwi director Wernham and American Journalist Levine follow a lead on a water sale between a farmer and a small desert town—and discover a hidden side to California’s healthy snack industry.
- POISED by Toby Robson | 2024 | 108 min | UK. Out of the ashes of loss, can one man use mixed martial arts save young people from the toughest parts of our society? Zero opportunity, poverty and crime are common themes in the housing estates of Sunderland, North East England. A once proud region of industry, now a wasteland scattered with the relics of the past, as generations of government continue to neglect it. ‘Hope’ is a word rarely spoken, even more so in context with the region’s youth.
- RENEE GRACIE: FIREPROOF by Frances Elliott, Samantha Marlowe | 2024 | 88min | Australia. At nineteen, Renee Gracie made history as Australia’s first female V8-Star, but sexism forced her out. Transitioning to OnlyFans, she soared financially. Now, she seeks a comeback, met with scepticism from V8s fearing promotion of her adult platform. This film delves into her journey, spotlighting gender bias in motorsport and the stigma against sex workers.
- SHARKO by Luke Graham | 2024 | 88 min | Australia. Widely regarded as one of the greatest Rugby League players ever, kiwi hard-man Mark Graham was feared off and, on the field, though little knew the real man or the destruction behind his success. Mark’s story is told through the in-depth lens and skewed perspective of his film-maker son, with Luke revealing a shared personal history scarred by pain and loss.
- SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION: Songs for Barry Brickell by Bruce Foster | 2024 | 70 min | New Zealand. Celebrating the legacy of Barry Brickell (1935-2016) and the realisation of his extraordinary dream, Driving Creek Railway: a productive pottery with numerous kilns, a bush railway, a native bird and bush sanctuary and a lively creative hub drawing artists from around the globe.
- THE GREAT WHITE WHALE by Michael Dillon | 2024 | 104min | New Zealand. Five times it tried to kill the first team that tried to climb it. But back they sailed, through the worst seas in the world, to try again, this time with the legendary Bill Tilman as skipper. A gripping tale of both expeditions, told by those that were there.
- THE OTHER SIDE by Sean Langan | 2024 | 99min | UK | World Festival Premiere. Journalist Sean Langan goes into Russia’s heart of darkness, travelling inside Putin’s war on Ukraine in occupied Donbas. An intimate look at the human side of Russia’s war rarely seen in Western media..
- WE WILL DANCE AGAIN by Yariv Mozer | 2024 | 89 min | Israel, UK, USA. Friendship, love, peace, and freedom — these ideals drew young hearts from around the globe to Nova’s EDM music festival in south Israel. But as the sun rose on 7 October, rockets sliced through the sky, and the music stopped. Confusion morphed into fear as gunfire erupted amidst the chaos. Terror breached the border fence and unleashed violence on the unsuspecting people. The film meticulously captures the events, raw emotions and heroism that emerged, the day the world changed.
Click here to see the full programme.
2024 KEY DATES & VENUES
- Christchurch: 19 – 30 June, HOYTS, Lumiere Cinemas, Alice Cinemas,
- Christchurch Art Gallery, Town Hall, Tūranga, and other locations
- Auckland: 3 – 14 July, The Capitol Cinema, Auckland Central Library
- Wellington: 3 – 14 July, The Roxy Cinema, Te Auaha Gallery
- Nationwide: 15 – 31 July, The Virtual Cinema
