BRITISH & IRISH FILM FESTIVAL 23

Showcasing the very best of British and Irish filmmaking with a diverse and exciting programme of new releases, award-winning films, and documentaries, the festival has something for everyone. From heartwarming comedies to thought-provoking dramas, the festival will bring stories that matter to the big screen. The British & Irish Film Festival New Zealand is a chance to celebrate the rich and diverse film cultures of the UK and Ireland. It is a must-attend event for any film lover, and we encourage everyone to come along and experience the magic of cinema on the big screen. Come and discover the stories that stay with you.
 

The Lesson

Liam (Daryl McCormack), an aspiring and ambitious young writer, eagerly accepts a tutoring position at the family estate of his idol, renowned author J.M. Sinclair (Academy Award nominee Richard E. Grant). But soon, Liam realizes that he is ensnared in a web of family secrets, resentment, and retribution. Sinclair, his wife Hélène (Academy Award nominee Julie Delpy), and their son Bertie (Stephen McMillan) all guard a dark past, one that threatens Liam’s future as well as their own. As the lines between master and protégé blur, class, ambition, and betrayal become a dangerous combination in this taut noir thriller.

The Lesson

Liam (Daryl McCormack), an aspiring and ambitious young writer, eagerly accepts a tutoring position at the family estate of his idol, renowned author J.M. Sinclair (Academy Award nominee Richard E. Grant). But soon, Liam realizes that he is ensnared in a web of family secrets, resentment, and retribution. Sinclair, his wife Hélène (Academy Award nominee Julie Delpy), and their son Bertie (Stephen McMillan) all guard a dark past, one that threatens Liam’s future as well as their own. As the lines between master and protégé blur, class, ambition, and betrayal become a dangerous combination in this taut noir thriller.
MORE / TRAILER
 

One Life

ONE LIFE tells the true story of Sir Nicholas ‘Nicky’ Winton, a young London broker played by Hopkins, who, in the months leading up to World War II, rescued 669 children from the Nazis. Nicky visited Prague in December 1938 and found families who had fled the rise of the Nazis in Germany and Austria, living in desperate conditions with little or no shelter and food, and under threat of Nazi invasion. He immediately realised it was a race against time. How many children could he and the team rescue before the borders closed?

Fifty years later, it’s 1988 and Nicky lives haunted by the fate of the children he wasn’t able to bring to safety in England; always blaming himself for not doing more. It’s not until a live BBC television show, ‘That’s Life!’, surprises him by introducing him to some surviving children – now adults – that he finally begins to come to terms with the guilt and grief he had carried for five decades.

One Life

ONE LIFE tells the true story of Sir Nicholas ‘Nicky’ Winton, a young London broker played by Hopkins, who, in the months leading up to World War II, rescued 669 children from the Nazis. Nicky visited Prague in December 1938 and found families who had fled the rise of the Nazis in Germany and Austria, living in desperate conditions with little or no shelter and food, and under threat of Nazi invasion. He immediately realised it was a race against time. How many children could he and the team rescue before the borders closed?

Fifty years later, it’s 1988 and Nicky lives haunted by the fate of the children he wasn’t able to bring to safety in England; always blaming himself for not doing more. It’s not until a live BBC television show, ‘That’s Life!’, surprises him by introducing him to some surviving children – now adults – that he finally begins to come to terms with the guilt and grief he had carried for five decades.
MORE / TRAILER

Dance First

Literary genius Samuel Beckett lived a life of many parts: Parisian bon vivant, WWII Resistance fighter, Nobel Prize-winning playwright, philandering husband, recluse. But despite all the adulation that came his, way he was a man acutely aware of his own failings.
In 1969, having been awarded with the Nobel Prize for Literature, an embarrassed Beckett simply wanted to be rid of it and its prize money. This film revolves around this turning point, the internal debate raging within Beckett as to which of the people in his life most deserve to be the beneficiaries of his shame, overcoming the guilt about his selfishness and the pain caused to those he loved.

Dance First

Literary genius Samuel Beckett lived a life of many parts: Parisian bon vivant, WWII Resistance fighter, Nobel Prize-winning playwright, philandering husband, recluse. But despite all the adulation that came his, way he was a man acutely aware of his own failings.
In 1969, having been awarded with the Nobel Prize for Literature, an embarrassed Beckett simply wanted to be rid of it and its prize money. This film revolves around this turning point, the internal debate raging within Beckett as to which of the people in his life most deserve to be the beneficiaries of his shame, overcoming the guilt about his selfishness and the pain caused to those he loved.
MORE / TRAILER

Golda

Golda, a ticking-clock thriller sharing the intensely dramatic events, high-stake responsibilities, and controversial decisions that Meir – also known as the ‘Iron Lady of Israel’ – faced during the Yom Kippur War in 1973.

Her actions, in impossible circumstances, would ultimately decide the fate of millions of lives.

Golda

Golda, a ticking-clock thriller sharing the intensely dramatic events, high-stake responsibilities, and controversial decisions that Meir – also known as the ‘Iron Lady of Israel’ – faced during the Yom Kippur War in 1973.

Her actions, in impossible circumstances, would ultimately decide the fate of millions of lives.
MORE / TRAILER

 

Greatest Days

GREATEST DAYS is the feel-good and universal story of love and friendship featuring the hit songs of Take That and adapted from the smash stage show by the writer of Calendar Girls. We follow five best friends who have the night of their lives seeing their favourite boy band in concert. Twenty-five years later their lives have changed in many different ways as they reunite for one more epic show by their beloved band, to relight their friendship and discover that maybe their greatest days are ahead of them.

Greatest Days

GREATEST DAYS is the feel-good and universal story of love and friendship featuring the hit songs of Take That and adapted from the smash stage show by the writer of Calendar Girls. We follow five best friends who have the night of their lives seeing their favourite boy band in concert. Twenty-five years later their lives have changed in many different ways as they reunite for one more epic show by their beloved band, to relight their friendship and discover that maybe their greatest days are ahead of them.
MORE / TRAILER

 

In The Land Of Saints and Sinners

Ireland, 1970s. Eager to leave his dark past behind, Finbar Murphy (Liam Neeson) leads a quiet life in the remote coastal town of Glencolmcille, far from the violence that grips the rest of the country, when a menacing crew of insurgents arrive led by a ruthless woman named Doireann (Kerry Condon). Drawn into an increasingly vicious game of cat and mouse, Finbar must choose between exposing his secret identity or defending his friends and neighbors.

In The Land Of Saints and Sinners

Ireland, 1970s. Eager to leave his dark past behind, Finbar Murphy (Liam Neeson) leads a quiet life in the remote coastal town of Glencolmcille, far from the violence that grips the rest of the country, when a menacing crew of insurgents arrive led by a ruthless woman named Doireann (Kerry Condon). Drawn into an increasingly vicious game of cat and mouse, Finbar must choose between exposing his secret identity or defending his friends and neighbors.
MORE / TRAILER

 

Jackie Stewart

Jackie Stewart is the compelling documentary film on Formula 1 World Champion, team owner and legend of the sport, Sir Jackie Stewart.
Using immaculately restored and previously unseen archive footage, the film charts Sir Jackie’s life from his humble beginnings outside Glasgow, to the rush of excitement that heralded his first F1 World Championship title in 1969, and the darker years of the early 1970s when, despite opposition from those who believed that F1 should be ‘gladiatorial’, Stewart set out to improve racing safety.
Illuminating the terrific highs and desperate lows of a life devoted to Formula 1, Sir Jackie’s story is told as never before, revealing the personal anguish of the fame, glory and success of a champion marred by tragedy, loss and sacrifice.
Written and directed by Patrick Mark, Jackie Stewart is an immersive, colourful and powerfully emotive story that transcends motorsport to explore universal themes of love, loss and human vulnerability.

Jackie Stewart

Jackie Stewart is the compelling documentary film on Formula 1 World Champion, team owner and legend of the sport, Sir Jackie Stewart.
Using immaculately restored and previously unseen archive footage, the film charts Sir Jackie’s life from his humble beginnings outside Glasgow, to the rush of excitement that heralded his first F1 World Championship title in 1969, and the darker years of the early 1970s when, despite opposition from those who believed that F1 should be ‘gladiatorial’, Stewart set out to improve racing safety.
Illuminating the terrific highs and desperate lows of a life devoted to Formula 1, Sir Jackie’s story is told as never before, revealing the personal anguish of the fame, glory and success of a champion marred by tragedy, loss and sacrifice.
Written and directed by Patrick Mark, Jackie Stewart is an immersive, colourful and powerfully emotive story that transcends motorsport to explore universal themes of love, loss and human vulnerability.
MORE / TRAILER

 

Mad About the Boy — The Noël Coward Story

Sir Noël Coward grew up in poverty and left school when he was only nine years old. He was queer in a very straight world.
And yet by the age of 30, he was the highest paid writer in the world, and a star on the Broadway stage.

He wrote, directed and acted in some of the finest plays and movies of all time, including Private Lives, Blithe Spirit, Brief Encounter and In Which We Serve. He also became a world renowned songwriter and performer of whom Frank Sinatra said, ‘If you want to hear how a song should be sung, go see Mr Noël Coward’.
And if that wasn’t enough, he was also a spy during the Second World War! Against all odds, Sir Noël Coward became the most successful multi-talented artist of the Twentieth Century. He defined an era and led an extraordinary life. This is his inspirational story told in his own words and music, and unique home movies.
The film features Sir Laurence Olivier, Dame Maggie Smith, Harold Pinter, Frank Sinatra, Lauren Bacall, Sir Michael Caine and Lucille Ball. It is narrated by Alan Cumming, with Rupert Everett as the voice of Sir Noël Coward.

Mad About the Boy — The Noël Coward Story

Sir Noël Coward grew up in poverty and left school when he was only nine years old. He was queer in a very straight world.
And yet by the age of 30, he was the highest paid writer in the world, and a star on the Broadway stage.

He wrote, directed and acted in some of the finest plays and movies of all time, including Private Lives, Blithe Spirit, Brief Encounter and In Which We Serve. He also became a world renowned songwriter and performer of whom Frank Sinatra said, ‘If you want to hear how a song should be sung, go see Mr Noël Coward’.
And if that wasn’t enough, he was also a spy during the Second World War! Against all odds, Sir Noël Coward became the most successful multi-talented artist of the Twentieth Century. He defined an era and led an extraordinary life. This is his inspirational story told in his own words and music, and unique home movies.
The film features Sir Laurence Olivier, Dame Maggie Smith, Harold Pinter, Frank Sinatra, Lauren Bacall, Sir Michael Caine and Lucille Ball. It is narrated by Alan Cumming, with Rupert Everett as the voice of Sir Noël Coward.
MORE / TRAILER

  

Northern Comfort

A special forces veteran, an uptight property developer, an influencer with half a million followers and an incompetent instructor are thrown together on a high-end fear of flying course. The course’s final challenge is an experience flight from London to Iceland, which ends up being a horrendous ordeal. Lost in Iceland, freezing and terrified, they must find a way of facing their fears and working together to spread their wings... and fly.

Northern Comfort

A special forces veteran, an uptight property developer, an influencer with half a million followers and an incompetent instructor are thrown together on a high-end fear of flying course. The course’s final challenge is an experience flight from London to Iceland, which ends up being a horrendous ordeal. Lost in Iceland, freezing and terrified, they must find a way of facing their fears and working together to spread their wings... and fly.
MORE / TRAILER

 

Róise & Frank

It is two years since Róise lost the love of her life, her husband Frank. She is now isolated in grief, cut off from family and community. The arrival of a mysterious dog, who seems intent on connecting with Róise, heralds huge change but is it for the better? The dog loves sport and steaks, has a favourite armchair and an aversion to their neighbour, Donncha. Róise quickly realises that this dog is her beloved Frank, reincarnated. While her son worries that his mother has lost her mind, the local community seem to embrace the idea of Frank’s return, especially as he coaches a shy local kid to become a star player and ensure success for the school team. Róise is happy once more but is there a real future for her with a dog-husband?

Róise & Frank

It is two years since Róise lost the love of her life, her husband Frank. She is now isolated in grief, cut off from family and community. The arrival of a mysterious dog, who seems intent on connecting with Róise, heralds huge change but is it for the better? The dog loves sport and steaks, has a favourite armchair and an aversion to their neighbour, Donncha. Róise quickly realises that this dog is her beloved Frank, reincarnated. While her son worries that his mother has lost her mind, the local community seem to embrace the idea of Frank’s return, especially as he coaches a shy local kid to become a star player and ensure success for the school team. Róise is happy once more but is there a real future for her with a dog-husband?
MORE / TRAILER

 

Sweet Sue

Fifty-something Sue (Maggie O’Neill) is now back on the dating scene. She meets a mysterious biker called Ron (Tony Pitts) at her brother's funeral and sparks fly. But when she meets Ron’s social-media influencer son Anthony (Harry Trevaldwyn), Sue finds herself in an increasingly surreal battle of wills with this ambitious teenager who is convinced that his dance troupe ‘Electric Destiny’ is tipped for stardom. Will she find the purpose and imagination to bring this little unconventional family together for a chance at happiness?

Sweet Sue

Fifty-something Sue (Maggie O’Neill) is now back on the dating scene. She meets a mysterious biker called Ron (Tony Pitts) at her brother's funeral and sparks fly. But when she meets Ron’s social-media influencer son Anthony (Harry Trevaldwyn), Sue finds herself in an increasingly surreal battle of wills with this ambitious teenager who is convinced that his dance troupe ‘Electric Destiny’ is tipped for stardom. Will she find the purpose and imagination to bring this little unconventional family together for a chance at happiness?
MORE / TRAILER

 

The Critic

The Critic is a story of ambition, blackmail and desire with a dazzling anti-hero at its dark heart. A whodunnit wrapped in a Faustian pact which winds tighter and tighter.

Based on the novel Curtain Call by Anthony Quinn, the film follows an actress who finds herself in a dark situation involving a theatre critic and his paper’s editor in 1930s London.

The Critic

The Critic is a story of ambition, blackmail and desire with a dazzling anti-hero at its dark heart. A whodunnit wrapped in a Faustian pact which winds tighter and tighter.

Based on the novel Curtain Call by Anthony Quinn, the film follows an actress who finds herself in a dark situation involving a theatre critic and his paper’s editor in 1930s London.
MORE / TRAILER

 

The Great Escaper

In the summer of 2014, Bernard Jordan (Sir Michael Caine) made global headlines. He had staged a “great escape” from his care home to join fellow war veterans on a beach in Normandy, commemorating their fallen comrades at the D-Day Landings 70th anniversary.
It was a story that captured the imagination of the world as Bernie embodied the defiant, “can-do” spirit of a generation that was fast disappearing. But of course, it wasn’t the whole story. It was an inspirational but sanitised retelling of one man’s need to come to terms with the lasting trauma of war.
Bernie’s adventure, spanning a mere 48 hours, also marked the culmination of his 60-year marriage to Rene (Glenda Jackson) – THE GREAT ESCAPER celebrates their enduring love but always with an eye to the lessons we might learn from the Greatest Generation.

The Great Escaper

In the summer of 2014, Bernard Jordan (Sir Michael Caine) made global headlines. He had staged a “great escape” from his care home to join fellow war veterans on a beach in Normandy, commemorating their fallen comrades at the D-Day Landings 70th anniversary.
It was a story that captured the imagination of the world as Bernie embodied the defiant, “can-do” spirit of a generation that was fast disappearing. But of course, it wasn’t the whole story. It was an inspirational but sanitised retelling of one man’s need to come to terms with the lasting trauma of war.
Bernie’s adventure, spanning a mere 48 hours, also marked the culmination of his 60-year marriage to Rene (Glenda Jackson) – THE GREAT ESCAPER celebrates their enduring love but always with an eye to the lessons we might learn from the Greatest Generation.

MORE / TRAILER

 

The Old Oak

THE OLD OAK is a special place. Not only is it the last pub standing, but it’s also the only remaining public space where people can meet in a once thriving mining community that has now fallen on hard times after 30 years of decline. TJ Ballantyne (Dave Turner) the landlord hangs on to The Old Oak by his fingertips, and his predicament is endangered even more when the pub becomes contested territory after the arrival of Syrian refugees who are placed in the village without any notice.

In an unlikely friendship TJ meets a curious young Syrian Yara [Ebla Mari] with her camera. Can they find a way for the two communities to understand each other? So unfolds a deeply moving drama about their fragilities and hopes.

The Old Oak

THE OLD OAK is a special place. Not only is it the last pub standing, but it’s also the only remaining public space where people can meet in a once thriving mining community that has now fallen on hard times after 30 years of decline. TJ Ballantyne (Dave Turner) the landlord hangs on to The Old Oak by his fingertips, and his predicament is endangered even more when the pub becomes contested territory after the arrival of Syrian refugees who are placed in the village without any notice.

In an unlikely friendship TJ meets a curious young Syrian Yara [Ebla Mari] with her camera. Can they find a way for the two communities to understand each other? So unfolds a deeply moving drama about their fragilities and hopes.
MORE / TRAILER

 

The Trouble with Jessica

Successful professional London couple Sarah (Shirley Henderson) and Tom (Alan Tudyk) are in deep financial trouble. Their situation takes a terrifying nosedive with the shocking behavior of uninvited dinner guest, Jessica (Indira Varma). Faced with the moral dilemma of their lives - and dragging their best friends Richard (Rufus Sewell) and Beth (Olivia Williams) with them - they make a series of choices that could either be their salvation or destruction.

The Trouble with Jessica

Successful professional London couple Sarah (Shirley Henderson) and Tom (Alan Tudyk) are in deep financial trouble. Their situation takes a terrifying nosedive with the shocking behavior of uninvited dinner guest, Jessica (Indira Varma). Faced with the moral dilemma of their lives - and dragging their best friends Richard (Rufus Sewell) and Beth (Olivia Williams) with them - they make a series of choices that could either be their salvation or destruction.
MORE / TRAILER

 

Typist Artist Pirate King

In a last-ditch mission to get recognition for her talent, Audrey Amiss (MONICA DOLAN) persuades her psychiatric nurse, Sandra Panza (KELLY MACDONALD) to take her on a road trip back to where her story began – but with so many deviations along the way, will they ever make it?

Typist Artist Pirate King

In a last-ditch mission to get recognition for her talent, Audrey Amiss (MONICA DOLAN) persuades her psychiatric nurse, Sandra Panza (KELLY MACDONALD) to take her on a road trip back to where her story began – but with so many deviations along the way, will they ever make it?
MORE / TRAILER

 

Wicked Little Letters

When hundreds of obscene letters mysteriously blight the picturesque British seaside town of Littlehampton, it is up to some foul-mouthed ladies to exonerate the innocent suspect and catch the real culprit. This is a hysterical and honest account of the women who get imprisoned because of their nonconforming behaviour, but still keep fighting for justice in the legal system that completely excludes them: They are demanding to be themselves in a society that advocates a specific kind of female behaviour.

Wicked Little Letters

When hundreds of obscene letters mysteriously blight the picturesque British seaside town of Littlehampton, it is up to some foul-mouthed ladies to exonerate the innocent suspect and catch the real culprit. This is a hysterical and honest account of the women who get imprisoned because of their nonconforming behaviour, but still keep fighting for justice in the legal system that completely excludes them: They are demanding to be themselves in a society that advocates a specific kind of female behaviour.
MORE / TRAILER