Three New Zealand Films to Screen at Toronto International Film Festival

Three New Zealand films have been included in the programme of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival (TiFF). 

Tammy Davis’ Born To Dance and Leanne Pooley’s 25 April will have their World Premieres at the festival, and Pietra Brettkelly’s Three New Zealand films have been included in the programme of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival (TiFF).  Tammy Davis’ Born To Dance and Leanne Pooley’s 25 April will have their World Premieres at the festival, and Pietra Brettkelly’s A Flickering Truth will follow its Venice World Premiere with a North American premiere at TiFF. will follow its Venice World Premiere with a North American premiere at TiFF.

Directed by Tammy Davis and produced by Jill McNabb, Leanne Saunders and Daniel Story, Born to Dance features some of the world’s top hip hop dancers with choreography by world champion Parris Goebel.

Born to Dance tells the story of Tu Kaea, who gets the chance to audition for K-Crew, the best hip hop crew in the country, but has to go behind the backs of his home crew and his best friend Benjy. Things get even more complicated when he starts falling for Sasha, the girlfriend of K-Crew’s leader. When Tu’s old crew and new crew clash, he has to make a decision that will change his life forever.

Born To Dance stars popular singer and X Factor New Zealand judge Stan Walker (Benjy), champion hip hop dancer Tia Maipi (Tu) and Kherington Payne (Sasha) (Fame, So You Think You Can Dance, The Dance Scene).

Born to Dance releases on New Zealand screens on 24 September.

25 April is directed by Leanne Pooley and produced by Matthew Metcalfe with animation by Auckland’s Flux Animation Studios.  The film tells the story of Gallipoli through the letters and diaries of some of those who served in the campaign.

Pooley’s last two documentary features premiered at TiFF. Beyond the Edge screened in 2014 and was runner up for the People’s Choice Award for Documentary. Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls won the award in 2009.

“I am delighted that 25 April will have its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.  Three years in the making and lovingly crafted by director Leanne Pooley and the team at Flux Animation Studios it invites audiences to experience the profound events of the failed Dardanelles campaign from a very different perspective,” says Metcalfe.

A Flickering Truth, directed by Pietra Brettkelly, documents the preservation of Afghanistan’s film archive.  The film follows three men who have dedicated decades to protecting this important vessel of Afghan culture through 100 years, hiding it from the Taleban, protecting it from the ravages of war and Kabul’s extreme weather. Now their project is to restore the archive and save the thousands of hours of film revealing cinema from the time of King Amanullah in the 1920s, the invasion of the Russians, and the days when women wore miniskirts.

Brettkelly’s previous films include Māori Boy Genius, which premiered in competition at the Berlin Film Festival in 2012 and The Art Star and the Sudanese Twins which won the World Documentary Editing award at Sundance in 2008.

Brettkelly says, "Having my film’s North American premiere at Toronto will round out an extraordinary launch of A Flickering Truth having just come from its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival. I hope this bodes well for the film's success and reach to international audiences that will see the beauty of the people and the films of Afghanistan.”

The New Zealand Film Commission invested in all three films. Congratulating the filmmakers, NZFC CEO Dave Gibson said, “It’s exciting to be introducing two new filmmakers to the TiFF audience, and to return with Leanne and Matthew.  This is an important festival for New Zealand, as it gives us a chance to showcase our films to North American audiences, and tell them our stories.”

The Toronto International Film Festival takes place annually in September and is one of the world’s leading public film festivals, screening around 300 films from more than 60 countries. It is considered a key festival for launching North American and European independent productions. New Zealand films which have previously screened at Toronto include The Dark Horse, The Dead Lands, The Last Dogs of Winter, The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls, The Vintner's Luck, The World's Fastest Indian, Matariki, Beyond The Edge, White Lies,Giselle and Whale Rider, which won the People's Choice Award in 2002 .

TiFF 2015 runs September 2-12.