Films that will put you on the edge of your seat at MFF2020
The Legend of Baron To’a
The Karate Kid meets South Auckland when Fritz (played by Australian-Tongan actor Uli Latukefu) learns the warrior ways of his old Dad, so he can secure the return of his family’s treasured pro-wrestling title belt from local gangsters. The Legend of Baron To’a marks the first feature from director Kiel McNaughton, whose credits include Auckland Daze and Find Me a Māori Bride. McNaughton also produced acclaimed films Waru and Vai with his wife Kerry Warkia. The action/comedy boasts a stellar Pasifika/Māori cast, including Jay Laga’aia and Shavaughn Ruakere.
Take Home Pay
Take Home Pay marks the third self-funded feature for writer/director SQS. Three Wise Cousins and Hibiscus and Ruthless both proved popular with audiences and critics. This ‘action comedy’ focusses on Samoan brothers Popo (Ronnie Taulafo) and Alama (Vito Vito) who ditch the taro fields of home for the promise of big money, picking kiwifruit in Aotearoa. When Popo steals their wages and goes AWOL, Alama calls on his relative, unorthodox private investigator Bob Titilo (ex Laughing Samoan Tofiga Fepulea’i) to help track his brother down. Magnum P.I. he ain’t.
Thursday March 19, 8 pm
Ngā Purapura
Red Snow
Red Snow is a dramatic feature that begins when Dylan, a Gwich’in soldier from the Canadian Arctic, is caught in an ambush in Afghanistan. His capture and interrogation by a Taliban Commander releases a cache of memories connected to the love and death of his Inuit cousin, Asana, and binds him closer to a Pashtun family as they escape across treacherous landscapes and through a blizzard that becomes their key to survival. Written and directed by Marie Clements.
Friday March 20, 9 pm
Ngā Purapura
Blood Quantum
The dead are coming back to life outside the isolated Mi’gMaq reserve of Red Crow, except for its Indigenous inhabitants who are strangely immune to the zombie plague. Traylor, the local tribal law enforcement, armed with nothing but a gun, a hangover, and a six-pack, must protect his son’s pregnant girlfriend, apocalyptic refugees, and drunken reserve riff-raff from the hordes of walking corpses infesting the streets of Red Crow.
Restricted 18 +
Friday March 19, 8:30 pm
The Civic Theatre
The Cursed Harp
A young teacher, Sardaana arrives at a village for work as a teacher. She meets a young photographer Nyurgun, and he invites her to look at the museum full of spooky items. When Nyurgun is absent for business, Sardaana falls under the influence of the call of an ancient khomus in a locked box.
Saturday March 21, 8:30 pm
The Civic Theatre