A tale of two festivals

I hope everyone’s keeping warm. We’re now past the mid-point of winter, the sun is shining and I’ve got a feeling that we may never be cold again.

As I write this, two million people are being forceably starved in Gaza. Those burdened with consciences have been unable to look away from the gut-wrenching escalation of the violence that hasn’t ceased since 7 October 2023, which in turn was an escalation of the violence that has fluctuated between simmering and boiling-over since 1948. That year’s Nakba was only possible because centuries of colonial violence (including at the hands of New Zealand and its Turkish frenemies) had successfully dehumanised Palestinians in the eyes of the West.

Sometimes history feels like an infinite pile of skeletons.

But the dehumanisation project is failing

For the most part, it is the job of mainstream cinema and media to ignore this pile of skeletons for as long as possible. We’re now at the point when Omar El Akkad’s prediction that One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This is starting to materialise and parties who were previously on the side of the reaper (notably RNZ and Winston Peters) are beginning to hedge their bets and get in on the reputation-laundering racket.

But one local player is stubbonly refusing to change its tune: Doc Edge. Our very own Academy Award qualifying film festival has been showing the pro-genocide documentary A Letter to David around the country. By all accounts, these screenings have been underselling. Those who aren’t aware of the festival’s politics are put-off by its cringe marketing campaign and the obnoxious behaviour of its representatives. While so many undeserving cultural institutions are dying, I would like all funders, filmmakers and venues to commit to a stretch goal: make 2025 the final year of Doc Edge!

On Monday, I was privileged to be able to support an event at Te Auaha, days after it was announced that the venue (one that so many in the city rely on) would close. In association with Justice for Palestine and Aotearoa Healthcare Workers for Palestine, we screened Beyond the Front Lines as counter-programming to the nasty piece of hasbara playing that same night. Even with only five days notice, we were able to do something that Doc Edge couldn’t and sold out the cinema, raising hundreds of dollars for the Gaza Mental Health Foundation. There are so many more of us than there are of them.

While introducing the film, I read a quote from Dr Samah Jabr, its psychiatrist subject:

The film is brave because it does not claim to be "balanced" through positioning itself at equal distance from the occupier and the occupied of Palestine. Instead, it sheds light on the Palestinian experience and point of view: experiences and views which are usually silenced, distorted, or vilified by mainstream media.

This is an important point because Doc Edge has a habit of pretending documentary is somehow more real or truthful than other artforms. They claim they're not screening pro-genocide propaganda, they’re just holding a mirror up to reality (what Werner Herzog would disdainfully call “the truth of accountants”). Dr Jabr clearly understands that all art and media is subjective but that it somehow gets a pass when it supports structures of power than dehumanise Palestinians.

Unfortunately, being on the side of humanity doesn’t pay well which is why so many pathways for artists are disappearing. It’s really hard to get your film shown in Aotearoa and a lot of filmmakers work with Doc Edge because they’re the only ones that will show their documentaries1. Although consumer activism has its limitations, it can be an effective lever for change when wielded with intent. So as you boycott Doc Edge, I am asking you to support filmmakers and other artists, especially if they’re Palestinian or Indigenous.

Which brings me to the real film festival…

Unlike Doc Edge, the New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF) programmes Palestinian films. This year, there are three to choose from that are either by Palestinians or about the humanity of Palestinians. I have tickets to all three: Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk, Happy Holidays and Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989.

Although a three-and-a-half hour Swedish archival documentary may be a hard sell, I’d like encourage people to check it out. One of the unexpected joys of 2025 is the abundance of films that use archival footage effectively. From features like Nickel Boys and Caught by the Tides to series like Shifty and shorts like Palcorecore, collage filmmaking has never been better. Even the new Mission Impossible was half clip-show2. For a filmmaker to turn this technique to his own country’s coverage of the most pressing moral issue of our era is a must-watch for me. I may not be well-versed in the Swedish media landscape but I’m sure there’ll be plenty of parallels with our own national broadcaster as well as pathetic institutions like Doc Edge.

I hope to see you at the movies.

xoxo

Johnny

P.S. in case you’re looking for other recommendations, this year’s programme is jam-packed with good stuff3:

• All the retro screenings will be worth checking out but I’m prioritising Werckmeister Harmonies and Texas Chainsaw Massacre, only because I’ve recently rewatched Angel’s Egg and Hard Boiled (both of which are great).
• The selection of Southeast Asian films is also really good this year! I’m going to get along to Crocodile Tears and Abang Adik.
• There are a few films that I know are good but that I can’t make the timing work. In particular: Kontinental ‘25, Brand New Landscape and The Weed Eaters.
• A lot of the highest profile films like It Was Just an Accident, Eddington and Sentimental Value will likely be easy to see after the festival so don’t stress if they sell out.
• So many of ‘my guys’ have films this year. I could not be more excited for the Dardenne brothers’ Young Mothers, Kleber Mendonça Filho’s The Secret Agent, Albert Serra’s Afternoons of Solitude, Kelly Reichardt’s The Mastermind, Christian Petzold’s Mirrors No. 3 and David Cronenberg’s The Shrouds.
• BUT, my most anticipated of all is Bi Gan’s Resurrection. When his last film, Long Day’s Journey into Night (my favourite of NZIFF 2019), flourished with a 59-minute unbroken 3D shot, I started levitating in row E. I cannot wait to see how he weaves a science fiction narrative all the way through China’s 20th Century into the future and the realm of dreams. Expect impeccably choreographed shots that last up to half an hour and leave irreversible burn-marks on your neural pathways.
• Also, the quiz will be amazing but unfortunately for you it booked out immediately.