The messy realities of life behind latest Academy film festival

Tāmaki Makaurau's Academy Cinemas latest film festival, all at once, includes 10 films ranging from Academy Award nominees and winners to lesser-known foreign films.

The films all share themes about the messy realities of life, whether they be a teenage rebellion, the love of family or human experience in a newly post-communist world.

Academy Award nominee and modern cult classic, Worst Person in the World, opened the festival on May 8.

Hungarian film Sátántangó, from 1994, has been chosen as the festival closer.

The film which is regarded as a monumental cinematic achievement by the British Film Institute with an infamous run time of seven and a half hours will be shown on May 24.

Starting at 12 noon, with two 15-minute intervals, the credits will finally roll at 8pm that night, wrapping up the festival.

The festival programmer and general manager at Academy Cinema, Stefan Moon, said the festival was "less about a strict thesis and more about a shared emotional texture".

"We wanted a lineup that felt honest and not overly neat. Many of the films we love and that audiences respond to sit in that space where life isn’t resolved or easily explained."

A theme around the messiness of life felt like a way to group films that dealt with contradiction, vulnerability, and the in-between moments people actually recognised in themselves, he said.

In-house film festivals are becoming an increasingly popular way for independent cinemas to attract casual movie goers and cinephiles alike.

"When there’s a clear idea or point of view behind a programme, it gives people a reason to come beyond just seeing a film.

"It turns it into something more like a curated experience. We always try to make our line-up intentional, as audiences can trust that what they’re seeing has been chosen for a reason, not just slotted in without a second thought," said Moon.

President of the AUT film club Ashok James said he had been a fan of Academy Cinemas and its work for years due to its willingness to organise interesting film programming, including great films that are not mainstream.

“The theme of the festival being ‘the messiness of being alive’ is pretty broad to me which I think is a strength. It means they can get a diverse range of films all under one roof.

“You get stuff you’ve already seen and want to revisit, but it also entices you to maybe explore films outside your comfort zone.”

This is not the first in-house festival Academy has held and it won't be the last, as Moon said Academy hopes that the festival feels cohesive but not restrictive.

"[We hope it] allows people to watch one film or a few and still feel part of something. Ideally it sparks conversation, maybe even a bit of self-recognition and more broadly, it reinforces the idea that going to the cinema can still feel personal and communal simultaneously, not just transactional.”

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