In 1996 seven of the nine monks from the monastery of Tibhirine in Algeria were abducted by rebels and killed, possibly during a rescue attempt by government soldiers. Ten years later, Etienne Comar began to turn their story into a film script – Of Gods and Men. A devout Catholic, Comar was fascinated, not by the execution of the monks, but by their decision to stand by the small, rural, Muslim community that they served [...]

Saturday July 17th saw the world premiere of THE INSATIABLE MOON – a kiwi film written/co-produced by Mike Riddell and directed by his wife Rosemary Riddell. They’ve created a deeply emotive movie and when you consider the difficulties they overcame you realize what a remarkable achievement it is. Mike’s novel – published in 1997 – is outstanding and controversial. It was based on his experiences working with psych patients in halfway houses while he was [...]

The following was authored by Sarah Heanaghan – Supporter Relations Co-ordinator at TEAR Fund NZ. Homeless but not Hopeless Susan Koch and Jeff Werner’s documentary, ‘Kicking It’ based on the Homeless World Cup, explores how a ball can change the world. Far from the stereotypical view of homelessness, this documentary seeks to challenge our preconceived ideas. It embraces your heart and views with the lives of six diverse individuals from all corners of the globe. [...]

This review also appears at Filmguide. Northern Uganda is an area ripped apart by war. The children of this area have been subject to atrocities many of us couldn’t even imagine. The directors of War Dance, Sean Fines and Andrea Nix Fine, traveled to the area with the intention of making a film about the problems of Northern Uganda and found the children of Acholi, the tribe most affected by the strife. The film follows [...]

Originally written for Filmguide. Taxi to the Dark Side chronicles the story of a young man from Afghanistan called Dilawar, a taxi driver who was taken into custody and detained in 2002. He died in the American prison in Bagram only months later. Dilawar was innocent and had no part in the incident that he was supposed to have been an accomplice in.

Written By Jacob Powell (Film Critic) Reprinted with permission from Filmguide. For more reviews from the NZ Film Festival or more reviews by Jacob Powell, visit Filmguide. Chances are you’ve seen some of the shocking photographs of torture, humiliation and death that emerged into the wild from the goings on of the American military prison in Abu Ghraib, Iraq; or at least you’ve heard of these pictures via the media aftermath that followed their release. [...]