Kia ora

Welcome to Documentary Edge Festival 2011.

It is our pleasure to present you with the 6th edition of Documentary Edge Festival programme. The Festival is a treat to all documentary lovers and we hope that the film selection this year will attract new audiences too. 64 films from New Zealand and around the world were carefully curated for the 2011 Festival.

The films are divided into 7 categories: New Zealand, Best of Fest, World Cinema, Culture Vultures, Heroes & Icons, a spotlight All in the Family and a new category On the Edge. We are also proud to include a Special Presentation which is Spike Lee’s latest documentary, If God is Willing and Da Creek Don't Rise.

The Festival will open with Alexandre O. Philippe’s film, The People vs. George Lucas, which examines the conflicted dynamics between George Lucas and his fans. It will close with Oliver Stone’s excitable journey throughout the political reformers of South America, South of the Border.

All the films in the Festival are in competition and the winners will be announced at the Documentary Edge Gala on the 24th of Feb 2011. We are delighted to bring Documentary Edge Festival to new venues in Auckland. For the first time, the Festival will fully run at Event Cinemas in Newmarket with satellite screenings at Academy Cinemas (CBD) and the recently reopened Victoria Picture Palace in Devonport.

In Wellington, we return to Angelika at Reading Cinemas Courtenay and also lunch time screenings at City Gallery. Please look out for us and the Festival’s volunteers at these venues. We can help you with any questions you may have about the Festival or just let us know which films you like best.

Documentary Edge Festival is proud to be the first film festival in NZ to launch its own iPhone applet. For iPhone users, you will be able to download the applet for free and have access to the full festival programme - film synopsis, schedules, venues, and ticketing information, at your finger tips, at all times!

A BIG Thank You to our sponsors and supporters for sharing with us the passion for documentary films and helping us bring them to New Zealand. Please support our partners and show them that you appreciate their generous contribution to Documentary Edge and the promotion of documentaries in New Zealand.

It’s summer time in NZ and whether you are a visitor to our beautiful country or a local, we invite you to travel around the world from the comfort seat of the cinema, watch the best documentaries from the past year, meet filmmakers, engage in Question & Answer sessions, and most of all, enjoy the Festival!

Ka kite

Alex Lee and Dan Shanan
Directors
The Documentary New Zealand Trust

Introducing Documentary Edge Ambassador – Kate Rodger

I’ve watched the New Zealand documentary community go from strength to strength over the past decade, as our talented, versatile, committed and passionate documentary filmmakers deliver compelling and illuminating stories, told with fervour, class, compassion, and an eye for their audience. The Documentary Edge has been a big part of this growing community, supporting these filmmakers, highlighting and promoting their work, and helping them find that audience.

The more eyeballs, ears and hearts we can firmly plant in front of great New Zealand stories, our true stories, in a way which can change perceptions, preconceptions, and opinions, the better.

It’s a real privilege to act as an ambassador for the Documentary Edge Festival for 2011, and I can’t wait to sink my teeth into some juicy documentary features from both here, and beyond our borders.

Kate Rodger
Documentary Edge Ambassador

Kate Rodger has been the primetime entertainment reporter and Film3 reviewer for 3News for the past six years, and recently launched her own late night film show on TV3: Reel Late With Kate.