Right up until this Sunday 30th June, Ōtautahi Christchurch is hosting the Doc Edge International Documentary Film Festival, an Oscar-qualifying film event bringing members of the international film industry and a multitude of film events and experiences, including world premieres, to the city.
Now in its 19th year, this year’s festival programme includes 66 films screening at Hoyts EntX, Alice Cinema and Lumiere Cinemas, and 28 immersive projects. It also boasts the largest number of world premieres, many of which are international films, including 11 feature films, nine short films, and 10 immersive projects.
“This record underscores our reputation as a must-premiere screening festival, offering a unique viewing opportunity to local audiences and showcasing films destined to be the world’s latest and most important documentary works. It will also be the first time that many of these films are being seen by the filmmakers, producers and crew, with many travelling a very long way for that first-viewing experience, which is pretty special.”
“Our decision to host the festival in Ōtautahi Christchurch came down to our desire to work with the local community and ChristchurchNZ were very keen to support us to be an Asia-Pacific hub for all things documentary. It’s not about us just being a festival – it’s about working with other events in the city, such as Tīrama Mai and the Matariki programme of events at the Arts Centre to create a festival city vibe over that time. It’s really important for our international guests coming into the country to experience the Matariki season and everything that Ōtautahi Christchurch can offer.”
“The big growth for us this year is around our immersive exhibition. There are so many other ways to experience documentary these days, whether that is through a computer or an immersive experience in a 360 surround space or on a headset. With 28 projects across the city, we have the biggest exhibition of this type in the Asia-Pacific region. It is something that is unique to Ōtautahi Christchurch as well, as when we take the festival to Auckland and Wellington, we take the films and only a snippet of the immersive element. With the Immersive Exhibition being a free offering we are really aiming to make documentary more accessible to more people.”
The Doc Edge documentary film festival balances the city’s major events portfolio with a multi-day arts and cultural event in the middle of winter. “Alongside providing visitors and residents with a record-breaking program of international premieres and immersive experiences, there’s a host of interactive activities designed to grow our region’s film-making capacity,” says ChristchurchNZ Head of Major events Karena Finnie.
Don’t miss out, check out the full programme and book your tickets now at https://docedge.nz/
