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An effulgent love letter to ’80s kid cinema laced with a distinctly quirky, Kiwi dryness, Ant Timpson’s heartwarming Bookworm reunites star Elijah Wood both with his Come to Daddy director and New Zealand (this time sans hobbit feet). It also gives pre-teen star Nell Fisher a breakout leading role as the precious kid to end all precocious kids.

Wood turns the quirks of his starry-eyed but hilariously inept dad into comic gold as the man does what he can to endear himself to his kid, with lots of funny business involving card decks, false thumbs, and chains of scarves. And Fisher makes an absolute meal of dialogue that would be challenging for any actor, let alone one so relatively young and untested.

When her mother is left in a coma after a tragic toaster explosion, Mildred (Fisher) is forced to reconcile with her long-absent father, Strawn Wise (Wood). A deadbeat,...

Being married to a genuine bookworm, I know what it’s like to compete for attention with a mountain of thrilling page-turners. My wife has read an estimated 300 novels this year, so I sympathize with Elija Wood’s Strawn as he attempts to appeal to the mind of someone overflowing with information and imagination. In today’s Bookworm trailer, father and daughter embark on an epic journey into the wilderness in search of an elusive Canterbury Panther. However, neither came prepared to find love and the beginnings of forgiveness alongside danger and adventure.

Here’s the official synopsis for Bookworm courtesy of Vertical:

Bookworm follows 11-year-old Mildred (Nell Fisher), whose life takes a wild turn when her estranged father, Strawn Wise (Elijah Wood), a washed-up Las Vegas illusionist, suddenly reappears. Years ago, after a magical encounter with the once-charming Strawn, Mildred’s mom moved back to New Zealand. Now, a...

Caught between the tendrils of “Swiss Family Robinson” and the fish-out-water jokes that make “The Parent Trap” legendary, Ant Timpson’s “Bookworm” should be celebrated as an instant classic. That’s true not just for fans of the old-fashioned family adventure genre but for any cinephiles seeking a heartfelt father-daughter quest that’s drenched in sun, mystery, and fart jokes this fall.

For the visionary director’s sophomore feature, Timpson reunites his “Come to Daddy” cohorts to tremendous, even dazzling effect. The filmmaker once again collaborates with star Elijah Wood, writer Toby Harvard, and cinematographer Dan Katz — this time for a kid-friendly romp hunting a local legend through the director’s native New Zealand wilderness. You can watch the stunning trailer above, which IndieWire exclusively debuts ahead of the film’s U.S. premiere at Fantastic Fest on September 22.

Opposite newcomer Nell Fisher (soon to be seen in “Stranger Things” Season 5) as the unstoppable Mildred,...

Exclusive: Signature Entertainment has picked up UK and Irish rights to Bookworm, the latest film from Kiwi filmmaker Ant Timpson (Come to Daddy) starring Elijah Wood.

Described as an “adventure comedy”, the film is produced by Emma Slade (Come to Daddy), Roxi Bull (Uproar), and Victoria Dabbs (Malevolent) of Firefly Films New Zealand and Mette-Marie Kongsved (I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore), Laura Tunstall (Nine Days) of Nowhere.

Timpson directs from a screenplay he co-wrote with Toby Harvard (The Greasy Strangler). Starring alongside Wood are Michael Smiley (Free Fire), Nell Fisher (Evil Dead Rise), Morgana O’Reilly (Housebound), and Nikki Si’ulepa (Same But Different: A True New Zealand Love Story). The film’s plot tells the story of a 12-year-old whose life is turned upside down when her estranged, washed-up American magician father comes to look after her.

The deal was negotiated between Signature Entertainment’s Chief Commercial...

Comes a Bright Day

"With another twelve world premieres and three international premieres, Generation’s feature-length film program is now complete," the Berlinale's announced today. "A total of 58 short and full-length films from 32 countries have been selected for the Generation Kplus and Generation 14plus competitions." Straight from the release, then, with descriptions from the festival:

Generation 14plus

Comes a Bright Day (Great Britain, by Simon Aboud) – Against the backdrop of an armed robbery at a London jewellers, much more is at stake than money. Where diamonds are involved, love is not far. Cast: Craig Roberts, Imogen Poots, Kevin McKidd, Timothy Spall and others. World Premiere. Site.

Lal Gece (Night of Silence, Turkey, by Reis Çelik) – When the groom lifts the bride’s veil, he is looking into the face of a 14-year-old girl. As tradition has it, a night in the bridal chamber seals the marriage. Cast: Ilyas Salman, Dilan Aksüt and others.