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On the 1st of May 1979, in Auckland, New Zealand/Aotearoa, a group of Māori activists clashed with a group of engineering students who were engaging in their annual drunken ‘haka party’ and parade. In Katie Wolfe’s documentary, which screened as part of ImagineNative 2025, one of the students recalls that it wasn’t until the incident got to court that he realised it was about something much bigger. It would emerge as a pivotal moment in the history of the Māori struggle for equality. This film looks into the circumstances of the clash itself, speaking to a number of participants from each side.

They’re all older and wiser now. That distance has made it possible for them to look critically at their actions, though there is also a measure of respect here for the impulsivity of youth, without which change that they can all now see was needed might not have.

Quirky, fan-favorite crime drama The Brokenwood Mysteries returns with an all-new season exclusively on Acorn TV in the US and Canada on Monday, April 21. Additional episodes of the series’ six-episode eleventh season drop weekly on Mondays on the platform.

Starring Neill Rea as Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Shepherd and Fern Sutherland (The Almighty Johnsons) as by-the-book Detective Kristin Sims, the captivating series sees the formidable duo and their team investigate crimes in the sleepy and secret-filled town of Brokenwood, New Zealand.

From seemingly supernatural incidents in the idyllic community of Brokenwood to mysterious murders with hidden motives, Season 11 of the series sees Shepherd and his team plunge into a web of deception, greed, and dark secrets, using less-than-conventional methods to tackle their most perplexing cases yet.

The all-new season of The Brokenwood Mysteries also sees the return of Cristina Serban Ionda (Filthy Rich) as eccentric pathologist Dr. Gina Kadinsky and...

The Sundance Film Festival 2011 has a great line-up of movies this year, and I'm really excited about what we are going to get to see this year. The festival has just released their short film line-up, which is always cool to check out. Some of these movies are underated, but I've seen some pretty incredible live-action and animated short films at the festival.

Here's the official press release and list of films for you to check out:

Park City, Ut— Sundance Institute announced today the program of short films selected to screen at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. This year the Festival's Short Film Program comprises 81 short films from U.S. and international filmmakers selected from 6,467 submissions up 6% over 2010. The 2011 Sundance Film Festival runs January 20-30 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah. The complete list of films is available at www.sundance.org/festival. ”It’s a...

The 2011 Sundance Film Festival is shaping up quite nicely. The films in competition [1], and out of competition [2], have already been announced and each has some incredibly exciting entries. Monday brought the announcement of the 81 short films, chosen out of 6,467 entries, that will play in Park City, Utah this January. And while the majority of them are by currently unknown filmmakers, there are a few that jump out featuring names like Elijah Wood, Danny McBride, Seth Rogen, Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly and Jack Black. Actually, those guys are all in the same short. Other notables include Neil Labute, Tim & Eric and Isabella Rossellini. After the jump, we'll highlight those films and show you the full list. Scanning the list, here are the films that stick out as particularly exciting. Fight For Your Right Revisited (Director and Screenwriter: Adam Yauch) - After the boys leave the party... Cast: Elijah Wood, Danny McBride,...

HollywoodNews.com: Sundance Institute announced today the program of short films selected to screen at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. This year the Festival’s Short Film Program comprises 81 short films from U.S. and international filmmakers selected from 6,467 submissions up 6% over 2010. The 2011 Sundance Film Festival runs January 20-30 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah.

“It’s a marvel to discover the creativity in this year’s shorts program. These filmmakers are charged with telling compelling stories, nurturing breakout performances and engaging the audience, all in a fraction of the time allocated to features, and each one delivers,” said Trevor Groth, Sundance Film Festival Director of Programming. “For 2011, we are pleased to be able to shine a light on indigenous filmmakers working around the world in the short-form medium, and to provide festival goers with a window into native storytelling.”

“These directors have once again raised the...

Well, we’ve see the list of feature-length films that are in the 2011 lineup of the Sundance Film Festival. Just moments ago, the festival revealed the full list of short films that will accompany those features – 44 in total, from a record 3,453 submissions! Wow! Glad I’m not on that judging committee.

But of note in the below list are 2 filmmakers who are followers of this blog, both I’ve communicated with in the past – one actually was mentioned on Black Filmmakers To Watch thread, so we may as well add the other.

I’m referring to Moon Molson and Tahir Jetter.

Moon’s short film is titled Crazy Beats Strong Every Time. Some may recall that, in September, I posted an entry for Moon, to help raise money to complete the short film. He was trying to raise $8,000, and actually ended up raising $10,250! So, congrats to Moon! The synopsis for...

Could 2010 be the year that New Zealand short filmmakers take over the world? The year began promisingly as Mark Albiston and Louis Sutherland's "The Six Dollar Fifty Man" took the jury prize in international short filmmaking at January's Sundance Film Festival. And now at Berlin, Katie Wolfe's "Redemption" and Leo Woodhead's "Zero" world premiere in the Berlinale Shorts and the Generation 14plus category, respectively. With so many talented Kiwis making ...

I heart Palm Springs! Why not? It's my hometown :happy

And I equally heart the Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films! Honestly, I like this better than the bloated International Film Fest in January. Why? Because this is more about the craft of filmmaking than the celebrities.

Also, the Short Fest is a good predictor of the Oscars for Best Short Film. So pay attention to the winners, and then next year, take a look at the nominees. Chances are, you'll hear about them again at the Oscars!

The 2009 Palm Springs International ShortFest award winners are:

Jury Awards

Best of Festival, "The Dinner" (Vacsora), Karchi Perlmann

Future Filmmaker Award, Katie Wolfe, "This is Her"

Panavision Grand Jury Award, "Jonathan's Home," Nathanael Carton

Audience Awards

Live Action Short, "Dandelion Dharma," Veronica Dipippo

Documentary Short, "Claiming the Title: Gay Olympics On Trial," Jonathan Joiner, Robert H. Martin

Animation Short, "Lost and Found,...

Hungarian film-maker Karchi Perlmann's "The Dinner" (Vacsora), the tale of a hapless pig farmer, received the best of festival award at the 2009 Palm Springs International ShortFest & Short Film Market, which concluded Sunday.

Nathanaelcq Carton's "Jonathan's Home" took home the Panavision grand jury award and best live action award.

Katie Wolfe's "This is Her" scored the future filmmaker award.

Winners were announced Sunday as the fest, which screened 315 short films from among more than 2,200 submissions, drew to a close on Monday. A total of 27 awards were handed out.

The 2009 Palm Springs International ShortFest award winners are:

Jury Awards

Best of Festival, "The Dinner" (Vacsora), Karchi Perlmann

Future Filmmaker Award, Katie Wolfe, "This is Her"

Panavision Grand Jury Award, "Jonathan's Home," Nathanael Carton

Audience Awards

Live Action Short, "Dandelion Dharma," Veronica Dipippo

Documentary Short, "Claiming the Title: Gay Olympics On Trial," Jonathan Joiner, Robert H. Martin

Animation Short, "Lost and Found,...

• Screening before Alexis Dos Santos' Unmade Bed, was this short from New Zealand. Based on a story written by Kate McDermott (left on pic) and directed by Katie Wolfe (right), my initial afterthought was this is a short that I hope makes its way on the film fest circuit. When I bumped into Katie after the screening and exchanged contact info for an eventual interview, her postcard revealed that this has pretty much made been featured everywhere: the 08 editions of the Telluride, Edinburgh and New York Film Festival. Wolfe merges fluid images with a candor and authentic language -- and it is the brash thoughts found in the narration that ultimately sets the tone -- reminding us that humans make cute things that turn ugly, that best intentions over time can amount to nothing. I won't bother going into more details, except mention that I'll be featuring This

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