‘Born To Dance’ a New Zealand film directed by Tammy Davis is one of three New Zealand films selected to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The other two New Zealand films set to feature at the prestigious event are Leanne Pooley’s ‘25 April’ and Pietra Brettkelly’s ‘A Flickering Truth.’
‘Born to Dance’ tells the story of Tu Kaea, who gets the chance to audition for K-Crew, the best hip hop crew in the country, but has to go behind the backs of his home crew and his best friend Benjy. The story tells of all his encounters in his pursuit and features some of the world’s top hip hop dancers with choreography by world champion Parris Goebel.
The film stars Stan Walker, champion hip hop dancer Tia Maipi and Kherington Payne.
'25 April' directed by Leanne Pooley tells the story of Gallipoli through the letters and diaries of some of those who served in the campaign.
The third New Zealand film ‘A Flickering Truth’, directed by Pietra Brettkelly, documents the preservation of Afghanistan’s film archive and follows three men who have dedicated decades to protecting this important vessel of Afghan culture.
The New Zealand Film Commission CEO Dave Gibson says, “It’s exciting to be introducing two new filmmakers to the TiFF audience, and to return with Leanne and Matthew. This is an important festival for New Zealand, as it gives us a chance to showcase our films to North American audiences, and tell them our stories.”
The Toronto International Film Festival is an annual event and features around 300 films from more than 60 countries.
New Zealand films which have previously screened at Toronto include The Dark Horse, The Dead Lands, The Last Dogs of Winter, The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls, The Vintner's Luck, The World's Fastest Indian, Matariki, Beyond The Edge, White Lies and Giselle.