National Theatre Live: Allelujah!
In cinemas July 25
Allelujah! is a brand new play from one of Britain's best-loved writers Alan Bennett. His celebrated plays include The History Boys, The Lady in the Van and The Madness of George III.
The play takes place in The Beth, a small hospital in England serving a small town in Yorkshire. The hospital, part of the UK's free National Health Service (NHS), is threatened with closure as part of a money-saving drive by the government. A documentary crew, eager to capture its fight for survival, follows the daily struggles at the hospital and the triumphs of the old people's choir.
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In cinemas July 25
In what is expected to be a Wagnerian event for the ages, soprano Christine Goerke plays Brünnhilde, the willful title warrior maiden, who loses her immortality in opera’s most famous act of filial defiance. Tenor Stuart Skelton and soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek are the twins Siegmund and Sieglinde, and bass-baritone Greer Grimsley sings the god Wotan. Philippe Jordan conducts.
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See it first at NZIFF on August 3, then in cinemas nationwide August 15
Director Tearepa Kahi (Poi E: The Story of Our Song) adds to his exploration of New Zealand’s vibrant musical history with the story of Herbs. The much-loved pioneers of Pacific Reggae were creators of uniquely kiwi protest songs like “Nuclear Free Pacific”, the now-classic “Sensitive to a Smile” and the garage-party good-times anthem “Long Ago”.
40 years on from the formation of the band in the heat of the 1970s Dawn Raids and the Bastion Point occupation, the film documents the band in the context of music as social activism.
HERBS: Songs of Freedom brings together some of the band’s key members in an emotional round of interviews, jams and memories culminating in a 2017 reunion concert in which Herbs past and present share their musical talents, energy and aroha. In one highlight amongst many, they are joined onstage by Annie Crummer for their 1992 hit “See What Love Can Do”.
