Catch the 2012 New Zealand Film Festival from February 23 to 28 at the Shang Cineplex, Shangri-La Plaza, Mandaluyong City.

Eagle vs. Shark

Schedule: February 23, 2 p.m.; February 27, 8 p.m.

Synopsis: Lily is the quiet, awkward loner who doesn't fit in anywhere--but that could change. Jarrod is a warrior in his own world who thinks he's brave and powerful and is blind to Lily's adoration--but that could change, too. Lily crashes Jarrod's party, ends up in his home town, and lands a leading role in his hell-bent plan to beat up an old high school bully. They tackle estranged family and even stranger friends, only to find the real foe may be in the mirror.

In My Father's Den

Schedule: February 23, 8 p.m.; February 26, 5 p.m.

Synopsis: Paul, a battle-weary war photographer, returns to his remote New Zealand hometown when his father dies and faces the past he left behind. To his surprise, he also finds 16-year-old Celia, the daughter of his first girlfriend, who hungers for the world beyond her small town. But many, including the members of both their families, frown upon their friendship. When Celia goes missing, Paul becomes increasingly persecuted as the prime suspect in her disappearance.

The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls

Schedule: February 24, 2 p.m.; February 27, 5 p.m.

Synopsis: The film offers a look into the lives of the world's only comedic, country singing, dancing, and yodeling lesbian twin sisters. Through rarely-seen archive footage and home movies, the film features a series of special interviews with some of the Topp's infamous comedy alter-egos including candid chats with the two Kens, Camp Mother and Camp Leader, the Bowling Ladies, and the Posh Socialite sisters Prue and Dilly. 

Sione's Wedding

Schedule: February 24, 5 p.m.; February 26, 8 p.m.

Synopsis: Sione is getting married, but there's a problem. Actually, there are four problems: Sione's brother Michael and his three best mates Albert, Stanley, and Sefa. They're 30-somethings, but they act as if they're 16. They get drunk, they chase the wrong women, and they have a remarkable record of causing chaos at every wedding they attend. When Sione bans the boys from her wedding, they know something has to change. They have one last chance: find girlfriends to take to the wedding or be let out in the cold. 

Whale Rider

Schedule: February 24, 8 p.m.; February 26, 2 p.m.

Synopsis: In a small New Zealand coastal village, Maori claims descent from Paikea, the Whale Rider. In every generation, a male heir has succeeded to the chiefly title. The Chief's eldest son, Porourangi, fathers twins--a boy and a girl. But the boy and his mother die tragically in childbirth. The surviving girl is left by her grief-stricken father, and the Chief refuses to acknowledge her as the heir. 

Second-Hand Wedding

Schedule: February 25, 2 p.m.; February 28, 5 p.m.

Synopsis: Jill and Brian Rose are happily married and their daughter Cheryl will shortly follow their footsteps when her long-time boyfriend Stew proposes. Clouds gather, however, when Cheryl begins having issues with her mother's voracious bargain-hunting, which she fears will ruin her wedding. This causes a serious rift between the mother and daughter, in fact between the whole family. Jill feels her trust has been betrayed, throwing into doubt her whole reason for living and putting her bargain-hunting abilities on the back burner.

Boy

Schedule: February 25, 5 p.m.; February 28, 8 p.m.

Synopsis: Boy is a dreamer who loves Michael Jackson. He lives with his brother Rocky, a tribe of deserted cousins, and his Nan. Boy's other hero, his father Alamein, is the subject of Boy's fantasies, and he imagines him as a deep-sea diver, war hero, and a close relation of Michael Jackson. In reality, Alamein is an inept, wannabe-gangster who has been in jail for robbery. When Alamein returns home after seven years, Boy is forced to confront the man he thought he remembered.

No. 2

Schedule: February 25, 8 p.m.; February 28, 2 p.m.

Synopsis: Inspired by a dream of her childhood back in Fiji, Nanna demands that her grandchildren put on a big feast at which she will name her successor. The grandchildren reluctantly turn up, but as the day progresses, their preparations become chaotic and an outraged Nanna calls the whole thing off. That's when everyone realizes they have to pull out all the stops and give the crazy old lady what she wants (and what they all need).

Coffee and Allah

Schedule: February 23, 5 p.m.; February 27, 2 p.m.

Synopsis: The film is about a young Muslim woman's appetite for coffee, Islam, and a good game of badminton. When Oromo Ethiopian Abeba Mohammed moves to the suburban area of Mt. Albert to unite with her sister, she has nothing but her faith in Allah, a taste for Ethiopian coffee, and a zest for life to sustain her. From behind her purdah, with no knowledge of English, Abeba struggles to make a connection with the people of her new homeland.

Noise Control

Schedule: February 23, 5 p.m.; February 27, 2 p.m.

Synopsis: Noise Control tells the true story of a rooster who pays the price for keeping his neighbors awake.

Take 3

Schedule: February 23, 5 p.m.; February 27, 2 p.m.

Synopsis: The audition room is a minefield for three Asian actresses who are expected to be Asian in ways they're not completely comfortable with. When the humiliation mounts, they transcend their professional rivalry in one gleeful act of solidarity, empowering themselves with the very stereotypes that they've been subjected to.

Tama Tu

Schedule: February 23, 5 p.m.; February 27, 2 p.m.

Synopsis: Young Maori Battalion soldiers wait for night to fall in the ruins of a war-torn Italian home. Forced into silence, they keep themselves amused (as any boy would) with jokes and laughter. As they try and ignore the reminders of war around them, a sign brings them back to the world of the dying.

The 2012 New Zealand Film Festival schedule