Doc Edge Festival Guide

I just binged 3 seasons of Bridgerton back to back and it feels exactly like doing laps around a fast food drive-through. As such it’s time to reconstitute my melted brain with some world expanding documentaries. Fortunately for me the Doc Edge Festival is upon us with a collection of 66 local and international films. Here’s our quick guide on what to watch and where to watch it.

Invisible Nation

If there’s one country we need to be more clued up on, it’s Taiwan as New Zealand too, in a less lethal way, is also held between the geopolitical forces of the U.S. and China. Invisible nation focuses on it’s troubled past and uncertain future.
With unprecedented access to Taiwan’s sitting head of state, director Hope investigates the election and tenure of Tsai Ing-wen, the first female president of Taiwan.
There will be a Q&A with director Vanessa Hope and producer Ted Hope following the screening on the 29th in Christchurch.

Dates
Mon 24 Jun 8:30 PM / Christchurch, Alice Cinema
Sat 29 Jun 6:00 PM / Christchurch, Lumiere Cinemas Bernhardt
Tue 9 Jul 6:00 PM / Auckland, The Capitol Cinema
Tue 9 Jul 6:00 PM / Wellington, The Roxy Cinema 1

War And Justice

On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. A short time later, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against Vladimir Putin for alleged war crimes.
On 7 October 2023, Hamas committed a cruel massacre of Israeli civilians. Israel responded with the largest offensive on Gaza ever. The ICC Chief Prosecutor announced that he would prosecute any kind of war crimes on both sides. But what has come to pass?
Focusing on ICC Chief Prosecutors past and present, this film gives a complex legal process a face, and viewers will understand why wars of aggression can hardly be brought to justice when the major world powers – China, Russia, India and the United States – are unwilling to recognize the ICC as a global court.
There’s a Q&A with director Michele Gentile following the screening on the 24th and 28th in Christchurch.

Dates
Mon 24 Jun 6:30 PM / Christchurch, Alice Cinema
Fri 28 Jun 11:00 AM / Christchurch, Lumiere Cinemas Bernhardt
Sun 14 Jul 4:15 PM / Auckland, The Capitol Cinema
Sun 14 Jul 4:15 PM / Wellington, The Roxy Cinema 1

Citizen Sleuth

If you’re a true crime buff then this is a deep and fascinating look into the morality of this niche world.
The film follows Emily Nestor and her Mile Marker 181 podcast, as she conducts an amateur investigation into the death of Jaleayah Davis. It examines the ethics of the true crime genre through Emily’s pursuits of her top suspects. With a growing audience of millions, the podcast becomes a hit, but as she probes deeper into the case, she’s confronted with a new truth she struggles to tell her listeners. Told in real time over several years, the film chronicles the rise, fall and redemption of a podcaster in the new media language.

Dates
Thu 20 Jun 8:15 PM / Christchurch, Hoyts Cinemas
Fri 28 Jun 3:30 PM / Christchurch, Alice Cinema
Fri 12 Jul 8:00 PM / Auckland, The Capitol Cinema
Fri 12 Jul 8:00 PM / Wellington, The Roxy Cinema 1