Postcards: Culture Comes to Auckland

All Tomorrow's Parties publicity still via Warp Films

 The New Zealand International Film Festival has been resident in Auckland and for the last three weeks we’ve been spoilt with access to everything from obscure Russian films to popular British and French offerings. Over the course of the festival I've seen several stand out films includingNorth Face, the story of an attempt in the 1930s to climb the north face of the Eiger as well as Big River Manabout Martin Strel’s attempt to swim the length of the Amazon. But by far the best film wasAll Tomorrow’s Parties.

All Tomorrow’s Parties, is centred around the music festival of the same name which has taken place three times a year for the last ten years and has featured some of the most influential acts in music acting as curators, or event organisers, choosing the other bands in the weekend-long line-up.  When you picture this festival don’t think Glastonbury or Reading, it's bigger than that,  think 40+ bands taking over an entire seaside resort for the  weekend.  

The film makers took over 1,000 hours of footage from more than 200 contributors, over more than five years, and condensed it to 90 minutes; but what a great 90 minutes! Amazing concert footage of bands such as Portishead, Sonic Youth, Iggy Pop & The Stooges, The Gossip and Patti Smith is interspersed with impromptu performances that took place all over the resort, and shots of the fans in attendance.

Music festivals are a huge part of live music in the UK and the film allows the viewer to be  right in the middle of it all with an hour and a half of music covering rock to reggae, and plenty of hilarious audience moments in between.  If you love live music this film is a must-see.

Editors Note: All Tomorrow’s Parties was shown at the 2009 SXSW festival, and will hopefully be released in early 2010.