Don’t let July weather get in the way of you making the most of the month’s rich cultural offerings. From the vast and varied line-up of films comprising the New Zealand International Film Festival to international comedy acts to cutting-edge art exhibitions, these are the exciting cultural events to add to your diary over next month.
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The Lion King
The Lion King
Brought to life in glistening photo-realistic CGI with the voices of music royalty Beyoncé and Donald Glover, Disney’s forthcoming motion picture is set to be the latest smash hit in a string of tremendous remakes. With a teaser that topped the ranks as most-viewed Disney trailer debut of all time, we can only imagine the furore that will arise in mid-July.
In cinemas 17th July
NZSO Mātauranga
NZSO Mātauranga
Wellington composer Michael Norris collaborates with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in this breathtaking tribute to the first encounter between Māori and Europeans. Marking 250 years since Captain Cook’s first landfall, Mātauranga combines Mozart with Māori instruments to create an exemplary harmonic representation of one of our country’s most pivotal moments.
20th July, Auckland Town Hall. For tickets, click here.
James Blake
James Blake
Nearly six years after his sold-out show at Auckland Town Hall, singer-songwriter James Blake brings his confessional, heartfelt music to our shores once again. This time around, Blake will be delivering the musical masterpiece that is his most recent and most sonically pleasing album, the critically-acclaimed Assume Form, to Shed 10. Be warned, swooning is inevitable.
17th July, Shed 10. For tickets, click here.
Orchids
Orchids
Following its highly-acclaimed, sold-out debut at 2017’s Tempo Dance Festival, Orchids is returning to Q Theatre and it’s set to be another intriguing exploration of womanhood. Via its intergenerational cast (seven women spanning three generations) Orchids will speak to feminine magic and ritualistic practices, unveiling the magic of the occult and expressing the power of women both in its choreography and in the all-female nature of its directorial and production team.
17th until 20th July, Q Theatre. For tickets, click here.
SZA
SZA
Five-time Grammy Award nominee, SZA, is coming to Auckland for one show only. With her unique sound that pulls on influences from avant-garde jazz, alternative rock and hardcore rap, SZA has carved out a distinct path for herself and established her voice as one of the most seminal in the R&B scene right now. With a chart-topping debut album, Ctrl, and lauded performances at festivals and headlining concerts all around the world, SZA is a musical force to be reckoned with, and her Auckland show is one you won’t want to miss.
26th July, Spark Arena. For tickets, click here.
Stranger Things
Stranger Things
Psychokinetic abilities, supernatural events, human test subjects and alternate dimensions: when it comes to sci-fi, cult Netflix series Stranger Things doesn’t do things by halves. With more 80s pop-culture references, eerie goings on and quirky characters than you can shake an Eggo at, it seems the third instalment of the Hawkins-set series is gearing up to be a serious scorcher.
Out on Netflix 4th July
Elemental
Elemental
Elemental AKL is Auckland’s newest winter festival and it’s offering an exciting line-up of events to keep us enthralled over the cold months. With more than 60 free and ticked events across the Auckland region, including dazzling light shows, live music, dynamic theatre and delightful dining experiences, as well as a central hub set-up in Aotea Square that is the perfect place to meet friends or take the family, Elemental is ensuring a jam-packed July.
1st until 31st July. For tickets and more information, click here.
NZIFF
NZIFF
The highly-anticipated New Zealand International Film Festival is back, and this year, the line-up is better than ever. Kicking off on 18th July, the NZIFF’s curated programme includes the likes of Celebration: Yves Saint Laurent, American Woman, Long Day’s Journey Into Night, mid 90s, This Changes Everything, Brittany Runs a Marathon, Apollo 11, Amazing Grace and so many more. Check back on our website in early July to see a more comprehensive list of our recommendations.
18th July until 11th August. For tickets and more information, click here.
From the Archive: Colin McCahon in Auckland
From the Archive: Colin McCahon in Auckland
Exploring renowned New Zealand artist Colin McCahon’s relationship with the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki , this exhibition at the gallery itself comprises a line-up of materials and documents including photographs and publications from the Art Gallery’s archives that will take visitors through McCahon’s career as a curator, a teacher and later on, an artist. An intriguing look into the life of one of this country’s most revered artistic talents.
13th July 2019 until 31st January 2020, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. For more information, click here.
Booksmart
Booksmart
Actor Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut has resulted in this widely discussed and widely acclaimed film. A slightly atypical high-school story of two best friends whose longstanding commitment to academia leaves them wondering, on the eve of their graduation, whether they’ve been missing out. This leads them on a funny, unexpected, chaotic but ultimately heart-warming adventure that has managed to surprise and captivate audiences the world over.
In cinemas 25th July
Matty Matheson
Matty Matheson
Canadian celebrity chef and comedian Matty Matheson (of popular Viceland TV shows Dead Set on Life and It’s Suppertime) lands in Auckland for one show only, taking to the Tuning Fork’s stage to talk about his life and journey so far, with an audience Q&A thrown in for good measure. With his loud, hilarious persona setting the tone, it’s sure to be an evening of side-splitting entertainment and non-stop energy.
1st July, Tuning Fork. For tickets, click here.
The Beauty of Courage
The Beauty of Courage
Artist Katherine Throne lands in Allpress Studio with her exhibition The Beauty of Courage. Comprising a line-up of exuberant canvases where tangles of intertwining blooms almost jump off their two-dimensional surfaces, the exhibition sees the artist exploring our relationship with the earth and ideas around control, conformity, normalcy and the freedom to be ourselves. Following on from her last sell-out show Of This Earth, last year, this is set to be an exhibition not to miss.
22nd July until 2nd August, Allpress Studio. For more information, click here.
Gui Taccetti's Inferno
Gui Taccetti's Inferno
Taking its name from Dante’s famous Divine Comedy, Inferno is an intriguing, nuanced exhibition by Brazillian-born artist Gui Taccetti and is sure to surprise and intrigue in equal measure. Creating complex, multi-faceted photographic works that deal with the issues around heteronormative religious indoctrination and the way that it can lead to mental health issues in the LGBTQI+ community, Taccetti hopes to incite conversation with his impossibly intricate practice and confronting, mind-blowing works.
16th until 21st July, Hopetoun Alpha. For more information, click here.
Cruz Jimenez's Thoughts of Memory
Cruz Jimenez's Thoughts of Memory
A deeply personal exhibition for Cruz Jimenez, originally from California, Thoughts of Memory sees the artist reflect on fragments of his childhood. Both an expression of his own experiences but also an invitation to viewers to retreat into their own nostalgic memories, this exhibition is an evocative mix of works where a dark palette is lifted by swathes and speckles of beguiling gold.
2nd until 21st July, Sanderson Contemporary. For more information, click here.
