Persona Non Grata Film Festival

Academy Cinemas is proud to present Persona Non Grata - a new retrospective film series of classic thriller, horror and art cinema that takes a close look at the often obscure and unsettling concept of identity.

We have programmed some of the most beloved experimental arthouse classics to tackle this enigmatic topic, with genres ranging from classic noir, retro sci-fi, gothic giallo to the hard-to-define arthouse mystery of Persona and 3 Women.

Through narrative tropes such as ‘good-and-evil’ twins, identity theft, and inexplicable personality distortion, we hope you will not only be thrilled but be challenged by the bold choices on display in these films.

Robert Altman, Ingmar Bergman, Michelangelo Antonioni, Mario Bava and David Cronenberg are just a few of the legendary directors in the line-up, while acting legends Liv Ullman, Humphrey Bogart, Jack Nicholson, Olivia De Havilland, Donald Sutherland, Sissy Spacek and Shelley Duvall turn out some of their most memorable performances.

Each entry in our film series will have both a Friday evening session and a Sunday matinée encore, with sessions spaced out among two months. University of Auckland Lecturers Dr. Misha Kavka, Professor Bernadette Luciano and Film Director Jake Mahaffy will be on hand at select screenings to provide context and maybe even help unpick the existential riddles these films present by providing introductions or Film Talks following select screenings.

Curated by: Gorjan Markovski
Festival Artwork designed by: Valentina Espinoza-Cacéres

Films will screen on 2K DCP.

Opening Night
3 Women (1977)
Directed by Roger Altman

Centrepiece
Lisa & the Devil (1973)
Directed by Mario Bava

Closing Night
Persona (1966)
Directed by Ingmar Bergman

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
Directed by Philip Kaufman

Dark Passage (1947)
Directed by Delmer Daves

Seconds (1966)
Directed by John Frankenheimer

The Dark Mirror (1946)
Directed by Robert Siodmak

The Tenant (1976)
Directed by Roman Polanski

The Passenger (1975)
Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni

Dead Ringers (1988)
Directed by David Cronenberg