A haunting and emotionally charged film set against the raw beauty of the Craigieburn Valley – WENT UP THE HILL will have its New Zealand premiere at the New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF).
Directed by Canterbury-born Samuel Van Grinsven (Sequin in a Blue Room), the story follows Jack (Dacre Montgomery), who travels to remote New Zealand for the funeral of his estranged mother.
There he meets her widow, Jill (Vicky Krieps), and throughout several unsettling nights, both are possessed by Elizabeth’s ghost, who uses their bodies to communicate with the other from beyond the grave.
Starring acclaimed international actors Vicky Krieps (Corsage, Phantom Thread) and Dacre Montgomery (Stranger Things, Elvis), as well as iconic New Zealand performer Sarah Peirse (Heavenly Creatures, Sweet Tooth), the film is a supernatural thriller rooted in grief.
Shot at Lake Pearson luxury lodge, Flockhill on the Great Alpine Highway, the film is deeply influenced by the landscape’s emotional and physical isolation. It’s an intimate story about control and letting go, set in a place where nature mirrors the characters’ inner lives.
“WENT UP THE HILL is an intimate, modern ghost story that dances in the tension between genres to explore the extremities of grief in our pursuit of letting go,” said Samuel Van Grinsven.
“It was inspired by nostalgic memories of my childhood in New Zealand’s remote South Island.”
Produced by Vicky Pope (Pike River, Savage), and legendary Australian elevated genre producers Samantha Jennings and Kristina Ceyton of Causeway Films (The Babadook, Talk to Me, Bring Her Back), the film blends intense performances with a bold, restrained visual language.
The exciting trans-Tasman collaboration brought together some of the best creative minds from each country, including New Zealand screen production veterans.
A festival and critics’ favourite, the film premiered to critical acclaim at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival and has since been selected for a string of prestigious festivals, including Adelaide and Sydney with sold out screenings, alongside Thessaloniki, Torino, Glasgow, Dublin and Luxembourg City, where it won the coveted Audience Award.
WENT UP THE HILL is an official New Zealand/Australia co-production, financed with principal production investment from the New Zealand Film Commission and Screen Australia, with support from Screen CanterburyNZ.
Explore film & TV here
