NZIFF: Hen

Beyond the confines of a factory farm, a heroic hen finds a new lease on life in a crumbling restaurant's courtyard. Feathers are ruffled and jokes are cracked in this egg-cellent adventure.

What if the chicken left an industrial farm, hitched a ride on a truck, evaded the jaws of a hungry fox, and then crossed the road? What would happen next? György Pálfi's Hen answers this age-old question, giving his feathered leading lady the chance to tell her side of the story.

Co-written with frequent collaborator Zsófia Ruttkay, this heartfelt, often humorous adventure of a resilient hen is entwined with a darker story, as our heroine finds that the pecking order applies not only to chickens, but to humans too. Navigating a Greek seaside village amidst the migrant crisis and investigating various instances of ‘fowl’ play, she encounters the cruelty and kindness that humans extend to other animals, and to each other.

The film succeeds due to Pálfi's genuine connection to his plucky protagonist - played by eight real-life chickens. Hen uses no CGI, AI, or special effects to construct the chicken's point-of-view, providing an unexpectedly intimate look at interspecies connection. The egg may come first in Hen, but it raises another important question: is any creature truly free to live on their own terms, unbridled by the events around them?

Phone: 06 835 7781

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