Those not already clued into the wee fact that the Telecom New Zealand International Film Festivals are just around the corner – kickstarting in Auckland this coming Friday (July 8), then Wellington the following week (July 15) – should make their way immediately to the nearest box office; if not to secure tickets to the festival's "event" movies (Howl's Moving Castle, Kung-Fu Hustle and Hidden being a mere three), then to reserve seats to many of its more rarified oddities. Indeed, much of the anticipation that comes from this time of year belongs not so much to the big-name Cannes selections, or the regular slew of "buzz" features – many of which distributors will bring back for seconds – but the inconspicuous gems that screen once, maybe twice, only never to return. Discovering these films for oneself is just part of the fun.

However to make sure you don't miss out, we've scoured the programme cover-to-cover, picking ten of the best from the (probably) never-to-return school of film:

    » The World (Jia Zhangke)
    » The Intruder (Claire Denis)
    » Cafe Lumière (Hou Hsiao-hsien)
    » Tony Takitani (Jun Ichikawa)
    » Moolaadè (Ousmane Sembene)
    » Undertow (David Gordon Green)
    » Duck Season (Fernando Eimbcke)
    » The Man From Laramie (Anthony Mann)
    » Cinèvardaphoto (Agnès Varda)
    » Whisky (Juan Pablo Rebella)

We, of course, will be embarking on our own plunge into darkness, bottling the highs and lows of a two-week festival binge into this weblog. With daily reports from first Auckland, and then Wellington, it may prove (or not) to be an ideal barometer on what's cooking at the festival, or at least take some of the guess work out for those privy to word-of-mouth. And if it's not already obvious enough, there's also a slew of feature articles and film reviews online to whet your appetite in the interim.