My Weekend: the Film Festival's Bill Gosden

The Federal Delicatessen. Photo / Natalie Slade

Bill Gosden. Picture / Supplied

Long-time director of the New Zealand International Film Festival, Bill Gosden officially opened this year's celebration of film last night in Auckland. The Wellingtonian will spend the next few weeks in Auckland, taking in movies and visiting some of his usual dining haunts. He shares some of his top spots, in Auckland and his hometown.

* The New Zealand International Film Festival runs in Auckland until August 5, before touring the country.

Mornings... When at home in Wellington I have a reputation to uphold as the first customer into Capitol for breakfast at 9.30am sharp. Having one of Wellington's liveliest restaurants (and yolkiest scrambled eggs) a mere two blocks from home (and in the same building as the NZIFF office) is a luxury not wasted on me.

Loving... Cloudy skies and rainy days for the three weekends of NZIFF, please. How my heart sinks to pull back the curtains at The Heritage and behold the glittering silver light of another beautiful July morning in Auckland.

Saturday evenings... Big Nights at NZIFF - and for the rest of the year, friends, food, music and wine in various locales. Sometimes even a movie.

Drinking... The caipirinhas at Bebemos in Newtown, Wellington are dangerously authentic, but for the most part my drinking is determined by the far-reaching wine lists at Ancestral, Floriditas and Capitol.

Dining... at NZIFF, dining tends to take place in the vicinity of Sky City and The Civic, which is to say conveniently close to the gourmet gulch of Federal St, and for a quicker fix, Elliot Stables and the ageless Middle East Cafe.

Shopping... is something that tends to happen in foreign parts, where I actually have the time to get out and browse.

On the calendar... As of one hour ago, I have Nick Cave tickets. And before that, NZIFF's stellar line-up of direct-from-Cannes premieres. Selected by my colleague Sandra Reid, some of the most exciting films on this year's programme are those I haven't seen yet.

- VIVA