New local streaming platform Academy On Demand launches in New Zealand

A new local streaming platform 'Academy On Demand' launched this week, giving Kiwi audiences access to a growing catalogue of top-notch New Zealand films as well as a host of other recent and classic international titles.

Shot by a collective of all-women Pasifika filmmakers, Vai was released last year and is comprised of a series of short films woven together.

It is a glorious, guided tour into the heart and soul of our Pacific Islands and the core of womanhood which pulses through them.

Each of these cinematic chapters will speak to audience members individually but their power collectively should not be underestimated.

These powerhouse women deepen my connection to the islands on which I live, and the people from our islands which form our Aotearoa.

Along with a host of local releases to rent there are some international big-hitters including Parasite.

This South Korean film went from relative Cannes obscurity to barnstorming the Oscars,  becoming the very first film in a foreign language to win Best Picture - and by crikey did it deserve to!

A dark, deeply-funny, searingly relevant five-star watch which you can indulge in right this minute on lockdown.

Now, if you're ready for a new show to binge and you're up for some serious creepiness HBO's adaption of the Stephen King novel The Outsider is just for you. This is a thriller, it's a whodunnit or perhaps more accurately is it a whatdunnit?

One thing I can say is that Aussie actor Ben Mendelsohn is seriously hitting his prime. His presence alone makes this 10-episode show throb with a dark simmering urgency.

So, yes, this is spooky as hell and most definitely not for the kids but it's a gripping watch.