For a period of time in Hollywood, you couldn’t find a sturdier paragon of old-school American masculinity than Rock Hudson. The chiselled and charismatic star of All that Heaven Allows, Giant and many other American classics enjoyed a meteoric rise to fame and the adoration of filmgoers.

Hudson was a gay man who, after a career spent dodging the rumours and prying eyes of gossip columns, was outed by his death from AIDS in 1985-a tragic footnote to a life spent simultaneously in the spotlight and behind the curtain.

An illuminating portrait of the life and many loves of Rock Hudson, All That Heaven Allowed is constructed from unparalleled access to archival footage and imagery, as well as snatches of interviews from Hudson himself, his co-stars, handlers and lovers. All the while, clips from Hudson’s films are woven into the story, giving them new meaning and prescience. A stirring, heartbreaking tribute to one of the great stars of a bygone era.

View the full NZIFF 2023 programme at nziff.co.nz.