French take a trip to the dark side of the moon

The witty conspiracy-theory spoof Dark Side of the Moon is among a handful of recent French documentary films screening at the Academy in Auckland this week.

The film, which "uncovers" the secret plan to film a fake of the 1969 moon landings (in case the boys never made it back) edits together the responses of famous folk to make them look as if they are confirming a conspiracy. It's a timely reminder of how easily the camera can lie.

The film, by William Karel, is one of half a dozen documentaries screening from today until Thursday. Also notable is a portrait of the noted writer, Marguerite Duras, author of The Lover and screenwriter of Alain Resnais' Hiroshima Mon Amour.