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The trailer for this year’s opening night film of the Sydney Film Festival, We Are Still Here, released today ahead of its New Zealand premiere at the Whānau Mārama, the New Zealand International Film Festival. The film will also screen in the state of...

Now in it’s fifth week of release, Whina has taken over one million dollars at the New Zealand box office and remains in the top ten chart of films currently in theatrical release. Written by Paula Whetu Jones, James Napier Robertson and James Lucas,...

Four wāhine Māori drama producers and one Takatāpui have been announced as this year’s New Zealand Film Commission 2022 Gender Scholarship recipients. Under the patronage of Producers Ainsley Gardiner and Desray Armstrong, five...

The conspiracy plot is mostly an excuse for chases, capers and crashes galore, all imbued with plenty of pell-mell shenanigans (this time heading north in a red Falcon) by Goodbye Pork Pie director Geoff Murphy. The movie marked Temuera...

White Lies is a story about the nature of identity:  those who deny it and those who strive to protect it. Paraiti (Whirimako Black) is a medicine woman.  She is the healer and midwife of her rural, tribal people – she believes in life....

Aotearoa New Zealand has a globally competitive and thriving screen sector.  We are renowned for our creativity and innovation, our diverse and accessible landscapes, and our highly skilled and experienced crew. We produce world class productions...

Riven is the dark fantasy tale of a warrior's struggle to accept loss. Anguished by the death of his wife, he journeys into the darkness of the forest to seek redemption in bringing her back from the dead. Lost in the mist of his grief, he must face...

Fiji: In a modest dwelling in Fiji a 7 year-old girl with boundless energy tries to understand why she has to say goodbye to her home country and extended family as her mother prepares her to leave Fiji. Tonga: Vai, now 13, dreams of going to NZ to sing...

A family’s idyllic outing descends into terror when high school teacher Alan ‘Hoaggie’ Hoaganraad, his wife Jill and stepsons Maika and Jordon go exploring an isolated coastline. But an unexpected meeting with a pair of murderous...

New Zealand, South Island, 1861. Bridget O’Casey, a hardened 35-year old grog seller, has just fought for her life. Injured and alone, Bridget takes a life-changing gold nugget, steals a horse and runs. Not far behind her, a pack of men with dogs...

Blake travels from the city to rural New Zealand to check on her father after a health scare. They haven’t spoken in some time and Blake is battling a serious diagnosis of her own. With the pleasantries over and health talk...

Separation City is a comedy-drama about the complications that ensue as two marriages collapse. Men's groups and midlife crises in contemporary Wellington make up the world in which the multi-national cast explores, in screenwriter Tom Scott's...

Academy Award winner Jennifer Connelly is set to star with Ben Whishaw in Bad Behaviour, Australian/New Zealand actress and filmmaker Alice Englert’s directorial debut. The film is a dark comedy about Lucy (Connelly), a former child actress who...

Aleki, a master car thief who dreams of navigating by the stars, crosses paths with rebellious teenage girl Spit and faces his future. Rugby league star Tama saves the life of desperate Gunge - an act of heroism that brings tragedy to his own family....

Givenchy, Lagerfeld, Chanel, Dior Gaultier…. It is perhaps the most exclusive club in the world. 21.  Mostly men.  European. Now there may be another name added to that list. Guo Pei grew up during China’s Cultural Revolution,...

Dawn Raid is the story of two Manukau Polytechnic students, Andy Murane and Tanielu Leaosavai'i (aka Brotha D) who turned a bootleg t-shirt business and Hip-Hop night at a local bar in Otara into the influential Dawn Raid Entertainment empire....

Te Tumu Whakaata Taonga New Zealand Film Commission sadly acknowledges the passing of director Luit Bieringa (10 September 1942 - 21 June 2022). Originally from The Netherlands, Luitjen Hendrik Bieringa spent most of his life in Aotearoa New Zealand and...

From writer and director Tearepa Kahi, Muru will release in nationwide cinemas on 1 September. On the eve of Matariki, the trailer for new action-drama film Muru has today been unveiled ahead of its nationwide general release on 1 September, 2022...

A Woman of Good Character is based on the pioneer novel by English author Elizabeth Gowans. The film is director David Blyth's second feature, following his debut Angel Mine.  The film was adapted to tele-movie length in 1983, with...

Jane Campion, Academy Award®-winning Best Director for her latest film The Power of the Dog, has announced a new project, A Wave in the Ocean, a popup intensive course for New Zealand’s emerging film directing talent. The independent...

Judd and Casey's existence contrasts sharply with the activity at a mysterious government research facility nearby. Something very important is happening as armed guards arrive and a tight security screen is imposed. The staff, particularly Dr...

Fresh Meat is a unique blend of comedy, horror and action.  Penned by Briar Grace-Smith, the film was directed by Danny Mulheron who has worked in a variety of roles and mediums over the years, including a stint with Peter Jackson in LA working on...

We're excited to announce the finalists for Whānau Mārama New Zealand International Film Festival’s (NZIFF) New Zealand’s Best short film competition, as selected by this year’s Guest Selector, celebrated filmmaker Florian Habicht....

A Guide to Becoming a Detective is a short film about beautiful encounters, and our fond and sometimes warped memories of those moments. In the disguise of a detective narrative, we find a Sherlock Holmes wannabe and a bumbling sidekick wading through...

The world will soon be seeing more of New Zealand on screen. A total of nine film and television projects have been offered funding in the final round of Te Puna Kairangi – Premium Productions for International Audiences Fund, which is administered by...

Te Tumu Whakaata Taonga I New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC) is strengthening its commitment to a diverse and inclusive screen sector with the introduction of its He Ara Whakaurunga Kanorau | Diversity and Inclusion Strategy. The Strategy will support...

At some point in our lives we are all faced with grief. With death. With the loss of our corner stones. It’s hard enough as an adult to lose a loved one but for a child it can turn the world upside down. THE CALF is an exploration of a child’...

Nine New Zealand feature films have been revealed to screen at NZIFF 2022. NZIFF has a long history of supporting New Zealand filmmakers and we're delighted to be able to present four world premiere screenings as part of this year's selection of...

When 19 year old Eva fails to return home to New Zealand from India, her estranged parents, Carl and Julie, must reunite to find her. Their journey takes them from coastal Auckland, to the chaos of New Delhi, and on to idyllic Himalayan villages, where...

On the anniversary of his father’s suicide, Tama (Niwa Whatuira), a young man fuelled by drugs, alcohol and violence, spirals into anger and despair. As Tama travels the destructive road of no return, he becomes intertwined with five courageous...

DIRECTORS NOTES - Leo Woodhead “I remember the moment the idea for Cargo popped into my head. A friend of mine was writing a script about restorative justice, and we got to talking about amnesty international and current topics in Europe. It...

Gibson is a hardworking part Māori man living in Blenheim.  He starts the day early, hard at work in the vineyard. There is a stillness to the home he now dwells in, alone. We see the different parts of his life pieced together in images. Although...

Featuring extensive footage of Queen Street in 1988, this is a troubled - and troubling- romance for gay and straight audiences alike.

The police led by Inspector Bruce Hutton (DAVID HEMMINGS) had little to go on. No bodies, few clues, no motive. For three months a massive search operation concetrated on finding the victims - a local farmer and his wife. Suspicion focussed on the woman...