Aotearoa New Zealand

A heart-breaking story detailing Faʻamoana John Luafutu’s time as a state ward. Using his voice for the voiceless, Luafutu vitally brings this story to light. A must-watch for all New Zealanders.

Environmental issues and pop-culture collide in vibrant textural colours and forms in this intimate portrait of the life, loves and friendships of Aotearoa New Zealand artist Geoff Dixon.

With unprecedented access, filmmakers Noel Smyth and Fergus Grady lift the lid on the secretive Gloriavale Christian Community following a family of survivors searching for justice.

Science in Dark Times follows the work of a remarkable woman, Dame Juliet Gerrard, Jacinda Ardern's Chief Science Advisor, through three years of dramatic crises, including the Whakaari White Island eruption and the unfolding of the Covid-19 pandemic.

A young Hawaiian woman escapes an abusive relationship and discovers her roots in this wild Aotearoa-produced Indigenous adventure set in the rugged wilderness of Kauai, Hawaii.

Eight Pan-Asian female filmmakers’ powerful anthology film illuminates the immigrant experience in Aotearoa New Zealand through the lives of eight Asian women connected by the house they call home.

We are delighted to open this year’s edition with the World Premiere of Tearepa Kahi’s film Muru.

Check out the year’s best New Zealand short films as chosen by guest selector, Florian Habicht.

Check out the best Māori and Pasifika short films in this year's Ngā Whanaunga Māori Pasifika Shorts Competition.

Path 99 combines planetarium immersion with an enveloping electronic soundtrack, showing us how, now more than ever, it is crucial that we all have our heads in the clouds.

Seventeen-year-old boxer Jim carries the hopes and dreams of his father on his shoulders, but his growing relationship with local takatāpui Whetu forces him to confront the truth about his sexuality and choose his own future.

In this world premiere Auckland-made feature, a disconnected young woman discovers the world of ASMR and befriends a local streamer, leading to blurred lines between friendship and obsession.

To sit, to listen to witness. Starting points for a multi-layered journey bring you to the brink of interaction between cultures, then, now, and what may be. Set in various flashpoints in time.

Costa Botes' gentle, yet eye-opening new documentary delves into bovine life on a Cambridge farm where offbeat cow whisperer Andrew Johnstone tends the herd in his own idiosyncratic ways.

Florian Habicht’s debut feature film screened at NZIFF in 2003 and has become a cult classic. This new colourised print had its Aotearoa premiere in Wellington at NZIFF 2021.