Overview
The New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF), known in Maori as Whanau Marama, is New Zealand's most important film festival. NZIFF 2026 runs July 29 to September 9, 2026, touring across 11 cities: Auckland (July 29 to August 9), Christchurch (August 6 to 23), Wellington (August 12 to 23), Dunedin (August 14 to 30), Hamilton (August 27 to September 6), Tauranga (August 27 to September 9), Napier (August 27 to September 6), New Plymouth (August 27 to September 9), Masterton (August 27 to September 9), Nelson (August 27 to September 9), and Matakana (August 27 to September 9). The festival is operated by the New Zealand Film Festival Trust.
NZIFF programs approximately 100 films across its four main cities and six additional regions. The festival does not host a competitive category for feature-length films. Instead, it runs two short film competitions: New Zealand's Best (for short films by New Zealand filmmakers) and Nga Whanaunga Maori Pasifika Shorts (for short films by Maori and Pasifika filmmakers). Since 2025, these two programs have been combined into Nga Whanaunga: Aotearoa New Zealand's Best, presenting the best of Maori and Pasifika filmmaking alongside the best films made by everyone in Aotearoa.
The 2026 short film competition received 130 submissions, with 14 finalists selected. A jury of three awards the NZD $5,000 Umbrella Best Short Film Award, the NZD $4,000 Auckland Live Spirit of the Civic Award, and the NZD $2,000 Park Road Post Award for Maori Pasifika Talent. The audience vote winner receives 25% of the box office from NZIFF screenings in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin. The first film announced for NZIFF 2026 is The Voice of Hind Rajab by Kaouther Ben Hania, described by Artistic Director Paolo Bertolin as a brave cry for justice.
New Zealand's film culture has achieved extraordinary international recognition through Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films and the creation of Weta Workshop and Weta Digital as world-class film technology companies. NZIFF predates this global recognition, having built a tradition of serious engagement with world cinema over five decades.
Key Sections
- International Programme - approximately 100 curated international features and documentaries, non-competitive
- Nga Whanaunga: Aotearoa New Zealand's Best - short film competition combining Maori, Pasifika, and general New Zealand short films. 14 finalists selected from 130 submissions in 2026. Screened in two programmes
- New Zealand Feature Films - new New Zealand features, non-competitive
- Documentary Programme - international and New Zealand nonfiction features
- Special Programmes - curated retrospectives, director spotlights, and thematic programs
Submission Details
NZIFF accepts submissions of films only from Aotearoa New Zealand and the wider New Zealand Territory. International films are programmed through curation and festival circuit selection, not open submissions.
NZIFF 2026 submission deadline:
- Friday, April 24, 2026 (submissions have now closed for 2026)
Short film competition details:
- Nga Whanaunga: Aotearoa New Zealand's Best accepts short film submissions from New Zealand filmmakers
- Co-curated by Wairoa Maori Film Festival founder Leo Koziol (Ngati Kahungunu, Ngati Rakaipaaka) and Pollywood Film Festival founder Craig Fasi (Niue), alongside the NZIFF programming team
- The selection committee for 2026 includes Artistic Director Paolo Bertolin, Senior Programmer Carmen Gray, Programmer Heperi Mita (Ngati Pikiao, Ngati Whakahemo, Ngai te Rangi), and Programme Advisor Madison Marshall
What Filmmakers Should Know
For New Zealand filmmakers, NZIFF is the most significant national platform. The touring model means a selected film reaches audiences in 11 cities across the country, from major centers (Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin) to smaller regions (Masterton, Matakana, Nelson). This gives New Zealand films exposure that no single-city festival can match.
The short film competition is the festival's primary competitive section. The cash prizes are substantial by short film standards: NZD $5,000 for Best Short Film, NZD $4,000 for the Spirit of the Civic Award, and NZD $2,000 for the Park Road Post Award for Maori Pasifika Talent. The Audience Award winner receives 25% of the box office from screenings in the four main cities, which can exceed the jury prizes for popular films.
For Maori and Pasifika filmmakers, the Nga Whanaunga programme provides the most important platform for Indigenous New Zealand and Pacific Island cinema. The programme has been curated since 2012 in partnership with the Wairoa Maori Film Festival and Pollywood, and since 2025 it has been integrated into the combined Nga Whanaunga: Aotearoa New Zealand's Best format. The name "Nga Whanaunga" was gifted by Huia Kaporangi Koziol, described as meaning relatedness and connectedness between peoples.
International filmmakers cannot submit directly to NZIFF. The festival's international programme is curated by the programming team, which attends major festivals including Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Toronto, and Sundance to select films. International films seeking NZIFF screening should pursue selection at major A-list festivals first, as NZIFF programmers draw heavily from the festival circuit.
The festival faced significant challenges in the early 2020s. Ticket sales covered approximately 60% of costs in 2023, and the New Zealand Film Festival Trust released a 10-year strategy document (Te ahua o te Whanau Marama) outlining a path to financial sustainability. The festival has since appointed Paolo Bertolin as Artistic Director and restructured its programming approach.
Major Awards
Nga Whanaunga: Aotearoa New Zealand's Best (short film competition):
- Umbrella Best Short Film Award - NZD $5,000, jury prize
- Auckland Live Spirit of the Civic Award - NZD $4,000, jury prize
- Park Road Post Award for Maori Pasifika Talent - NZD $2,000, jury prize
- Audience Award - 25% of box office from Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin screenings
Jury awards are presented following the Wellington screenings (August 16, 2026 for the 2026 edition).
Festival History
The Auckland International Film Festival was founded in 1969 as a component of the Auckland Festival. It became a fund-raising event subsidising live arts before being rescued from this role by the intervention of the New Zealand Federation of Film Societies in 1984. The Auckland festival achieved an audience in excess of 100,000 for the first time in 2005 and reached a record of over 112,000 in 2019.
The Wellington Film Festival was inaugurated by Lindsay Shelton and the Wellington Film Society with seven films in 1972. Thirty years later, it showed over 150 programmes to audiences exceeding 71,000, and by 2018 it exceeded 84,000 admissions. The main venue is the Embassy Theatre, and the festival has played a major role in the theatre's rehabilitation and continuing refurbishment.
In 1984, the Auckland and Wellington festivals merged their programming. From 2002, all regions shared a common programme and artwork. In 2009, the festival unified under the banner of the New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF), dropping regional names. The festival later adopted the Maori name Whanau Marama, meaning "family of light."
The festival was directed for 40 years by Bill Gosden, who shaped its character as a programmer-driven festival with a deep respect for audiences. Gosden stepped down in 2019 following a cancer diagnosis and subsequently died. The festival faced COVID-19 disruptions in 2020, briefly moving online, and struggled to rebuild audiences in the subsequent years. A 10-year strategy was released to address financial sustainability, and Paolo Bertolin was appointed as Artistic Director to lead the festival's programming into its next phase.
The Nga Whanaunga Maori Pasifika short film programme was introduced in 2012 through a partnership with the Wairoa Maori Film Festival and Pollywood. In 2025, the programme was expanded to combine Maori and Pasifika shorts with general New Zealand shorts into Nga Whanaunga: Aotearoa New Zealand's Best. The 2025 edition received 88 submissions with 13 finalists, growing to 130 submissions and 14 finalists in 2026.
Past Winners
NZIFF's short film competition has recognized emerging New Zealand talent:
- 2014 - Ross & Beth won the Jury Prize (NZD $5,000) and the Audience Award.
- 2016 - Wait, directed by Yamin Tun, won the Jury Prize (NZD $5,000) and the Wallace Friends of the Civic Award.
- 2019 - Egg Cup Requiem won the Best Short Film Award (NZD $5,000). Hinekura won the Spirit of the Civic Award and the Audience Award.
- 2020 - Oranges & Lemons won the Creative New Zealand Jury Prize (NZD $4,000). Daniel won the Emerging Talent Award (NZD $2,000).
- 2025 - Womb by Ira Hetaraka won the Umbrella Best Short Film Award (NZD $5,000). Growing Still by Alyx Duncan won the Auckland Live Spirit of the Civic Award (NZD $4,000). Mirumiru by Allan George won the Park Road Post Award for Maori Pasifika Talent (NZD $2,000). Nora Aati won Best Performance for I Am Not Your Dusky Maiden.
Notable Alumni Films and Where They Ended Up
NZIFF has launched many of New Zealand's successful films:
- Whale Rider (2003) won Audience Choice awards at Sundance and Toronto. Keisha Castle-Hughes became one of the youngest actors nominated for a leading role at the Academy Awards.
- Boy (2010) became the most successful New Zealand film on home soil at the time. It won the audience award at the Melbourne International Film Festival.
- The Dark Horse (2014) opened NZIFF in Auckland and Wellington. It won six Moa awards including Best Picture and Best Actor for Cliff Curtis.
- Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) became New Zealand's highest-grossing local film. It premiered at Sundance before its NZIFF screening.
Submission Tips Specific to This Festival
- Only New Zealand filmmakers can submit. International films are curated, not submitted through open calls.
- The submission deadline is typically in late April.
- The short film competition is the festival's only competitive section.
- Maori and Pasifika filmmakers should submit to the Nga Whanaunga programme, co-curated with Wairoa Maori Film Festival founder Leo Koziol and Pollywood founder Craig Fasi.
- The Audience Award winner receives 25% of the box office from four main city screenings. For popular films, this can exceed the jury prizes.
- Films selected for NZIFF tour to 11 cities, giving unmatched national exposure.
Industry Reputation Notes
NZIFF is New Zealand's most significant film festival and the only one with a national touring model. The festival built its reputation over five decades as a programmer-driven event. Longtime director Bill Gosden shaped this character over 40 years until 2019.
The festival faced financial challenges in the early 2020s, with ticket sales covering approximately 60% of costs in 2023. The Trust released a 10-year strategy and appointed Paolo Bertolin as Artistic Director.
NZIFF does not host a film market. Its value lies in audience reach and selection quality. The programming team attends Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Toronto, and Sundance. The Maori and Pasifika programme has grown from 88 submissions in 2025 to 130 in 2026.
Compared to peer Australasian festivals, NZIFF's national touring model gives it unmatched audience reach within its country, unlike the Sydney Film Festival or Melbourne International Film Festival, which are single-city events. However, NZIFF lacks the industry market and co-production platform that Melbourne offers through its MIFF 37 South market. NZIFF's Maori and Pasifika program is a distinctive feature no Australian festival matches.
Watch
See Also
To calculate the return on your festival submission spending, use the Festival ROI Calculator. For Pacific cinema, see International Film Markets. For Indigenous Maori film, see imagineNATIVE Film and Media Arts Festival. For festival circuit planning, see Film Festival Strategy.
