New Zealand International Film Festival reveals full 2024 programme

I Saw The TV Glow, directed by Jane Schoenbrun.

The Whānau Mārama New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF) kicks off at the end of the month, and organisers have just released the full programme of feature films, documentaries and short films chosen for this year’s events.

The Whānau Mārama NZ International Film Festival (NZIFF) is preparing to screen 105 films from over 20 countries from July 31. Directors are bringing their work from places as far afield as Europe (UK, Ireland, Germany, Portugal, France), Iran, Somalia, and the United States, Asia (China, Bhutan, Japan, Nepal, Vietnam) and Australia.

There will be plenty of New Zealand-made films being celebrated as well, with programmes such as Māhutonga and the Aotearoa Film Focus Weekend (AFFW) giving our homegrown film-makers some well-deserved time in the spotlight. Peter Jackson’s Heavenly Creatures will have a special screening to mark the film’s 30th anniversary.

Opening in Wellington on July 31, the film festival has a wide-ranging programme designed to showcase the raw talent of a growing number of filmmakers at home and abroad and connect them to Kiwi audiences.

NZIFF screenings will be held in nine centres, with theatres in Auckland, Dunedin, Nelson, Christchurch, Tauranga, Napier, Hamilton, New Plymouth, and Masterton likely expecting an influx of cinema-goers throughout the period.

Cinephiles will be looking forward to the several scheduled sub-programmes that focus on unique film styles and approaches. The Fresh Competition segment lines up 10 feature-length films competing for the best narrative debut, the Frames Competition is a collection of eight genre-bending documentaries, and Portraits takes a closer look at eight character-driven films that examine and critique the human experience.

The Substance, directed by Coralie Fargeat.

The Māhutonga segment shows off 12 feature-length films and 19 shorts made exclusively by Kiwis, with the films chosen by artistic director Paolo Bertolin and head of programming Michael McDonnell. The shorts were selected by veteran co-curators Leo Koziol and Craig Fasi, along with guest selector Gerard Johnstone.

A special celebration of New Zealand film will also be held at Auckland’s ASB Waterfront Theatre from August 15-18. Called the Aotearoa Film Focus Weekend (AFFW), attendees will be treated to a curated selection of Kiwi films and an exhibition by the Cinematographers Society. There’ll be the opportunity to participate in panel discussions, workshops, a masterclass, and a Q&A session with the filmmakers over the four-day session.

Bertolin said AFFW aims to put a “spotlight on the vivid resurgence of local cinema”, which is being driven by both experienced directors and new industry players. “We wish to engage audiences, especially young people, with New Zealand cinema, creating a dialogue that goes beyond the sheer screening of films. And we hope that this connection will last beyond the festival, truly benefiting both filmmakers and audiences.”

Now that the full programme has been released, you can plan your trip to NZIFF. If you’re tagging along this year, we’ve rounded up a guide to what’s screening at the festival, the programmes available, and where you can watch.

What’s screening at NZIFF 2024?

Programmes

Big Nights

The 2024 opening and closing films:

Never Look Away, directed by Lucy Lawless.

Māhutonga

While Matariki ushers the sun to its dawn rising, Māhutonga – the Southern Cross, stands sentinel in the evening sky, shining the way to our storytellers from Aotearoa, both narrative and documentary, including three short film programmes, Short Connections 2024, Ngā Whanaunga Māori Pasifika Shorts 2024 and New Zealand’s Best 2024:

Naughty Little Peeptoe, directed by Kiwis Garth Maxwell and Peter Wells.

Exclusive to the Aotearoa Film Focus Weekend (AFFW)

New Zealand film will be celebrated at a special Aotearoa Film Focus Weekend (August 15-18) at Auckland’s ASB Waterfront Theatre:

Brief History of a Family, directed by Chinese filmmaker Lin Jianjie.

Fresh Competition

A newly minted competition comprising 10 must-see features lining up some of the best narrative debuts of the past 12 months. Discover the most exciting and promising new voices in international cinema:

The Speedway Murders, directed by Australians Luke Rynderman and Adam Kamien.

Frames Competition

A competitive collection of remarkable works that explore and expand the language of documentary filmmaking. Eight films that interrogate reality, experience and facts in engaging and unexpected ways:

Explanation for Everything, directed by Hungarian filmmaker Gábor Reisz.

Portraits

A gallery of character-driven narrative and documentary films that draw us into the lives of ordinary and extraordinary people. Hilarious and moving, these films will reconcile you with the beauty and complexity of being human:

Tatami, directed by Iranian filmmaker Zar Amir Ebrahami and US-based Israeli director Guy Nativ.

Widescreen

A diverse and engaging panorama of narrative and documentary films that provide snapshots of reality from different corners of the globe; these are films that will spark vibrant conversations about the world we live in:

Cuckoo, directed by German filmmaker Tilman Singer.

Nocturnal

A strand devoted to the kind of cinema flourishing out of dreams – and nightmares. Irreverent genre and out-of- the-box films bound to take you on exhilarating journeys of amusement, fear and awe:

Kneecap, by British-Irish director Rich Peppiatt.

Rhythms

Six narrative and documentary films focused on music and its many forms and styles. This selection highlights the power of music, be it rap or classical, as a tool of enlightenment and liberation:

Evil Does Not Exist, directed by Japanese filmmaker Ryûsuke Hamaguchi.

Visions

Critically acclaimed films and contemporary masterpieces gathered for the joy of cinephiles:

The Monk and the Gun, directed by Bhutanese filmmaker Pawo Choyning Dorji.

Journeys

A special focus on countries and regions whose films emerged as groundbreaking and topical. This year, we zero in on endearing works showing the reality of life in the Himalayas and the thought-provoking and irreverent films out of Norway:

Peeping Tom, directed by Michael Powell.

Treasures

A selection of hand-picked classics and recently restored films:

NZIFF 2024 - Participating cinemas

NZIFF 2024 will screen at various cinemas across nine cities and towns in New Zealand:

NZIFF 2024 - Dates and ticketing information

The NZIFF will open in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington on July 31, and it will then tour nine other centres across the country until September 4.

Tickets for Wellington go on sale from 10am on Friday, July 12. Tickets for Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland will be available from 10am on Friday, July 19, with all other centres selling tickets from late July.

Tickets can be booked in person at the NZIFF box office on Allen St, Wellington, and The Civic on Wellesley St West, Auckland. To book online, visit nziff.co.nz.