Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival is back in just a few months – get your annual leave booked now.
Having recently announced the reappointment of Artistic Director Paolo Bertolin after a restructure that was controversial in some circles, Whānau Mārama New Zealand International Film Festival is coming back to cinemas in 2025.
Promising a selection of around 100 films, and with new Festival Manager Matt Bloomfield replacing the outgoing Sally Woodfield, the festival will travel Aotearoa from the end of July to early September.
While no films have been announced at this stage, the festival quotes Bertolin as saying: “This year’s international festival circuit is delivering some of the most thoughtful and striking films in recent memory.
“It will be a privilege to share these films with New Zealand audiences, work that deserves to be seen and experienced together on the big screen.”
As well as offering a programme in the expected main centres (Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington, Ōtautahi Christchurch, and Ōtepoti Dunedin), the festival has also welcomely announced that it is returning to regional cinemas. This follows a 2024 in which NZIFF was cancelled for the regions—until it wasn’t.
This week the festival confirmed screenings in Kirikiriroa Hamilton, Ahuriri Napier, Whakatū Nelson, Ngāmotu New Plymouth, Whakaoriori Masterton, and Tauranga-moana Tauranga through August and September.
As a news story on the Whānau Mārama New Zealand International Film Festival website says: “We’ve worked closely with regional cinemas and film societies to ensure the festival continues to reach audiences across Aotearoa in 2025. There’s a strong appetite for NZIFF in the regions, and we’re excited to return this year and build on the partnerships that make it all possible.”
What does that all look like in practice? A festival that spends the middle of the year bringing its content to big screens around the country – as follows:
NZIFF 2025 will screen in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland (31 July – 10 August), Ōtautahi Christchurch (8 – 24 August), Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington (14 – 24 August), Ōtepoti Dunedin (15 – 24 August), Kirikiriroa Hamilton (28 August – 10 September), Whakatū Nelson (28 August – 10 September), Ahuriri Napier (28 August – 7 September), Ngāmotu New Plymouth (28 August – 7 September), Tauranga-moana Tauranga (28 August – 7 September), and Whakaoriori Masterton (28 August – 7 September).
