Kiwi comedy-romance, Workmates, will have its world premiere at NZIFF 2025!
Directed by Curtis Vowell (Baby Done, The Outlaws, Seize Them!, Fantail) and written by Sophie Henderson (Baby Done, The Justice of Bunny King, Fantail), Workmates is a funny, heartfelt love story starring Sophie Henderson (Human Traces, Fantail) and Matt Whelan (Narcos, Go Girls) as Lucy and Tom - best friends, theatre-makers, and co-workers.
When an accident threatens to shut down the tiny, underfunded theatre they’ve built together,
Lucy realises she would do anything to save the theatre and keep her friend… who she might be in love with.
Grab your festival Multipass for best value tickets!
Latest News
Workmates Makes Its World Premiere at NZIFF
Wednesday 11 June 2025

Palme d’Or Winner to Open NZIFF 2025
Friday 6 June 2025

It’s official - Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or winner, It Was Just An Accident, is this year’s opening night film.
Filmed in secret in Iran, It Was Just An Accident is a road movie revenge thriller featuring biting black humour, borderline absurd happenings, and vividly shifting viewpoints from a van-load of ex-prisoners. At the same time, it looks at bigger questions around morality, justice, unhealed trauma and the impact of the Iranian regime.
And strikingly, there’s an air of the autobiographical for acclaimed director Jafar Panahi, once imprisoned himself and finally free from a filmmaking ban imposed by Iranian authorities. With It Was Just An Accident, Panahi tempers the anger with irony, and ultimately, he shows us that we can stay human only by seeking justice and truth rather than vengeance.
"Jafar Panahi's film is cinema at its boldest. It challenges the notion of revenge through compassion. It is the kind of cinema that stays with you. I am excited that New Zealand audiences will be among the first in the world to see it!" - Paolo Bertolin, NZIFF Artistic Director.
Prime Minister announced as NZIFF 2025 Centrepiece
Friday 30 May 2025

Our centerpiece this year is... Prime Minister
Directed by Michelle Walshe and Lindsay Utz, the documentary takes a highly personal, behind the scenes look at former PM Jacinda Ardern’s time at the helm of Aotearoa. Using candid voiceovers and home videos, the doco charts her time in office as she navigates imposter syndrome, first time motherhood, unprecedented crises, and a sharp turn in NZ's political landscape.
“World leaders have rarely been captured with as much intimacy... As a portrait of struggles in the seat of power, the film presses all the right emotional buttons.”—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety.
An NZIFF multi-trip pass is the best way to secure your seat - learn more here.
Multipasses Now on Sale!
Friday 30 May 2025

See more films and save with an NZIFF Multipass
Multipasses are the best-value way to experience the Festival. Available in both 5-Trip and 10-Trip options (with student pricing in select centres), they give you the flexibility to curate your own NZIFF experience and save while doing it.
In Auckland and Wellington, all 10-Trip Multipasses come with Earlybird access, which means:
- Exclusive entry to our ticket pre-sale before general sales open
- A digital NZIFF programme delivered to your inbox as soon as it's released
With some of our most in-demand titles likely to sell out fast, Earlybird access gives you the best chance to secure seats to your top picks if you're in Auckland or Wellington.
Whether you're planning a few highlights or a full Festival immersion, there’s a Multipass to suit your schedule and your budget:
- 5-Trip Multipass
- 5-Trip Student Multipass
- 10-Trip Multipass (includes Earlybird access in Auckland and Wellington only)
New This Year: Online Booking with Your Multipass
In Auckland and Wellington, Multipass holders can now book their tickets directly through our website - no need to visit the cinema in person. We’re excited to roll this out to more centres in the future as we continue improving the
First Films Revealed for NZIFF 2025
Friday 16 May 2025

A politically charged near-future drama from Brazil, an acclaimed Norwegian trilogy exploring intimacy and desire, an Australian animated queer space opera, a haunting psychological drama set in remote Aotearoa, and a 70s horror classic restored to its full glory are among the first films revealed for Whānau Mārama New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF) in 2025.
Artistic Director Paolo Bertolin says these films offer an early glimpse of the energy, ideas and themes shaping this year’s festival and a taste of the adventurous and memorable stories awaiting audiences this year.
“These films reflect the pulse of contemporary cinema and speak powerfully to the moment we are living in. They ask big questions, take risks, and remind us why cinema matters more than ever.
“Thanks to the exceptional work of the NZIFF programming team, we are shaping this year’s festival as a chance to experience that urgency, curiosity and beauty together on the big screen,” Bertolin says.
Bertolin is joined in the selection of films by a renewed programming team composed of Programme Manager Michael McDonnell and programmers Carmen Gray, Heperi Mita, Amanda Jane Robinson and Jordan Salomen.
Each of the first films revealed is part of one of the ten