News

Whānau Mārama New Zealand International Film Festival is proud to present a series of special one-off screenings of The Only Living Pickpocket in New York, a favourite of our programmers that we weren’t ready to let slip away.

Following its premiere at Sundance earlier this year, we’re excited to partner with Sony Pictures to bring Noah Segan’s bittersweet crime story to the big screen in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin and Hamilton from 25 to 29 November.

John Turturro stars as Harry Lehman, an ageing pickpocket in a city that has left him behind, with his performance earning rave reviews and putting him firmly in the Oscar conversation. Variety’s Tomris Laffly calls the film an “unapologetically local love letter to the Big Apple and its less-illustrious denizens.” Read more from his review below.

This series of screenings will be the only chance audiences in Aotearoa will get to see the film on the big screen, so don't miss out!

You can watch the trailer here and see below to book tickets:

AUCKLAND:

Rialto Cinemas Newmarket, Friday November 27 6.15pm | Book here
Rialto Cinemas Newmarket, Saturday November 28 8.15pm | Book here
Rialto Cinemas Newmarket, Sunday November 29 3pm | Book

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Whānau Mārama New Zealand International Film Festival presents a series of special screenings of NAZA, the new film from Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, the Academy Award-winning directors of No Other Land (NZIFF 2024).

A joint statement from Abraham and Szor said, "We made this film out of a sense of obligation to use our position as Israelis to examine the systems behind the mass killing of Palestinian civilians for which our country is responsible. While filming members of Israel’s military on rooftops at night in Tel Aviv over the past three years, we found ourselves asking the very questions that were asked by our grandparents’ generation and throughout the 20th century: how does one group of people allow the total dehumanisation of another? What do the inner workings of such a system look like?"

This series of screenings will be the first time audiences in Aotearoa will see the film. You can watch the trailer here and find tickets below:

AUCKLAND:

Rialto Cinemas Newmarket, Monday October 12 7.30pm | Book here
Rialto Cinemas Newmarket - Cinema 4, Monday October 12 7.30pm | Book here

WELLINGTON:

Light House Petone, Sunday October 11 2:30pm | Book here
Light House Cuba, Sunday

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The 2026 festival may be over, but Whānau Mārama New Zealand International Film Festival is proud to present a series of special one-off screenings of Ken Russell's The Devils, one of the most controversial films of all time.

Following from its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, we're excited to bring the recut and remastered version of The Devils to New Zealand screens for the very first time, offering an unrestricted and uninhibited version of Russell's original vision.

Billed the coolest film on the Croisette by Deadline earlier this year, the film went through a lenghty censorship battle upon original release in both the US and the UK, with the film gaining a cult-like following. 

This series of screenings will be the first time audiences in Aotearoa will ever have seen Russell's intended version, in all it's hallucinatory glory. 

You can watch the trailer here and see below to book tickets:

AUCKLAND:

Rialto Cinemas Newmarket, Wednesday October 21 6pm | Book here
The Hollywood Avondale, Wednesday October 21 7.30pm | Book here

WELLINGTON:

The Embassy Theatre, Wednesday October 21 6.15pm | Book here

CHRISTCHURCH:

Lumière Cinemas, Wednesday October 21 6pm | Book here
Lumière Cinemas, Wednesday October

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Congratulations to our Fresh (debut films section) and Frames (documentary section) winners!

 As voted by our jury, Fresh Competition winners are:

🎬 Fresh Competition Award - 9 Temples to Heaven ($1000)

🎬 Fresh Competition Award - Elephants in the Fog ($1000)

and joint winners:

🎬 Fresh Competition Award - La Gradiva ($500)

🎬 Fresh Competition Award - Goodbye, Cruel World ($500)

As voted by you:

🏅Fresh Audience Award: Elephants in the Fog

As voted by our jury, the winners of our Frames Competition, proudly presented by @docplay, are:

🎬 DocPlay Frames Competition Award: Landmarks ($1000)

🎬 DocPlay Frames Competition Award: Memory ($1000)

And voted by you:

🏅Frames Audience Award: The Seoul Guardians

Congratulations to the winners of the NZIFF 2026 Ngā Whanaunga Aotearoa: New Zealand’s Best Awards for short films. Judging by the standard of all this year’s entries and the winners, the future of New Zealand film is looking good!  

Umbrella Best Short Film Award ($5,000) 
The Whole Thing by Calvin Sang

Letterboxd Audience Award 
The Whole Thing by Calvin Sang

Auckland Live Spirit of the Civic Award ($4,000)
Arrival by Ahmed Osman

Park Road Post Award for Māori Pasifika Talent ($2,000)
Todd Karehana, director of Socks

Canon Emerging Talent Award (EOS Camera and Lens of the value of $4,500)
Isaac Ieremia, director of Ciggie

Wi Kuki Kaa Memorial Award for Best Performance to a Māori Pasifika Talent ($5,000)
Keporah Torrance for Kurī by Ana Chaya Scotney

Best Artistic Contribution
Allan George, editor of Tall Hours by Sophie Black

Special Mention
Giovanna Varea, for her performance in Daunitukutuku by Tumeli Tuqota