News

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

We’re making the most of our time in Auckland by adding a raft of encores for some of our most popular flicks.

Encore sessions include: Fjord, Minotaur, Late Fame, All of a Sudden, Whispers in the Woods, Rose of Nevada, Calle Malaga, Dead Man’s Wire, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, Father Mother Sister Brother, AnyMart, The Fox, The Black Ball, Elephants in the Fog, La Gradiva, The Wizard of the Kremlin, The Ungrateful Tenant, Ghost in the Cell, The Samurai and the Prisoner, and Lomu.

If you missed out the first time, this is your sign! But move fast as these sought-after seats won’t stay empty for long.

UPDATED LIST | 6 August:

Paper Tiger
A crowd favourite at Cannes this year, starring Scarlett Johansson and Miles Teller, this film follows a suburban New York family who get caught up with the Russian Mob.

Perfect Strangers
Director Gaylene Preston describes this 2003 movie starring Sam Neill as her “wild child”. It’s easy to see why in this tense exploration of the fine line between love and pursuit, romance and danger, fear and obsession. 

The Red Hangar
A tightly-controlled Chilean thriller set in the 1970s reconstructs the tense hours following the coup d’etat that brought the Pinochet regime to power.

The Friend’s House is Here
In Tehran’s underground art scene, two young women build a blissful world of freedom and sisterhood. But when their creative circle is exposed, they must fight to save each other. 

Congo Boy
In Bangui, Central African Republic, 17 year-old Robert dreams of a career in music, but both his parents are thrown into prison and he is left to look after his four younger siblings while remaining determined to follow his dream.

Looking for Alibrandi
A classic Aussie panelwagon-angst coming-of-age movie from 2000 that’s funny, relatable and achingly sad at the same time. Now

Continue reading…

The spot to land before the lights go down or unwind once they come back up. Grab a seat, order a bite, a brew or a cold beverage, and dissect that final scene with fellow festival-goers who get it.

This year, Mezze Bar is also hosting our local and international guests throughout the festival, so keep an eye out — you never know which director, actor or programmer might be perched at the next table.

And here's the bonus: NZIFF subscribers who present their ticket stub at the bar get 10% off their bill, so there's even more reason to make Mezze Bar your festival home base.

Mezze Bar

• 9 Durham Street East, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010

This year we’re trying something a little different… Auckland and Wellington audiences will be treated to a secret screening presented in association with our friends at Letterboxd. We’ll also be hosting a Letterboxd meet-up at the Civic before the Auckland screening, your opportunity to meet likeminded Letterboxd die-hards!

Your clues for the film 👀
* This film will NOT be playing elsewhere in the festival.
* It was released in 2026.
* And it played at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

We’ll leave you to figure out the rest! Secret screenings are on in Auckland on 8 August and Wellington on 15 August - details and tickets below:

Surprise Film

Saturday 8 August 8.30pm, The Civic

Saturday 15th August, 8.45pm, Embassy Theatre

Letterboxd Meet-up

Saturday 8 August 7.45pm, The Civic