A woozy summer of youthful aimlessness morphs into a complex infatuation as a rebellious bourgeois French teen falls for an older Ukrainian bricklayer in this sun-drenched coming of age tale.
Festival Programme
Films — by Genre
- Action
- Actors and Theatre
- Animation
- Art
- Based on Books
- Cannes
- Comedy
- Coming of Age
- Documentary
- Education
- Environment
- Family Ties
- Fantasy
- Films about Films
- Historical
- Horror
- Human Rights
- LGBTQIA+
- Love Stories
- Music
- Māori/Pacific
- Politics
- Rural Life
- Sci-Fi
- Seniors
- Sex and Sexuality
- Style
- Thriller
- Travel
- War Zones
- Women Make Movies
- Writers
Cannes

It Was Just an Accident
Yek tasadef sadeh
A masterpiece of cinematic invention and political bravery, Jafar Panahi’s rousing new film deservedly won the Cannes Palme d’Or and opens NZIFF 2025 on a powerful and inspiring note.

Mirrors No. 3
Miroirs No. 3
In the wake of a traumatic incident, a young woman forms a surrogate mother-daughter relationship with her rescuer. As emotional walls come down, doubts arise: is there more to the care offered than simple kindness?

Ngā Whanaunga: Aotearoa New Zealand's Best 2025 Highlights
A highlight selection of the best short films from Ngā Whanaunga: Aotearoa New Zealand's Best 2025, including all award winners, will screen in the regions.

Orwell: 2+2=5
Raoul Peck, the acclaimed documentary chronicler of power in America, looks to George Orwell’s writing of 1984 as a prescient guide to our modern era of Trumpian rule and reality manipulation.

The President's Cake
Mamlaket al-Qasab
A young girl scrambles to prepare a high-stakes birthday cake for a dictator amidst the dangers and deprivations of the Gulf War in this irresistibly scrappy Caméra d'Or-winner from Iraq.
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Romería
One of the standouts of Cannes 2025, Carla Simón’s personal exploration of the restlessness of a young woman without parents is a poignant example of the healing power of cinema.

The Secret Agent
O agente secreto
Brazilian filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho painstakingly recreates the Recife of the 70s dictatorship years in this sprawling, colourful spy thriller like no other. Winner of Best Director and Best Actor at Cannes.

Sentimental Value
Affeksjonsverdi
Joachim Trier’s follow-up to his arthouse hit The Worst Person in the World, this piercing and ecstatically moving reflection on family and memory stars Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, and Elle Fanning.

Sirât
A father, accompanied by his son, goes looking for his daughter who has disappeared from a rave in Morocco. When the duo crosses paths with a group of misfits, their trip over the Atlas Mountains gradually becomes a coming-of-age odyssey.

Urchin
This gritty and empathetic portrait of addiction and the self-destruction that comes along with it is filled with pitch black humour. Frank Dillane puts on a masterclass as he takes his character to rock bottom.

Young Mothers
Jeunes mères
The Dardenne brothers return with a deeply affecting drama exploring the lives of five teen mothers. Hopes and fears steer the young women towards bettering their lives for themselves and their children.