Who We Are

Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival is presented by The New Zealand Film Festival Trust under the distinguished patronage of Her Excellency The Right Honourable Dame Cindy Kiro, Governor-General of New Zealand.

Kaine Thompson is a consultant working in international trade regulation, public and government relations, local government and the arts.  He is a Trustee of the Wellington Theatre Awards Trust, the Embassy Theatre Trust and Kia Puāwai/Youth Horizons which is a national organisation established to improve the lives of tamariki, rangatahi and whānau across Aotearoa. He's worked with Stanford University's Global Projects Centre focussing on urban development as part of the global smart cities initiative and was an expert advisory panellist for the United Nations D­­evelopment Programme's Parliamentary Democracy initiative supporting the development of democratic practice in emerging democracies. In his early life, Kaine featured in a number of locally produced films and television series' and has long since maintained an active interest in arts administration. 

Sharon Menzies' (Te Aitanga-a-Mahāki), CMInstD, governance experience spans more than 15 years and includes chair roles, board and advisory positions at a national level in New Zealand and Australia. Sharon is currently the Chair of Film Bay of Plenty and was the Co-President of the New Zealand Screen Production and Development Association (SPADA). During this time Sharon led the development of the film policy vision and strategic direction towards a robust and sustainable New Zealand screen production industry. Sharon is a past President of Women In Film and Television (WIFT NZ). In addition, Sharon’s extensive professional experience as Managing Director of Fulcrum Media Finance, a market leading cashflow financier for film and television in Australia and New Zealand, has allowed her to establish a balanced and fair approach to governance with an emphasis on profitable outcomes through performance of people and processes. In 2020 Sharon was awarded the WIFT Imagezone Entrepreneurship Award and in 2016 Fulcrum was Awarded the Services and Facilities Business of the Year in 2016 by Screen Producers Australia. 

Catherine Fitzgerald ONZM has produced a slate of award winning feature and short films (The Orator was nominated by New Zealand for Foreign Language Oscar 2012), which have screened in film festivals worldwide including Berlin, Venice, Cannes, and Sundance, and has contributed creatively to the production of many more. She is a Member of the Asia Pacific Screen Academy, and received South Pacific Pictures Award For Achievement In Film (2014) and SPADA NZ Independent Producer Of The Year Award (2011), among other prizes and honours.

Robin Laing is one of New Zealand’s most experienced film producers. She has worked with a number of directors including Gaylene Preston, Christine Jeffs and Niki Caro. She is founding President of WIFT in New Zealand and founding Chair of The New Zealand Film and Television School. In 1993 she was awarded an MBE for services to New Zealand film and in 2008 received a WIFT Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Film Industry.

Toby Manhire is an award-winning journalist and editor, and editor-at-large at The Spinoff. He has contributed to a range of New Zealand titles including The Listener, RNZ and The New Zealand Herald and spent a decade working at The Guardian in London. Toby's involvement with the New Zealand International Film Festival began in the mid-90s when he wrote a history of censorship and the festival for a university honours paper.

Paolo Bertolin is a film programmer, writer and producer. He is a member of the selection committee of Venice International Film Festival. He has worked for several international film festivals and institutions, including Cannes' Directors' Fortnight, Locarno Open Doors, IFFRotterdam, Doha Film Institute, Mumbai Film Festival, Beijing Film Festival, Cannes’ Semaine de la critique, Udine Far East Film Festival and Nyon Visions du réel.

As a film critic and journalist, he has written articles for Italian and international publications, including Rivista del cinematografo, Cineforum, Segnocinema, Il manifesto, The Korea Times, Cahiers du cinéma, Positif and Senses of Cinema.

Paolo has production credits on Berlinale Competition entries Big Father, Small Father and Other Stories by Phan Dang Di and A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery by Lav Diaz.

He is a member of the European Film Academy and of the Asia Pacific Screen Awards Academy.

Michael was born in Christchurch and attended Cashmere High School. In 1999 he graduated from the University of Canterbury with a BA (Hons) majoring in History. In 2001 he joined the New Zealand Film Festival Trust as an assistant programmer. As a programmer he assists the NZIFF artistic director with film selection and scheduling as well as overseeing the film submission process.

In the down time between festivals Michael also works as a programmer-administrator for the New Zealand Federation of Film Societies.

"I couldn’t name a favourite movie, but I do have a film that changed my life. It’s a weird, crazy Japanese film from the 70’s called Female Convict Scorpion Jailhouse 41. When I applied to work at NZIFF, the job ad asked for us to write a programme note in the festival style for a film we really liked. Since I had just watched this wacky film on an import DVD I decided to write about it, not really thinking about what it might say about me. They probably saw it and thought, ‘who is this guy? He either knows his stuff or he’s completely crazy!’ Either way, it caught their attention and they brought me in for an interview and the rest is, as you say, history. That was back in 2000, and I still love working here. Is it the best film? No! But it certainly changed my career course."

Leo Koziol (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Rakaipaaka) is founder and director of the Wairoa Māori Film Festival. It is the longest-running indigenous film festival of New Zealand and will be taking place in a traditional marae (Maori assembly house) for the 15th time this year. Leo Koziol worked as cultural advisor in the Ministry of Maori Development and curates short films for the New Zealand International Film Festival (Ngā Whanaunga Maori Pasifika programme). He also curates for various film festivals in Canada, Italy, Polynesia, the United States and Australia. Leo is curator of the annual CineMarae art exhibition at the Wallace Arts Centre, Auckland. He is the subject of short film "Native in Nuhaka" by award winning film maker Hiona Henare. Leo is a member of the Anishnaabe Bawaadan Artists Collective based in Ontario, Canada. In 2019, he was presented with the Te Aupounamu Māori in Screen Excellence Award. In 2020, he was a guest film expert in the visitor programme of the Goethe Institute at the Berlinale film festival.

Director of 'Pollywood Pasifika Film' - Craig Fasi acknowledges 18 years of producing a festival of Pasifika focused film for annual exhibition to NZ and the world. Equipped with a Bachelor of Visual Arts from MIT, determination and passion, Mr Fasi, of Niue decent, boasts 20 years of experience working with Pasifika people in the Film/multi-media art arena. Mr Fasi is an independent with no restrictions in terms of dedication to normalizing Pasifika People working in Film & Multi-media art. “Pasifika content is underestimated – realizing the content into production for screen is key” says Mr Fasi. Working with Council, Education, Government, Corporate & Private organizations continues to sustain and validate the work Mr Fasi contributes to the creative landscape.

Amanda Jane Robinson is a filmmaker based in Tāmaki Makaurau. She has produced numerous short films and music videos and is currently developing several short and feature projects with the New Zealand Film Commission.

Amanda has worked in marketing and publicity within the book publishing industry and has held positions at various screen sector organisations. In 2020 she founded Vetiver Pictures specialising in film production, artist collaborations, and cinema programming – she currently co-programmes the monthly Capitol Cinema Film Club.  

Heperi is drawn to films that reflect the unique ways Aotearoa’s culture, history, and landscapes shape us as storytellers. Influenced by Sam Neill’s 1995 description of our national cinema as a “Cinema of Unease,” he is especially interested in how New Zealand filmmaking has evolved in the decades since - gravitating toward work that captures a distinct homegrown tone and cinematic style.

A filmmaker from a whānau of filmmakers, Heperi’s documentary Merata: How Mum Decolonised the Screen premiered at NZIFF in 2018. His short film First Horse, which he wrote and produced, screened in the New Zealand’s Best section in 2023. He also spent eight years at Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision, developing an encyclopaedic knowledge of New Zealand cinema.

Heperi’s personal tastes are broad, but he holds a deep admiration for the work of Akira Kurosawa and has a soft spot for documentaries that introduce him to lives and perspectives outside his own.

Carmen Gray is a journalist, critic and film programmer from rural South Canterbury, who studied in Dunedin and Auckland, and lives in Berlin. She has worked in many facets of the film industry for nearly two decades. She is currently on the selection committee of the Generation section of the Berlin International Film Festival, and advises on films at the editing stage of production for First Cut Lab. 

Carmen freelances as an investigative journalist for The New York Times covering politics, activism and the arts in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Balkans regions, and has written extensively on cinema forb numerous outlets including Sight & Sound, and The Criterion Collection.

“Cinema for me is a way to open up new ways of thinking about the world, and a fire for people to come together around. My favourite film shifts according to whatever ideas or emotions I’m drawn to at the time, but right now The Colour of Pomegranates is big in my mind. It’s a re-envisioning of the life and inner world of a famed 18th-century troubadour, and came out of the vivid and out-there imagination of Sergei Parajanov, an Armenian-Georgian who was jailed as a threat to the status quo and is a hero of free expression and guard of cultural memory against oppressive political currents.”

Jordan is NZIFF’s Christchurch Coordinator and has worked with the Festival for several years. A longtime cinema worker in various roles, Jordan brings a unique perspective shaped by time spent on the ground with audiences - serving and speaking with everyone from die-hard cinephiles to casual festival-goers. This frontline experience informs Jordan’s programming instincts and passion for curating films that resonate across a wide spectrum of tastes.

When programming, Jordan looks for films that are emotionally moving or thought-provoking - whether through stunning cinematography, a powerful story, a fresh portrayal of life, or even just plain shock value and quirk. Personally, Jordan loves grimy genre films, classic Japanese cinema (from Godzilla to Ozu), and firmly believes Josie and the Pussycats is the greatest film ever made.

As NZIFF Festival Manager, Matt leads day-to-day operations and oversees the delivery of the festival. Working closely with the Artistic Director and wider team, he gets a buzz out of bringing the best and brightest in local and world cinema to audiences in Aotearoa.

Matt’s first involvement with the festival was in the early 2010’s, when he spent his uni days bunking off film lectures to sneak into screenings at the Paramount. He was squandering student living costs to pay for movies, until he realised he could volunteer at the festival in exchange for precious cinema tickets.

Later, he worked at NZ Fringe and Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts, enjoyed a stint as a travel writer in Spain, Portugal and the UK, and joined the programming team at Arts Centre Melbourne, before returning to NZIFF.
 
“Picking a favourite cinema moment is almost impossible, but one that sticks out in recent memory was watching Past Lives at the Embassy a couple of years back. As the credits began to roll, the film went silent… but the room was full of little sobs, weeps, and whimpers – not a dry eye in the house. That shared experience is what the film festival is all about.”

Marie is the Wellington Events Lead at NZIFF, responsible for managing logistics between festival volunteers, venues, and events. Her background is in operations across a range of industries including architecture, design, brand and marketing, and hospitality. A common thread in her career is a focus on people - she thrives in roles where connection and collaboration are key. 

Outside of NZIFF, Marie is a musician, an artist, and a jeweller, making it especially meaningful for her to work alongside other creatives. She loves the buzz of festival season and finds it thrilling to work toward a firm deadline with a team all moving in sync. Being part of the behind-the-scenes action feels like having front row seats to something truly special.

Jillian is the Guest Coordinator at NZIFF, she is responsible for helping invited directors, producers, and creatives get in, out, and all around the festival. Her background in the arts is wide ranging with experience in performing, producing, stage and tour management and many years in ticketing. Big festivals and events are her thing.

She loves the Q&A's and panels with guest directors, producers, creatives and actors that NZIFF offers. Her favourite part is learning all about the origins and process of a creative endeavour, which makes you appreciate it that much more. These amazing personal stories resonate so beautifully and add that special sauce to the festival experience.