Nau mai, Haere Mai

Strap in and get ready to fill your winter days with fabulous films on the big screens! We’re excited to be bringing NZIFF 2023 our regular cinemas and venues in Matakana, Hamilton, Tauranga, Napier, Havelock North, New Plymouth, Palmerston North and Masterton, and welcoming Whangārei and Gisborne back to the NZIFF whānau!

We’re immensely proud of this year’s programme. What better way to open than with Palme d’Or winner Anatomy of a Fall, followed by an incredible collection of films from around the globe. Get ready to be inspired, provoked, entertained, delighted and transformed by the stories which will unfold on the big screen during NZIFF 2023.

We love cinema, and we’re passionate about the collective experience of watching films together —being in a room with others where individual stories contribute to a collective tapestry of life.

We’re immersed in stories that transport us beyond our immediate reality; sharing laughter that ripples around the room, tears and sobs (and the rustle as your neighbour reaches for the tissues), and the gasps of astonishment that remind us of our capacity for wonder.

Coming together for the film festival connects us, transcending language, culture and backgrounds and bridges the gaps between us, erasing boundaries that often separate us in our daily lives—we share smiles, a nod or a gasp, and for a short time we are bound together.

Our striking imagery for 2023 (created by the talented team at Inhouse) highlights connection and a binding family of light as we cherish our place in the Pacific under the southern constellations and come together via the light of cinema in the depths of winter. Read more about the story behind the imagery and Whānau Mārama on page 5.

We thank our supporters— funders, sponsors and partners,