Festivals
In the space of just a few decades New Zealand has gone from a place with very few film festivals to one where there always seems to be a festival on. Festival programmes tend to specialise – sometimes by genre, sometimes by country of origin.Festivals often have a competitive element attached, with awards given in categories such as Best Film, Best Director etc.
48 Hours Furious Film-making
The 48 Hours Furious Film-making Competition (48 Hours) is a nationwide competition where teams create a short film in 48 hours. The films are screened in cinemas. The best short from each city competes in a live TV National Final on C4.
Moonlight Shorts
Moonlight Shorts (Moonlight shorts) is a film-making competition where teams have approximately two months to produce a short film over summer. 12 shorts are chosen to screen at the live, open-air final (Film Head).
DOCNZ: International Documentary Film Festival
DOCNZ: International Documentary Film Festival (Doc NZ) is a competitive international documentary film festival and a documentary advocacy body that seeks to establish local and overseas opportunities for local documentary film-makers as well as to broaden viewing opportunities for local audiences.
The Asia Film Festival Aotearoa (AFFA)
AFFA is run by the Zealand Film Foundation Trust (ANZFFT) (AFFA website). The aim of AFFA is to promote Asian film-makers and the Asian Diaspora to New Zealand audiences.
Wairoa Maori Film Festival
The Wairoa Maori Film Festival (Mana Wairoa) is presented by Te Roopu Whakaata Maori i te Wairoa ~ Wairoa Maori Film Festival Society Inc. The Festival awards scholarships to Maori film-makers.
The Richies
Formerly known as The Richmond Road Short Film Festival. The Richies (Richies website) is an annual event where film-makers can enter a Short Film Competition to compete for “A Richie” award.
New Zealand Telecom International Film Festival
The New Zealand Telecom International Film Festival (NZ Telecom Fim Festival) is a charitable trust established in 1996 by the New Zealand Federation of Film Societies. Each year it runs international film festivals around the country. New Zealand features and shorts are included in the film selection.
Homegrown
The New Zealand International Film Festival includes programmes of New Zealand short films which are known as Homegrown and which are programmed by The Moving Image Centre (MIC) (MIC website).
That’s Incredible Cinema
That’s Incredible Cinema (Thats Incredible) was created from the merging of The Incredible Film Festival (initially called The Incredibly Strange Film Festival) within the Telecom International Film Festival Incredibly Strange. The focus is on new Asian cinema, pop culture documentaries and controversy.
Out Takes: lesbian and gay film festival
Out Takes: lesbian and gay film festival (Out Takes) is a non-profit film festival screened annually in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.
Allshorts Film Festival
Allshorts Film Festival (All Shorts) is a short film and music video festival held at Golden Bay, Nelson.
Hokianga Film Festival
The Hokianga Film Festival (Hokianga) is a three-day event celebrating the work of local film-makers.
Wellington Fringe Festival
The Wellington Fringe Festival (Fringe website) is an open access arts festival which includes film screenings and film awards.
Dunedin Fringe Festival
The Dunedin Fringe Festival (Dunedin Fringe) is an open access arts festival which includes film screenings and film awards.
The Wild South International Film Festival
The Wild South International Film Festival (Wild South) is a documentary film festival held biennially in Wanaka.
Wet West Film Festival.
The Wet West Film Festival is held in Hokitika to celebrate water. No website.
The Date Palm Film Festival
The Date Palm Film Festival (http://www.datepalm.co.nz/) showcases films from Morocco to Iran.
The Magma Film Festival
The Magma Film Festival (www.magmafilm.org.nz/) is a short film festival and competition held in Rotorua.
Human Rights Film Festival
The Human Rights Film Festival (www.humanrightsfilmfest.net.nz) screens films on human rights issues.
Italian Film Festival
The Italian Film Festival (www.italianfilmfestival.co.nz) is an annual New Zealand-wide event. A scholarship is awarded to a film industry participant.
The Korean Film Festival
The Korean Film Festival screens in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
Belladonna Film Trust: Cinema 111 Art Project
The Belladonna Film Trust: Cinema 111 Art Project (www.belladonna.org.nz) asked film-makers in 2007 to make a 30 second black and white silent film to celebrate 11 years of film exhibition in Christchurch.
World Cinema Showcase
World Cinema Showcase (www.worldcinemashowcase.co.nz) screens annually in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.
Drifting Clouds
The Drifting Clouds Film Festival (www.driftingcloudsfilmfestival.com) held annually in Wellington has categories to award local and international short film-makers.
Show Me Shorts
Show Me Shorts (www.showmeshorts.co.nz/) is a trans-Tasman short film festival/competition.
Wanaka Mountain Film Festival
The Wanaka Mountain Film Festival (www.offpiste.co.nz/festival) screens local and international films in competition over four days.
The Aotearoa Environmental Film Festival
The Aotearoa Environmental Film Festival (www.aeff.org.nz) screens local and international film on environmental issues in competition.
Vegetarian Film Festival
The Vegetarian Film Festival (www.vegeterianfilmfest.org.nz) screened in Auckland and Christchurch celebrates World Vegetarian Day screening local and international films.
Eco Film Festival
An Eco Film Festival in 2007 was produced by EcoMatters in association with the Waitakere City Council (www.thebigidea.co.nz).
Jasmax Architecture Film Festival
The Jasmax Architecture Film Festival (www.jasmax.co.nz/filmfestival/) showcases architecture and architects.
International Film Festivals and Competitions
New Zealand film-makers enter their films into some of the thousands of festivals worldwide. These festivals include:
Cannes (www.festival-cannes.com)
Taormina (www.taorminafilmfest.it/)
Berlin (www.berlinale.de/en/HomePage.html)
Venice (www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/)
Edinburgh (www.edfilmfest.org.uk/)
Sundance (festival.sundance.org)
Telluride (www.telluridefilmfestival.com/)
London (www.lff.org.uk/)
Melbourne (www.melbournefilmfestival.com.au/)
Singapore (www.filmfest.org.sg/)
Hong Kong (http://www.hkiff.org.hk/)
Other Exhibition Events
As well as regular screenings of films in independently owned theatres and theatres owned by cinema chains, films are screened in New Zealand in a variety of other forms. Television channels commonly screen local work. Other screening venues include:
The New Zealand Film Archive
The New Zealand Film Archive www.filmarchive.org.nz/ has three principal functions—to collect, protect and project New Zealand’s moving image heritage. The Archive holds regular screenings around the country from its collection. Tailored screening programmes for education, community and touring groups are available. The Archive has offices in Wellington and Auckland.
The New Zealand Film Society
The New Zealand Film Society (www.nzfilmsociety.org.nz) is a non-profit network of film exhibition, with 11 branches nationwide. The NZFC (www.nzfilm.co.nz) makes NZ short and features available for film society screenings.
The 48 Hour V Movie Marathon
The 48 Hour V Movie Marathon (www.moviemarathon.co.nz) screens in Auckland and Wellington and is run by 2Brothers Films Ltd.
Cinema Circus
Cinema Circus (www.cinemacircus.co.nz), run by 2Brothers Films Ltd is a mobile 35mm cinema that travels to outdoors locations in NZ and screens films on a 50ft state-of-the-art airscreen for no entrance fee.
The Moving Image Centre
As well as screening a lot of digital arts work, the Moving Image Centre (www.mic.org.nz) screens New Zealand short films in its Pollywood and Short Fuse programmes.
The Centre for New Zealand Studies (CNZS)
CNZS (www.nzsa.co.uk) at Birbeck University, London, has regular screenings of New Zealand film.
Art galleries and art spaces
Art films and multimedia are screened in art galleries and art spaces for example The Physics Room (www.physicsroom.org.nz/), The Moving Image Centre (www.mic.org.nz), the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery (www.govettbrewster.com/).
Internet
Flicks.co.nz (www.flicks.co.nz/) screens NZ short films submitted by the filmmakers.
YouTube (www.youtube.com/) screens material people load themselves onto the site.
Website film screening references
Websites advertising film screenings include:
New Zealand Culture Online www.nzlive.com
Te Puna Web Directory www.webdirectory.natlib.govt.nz/index.htm
Film Guide: this week in Wellington film.wellington.net.nz/
Films screening in Wellington’s art cinemas www.tonight.co.nz
Flicks.co.nz http://www.flicks.co.nz/
The Lumiere Reader www.lumiere.net.nz/reader/
NZShortFilm.com www.nzshortfilm.com
Incinemas www.incinemas.co.nz