What we’re watching at New Zealand International Film Festival (and what you can still catch)

Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival is officially underway, with Auckland's leg of the festival already down to its final few days. Whether you’ve already stopped by one of the participating theatres or keen to make a few last-minute shows, we’ve rounded up our favourites so far and the upcoming screenings we’re excited to catch before the festivities head south. 

This year’s lineup includes the largest number of Aotearoa-made films the festival has seen in years. New Zealand director Paloma Schneideman opened the festival across all locations, finally debuting her film Big Girls Don’t Cry at home. The film was warmly received at Sundance in January, where it ran as a finalist for the prestigious World Cinema Dramatic Award. In June, it was awarded the coveted Grand Prix at the Biarritz Film Festival—Nouvelles Vagues in France.

As anticipated, the film has been just as enthusiastically received by Kiwi audiences following its first screening at The Civic on July 30. Set in small-town Ōmaha, Big Girls Don’t Cry unfolds against the backdrop of a nostalgic mid-2000s New Zealand summer, exploring adolescent queerness, female shame, and the rapidly expanding online world.

Semi-autobiographical, the film follows 14-year-old Sid (Ani Palmer) through her summer school holidays as she desperately tries to reinvent herself while living with her father (Noah Taylor) and older sister (Tara Canton). Stuck in that awkward, uncertain stretch between adolescence and adulthood, Sid longs for approval, from her family, from boys, and especially from the effortlessly self-assured tourist girls who've flooded the town, namely her sister's American friend Freya (played by The Summer I Turned Pretty’s Rain Spencer).

While it reads well as a universal coming-of-age story, Schneideman notes that she's been particularly keen to premiere the film in Aotearoa: "There's some really esoteric Kiwi gags in there that I just can't wait for the New Zealanders to experience." The distinctly Kiwi humour woven throughout adds a new layer to the familiar coming-of-age format, one that rarely gets told through such a familiar lens.

Some other incredible films on our list include: Be Merry, another Aotearoa-made film that premiered August 2. A personal documentary directed by Gwen Isaac, the film explores her upbringing in 1980s Russell under the care of her mother Merrilyn, who struggled with bipolar disorder in a time when the condition was little understood. Merrilyn's unpredictable swings earned her the nickname 'Mad Merry', turning her life into local folklore. Decades later, Be Merry sees Isaac return to Russell to uncover who her mother truly was, offering a deeply personal exploration of motherhood and mental illness.

We also can’t wait to see Charli xcx make her major feature film debut in 100 Nights of Hero (2025), screening tonight, August 7. Adapted from the graphic novel and directed by Julia Jackman, the film makes its much-anticipated New Zealand debut at NZIFF. 100 Nights of Hero unfolds within a mythic, medieval society defined by strict rules around education, marriage, fertility, and fidelity. Alongside Charli, the cast includes Emma Corrin, Nicholas Galitzine, and Maika Monroe, in a film that plays out as a 'feminist fairytale'. Sharp yet playful, 100 Nights of Hero makes a statement about power, freedom, and being heard, told through extravagant costumes and a world just strange enough to feel like an escape.

Discover the full lineup and book your tickets to NZIFF here.

All imagery sourced via NZIFF.