Revealed: The first NZIFF 2025 films

The first 13 films for NZIFF 2025 have arrived! 

With titles from Aotearoa, Australia, India, China, Norway and more, this selection has everything from heartwarming romance to classic chainsaw horror.

Films include Mistress Dispeller, an unflinching look into the life of a professional affair breaker-upper, Went Up the Hill, a psychological thriller set in rural NZ, and animated queer sci-fi comedy, Lesbian Space Princess. Also on the list is Sundance Grand Jury winner and romantic drama Cactus Pear, Brazilian dystopian fantasy The Blue Trail, and Dreams (Sex, Love) part of an award-winning Norwegian trilogy on modern love.

A politically charged near-future drama from Brazil, an acclaimed Norwegian trilogy exploring intimacy and desire, an Australian animated queer space opera, a haunting psychological drama set in remote Aotearoa, and a 70s horror classic restored to its full glory are among the first films revealed for Whānau Mārama New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF) in 2025.

Artistic Director Paolo Bertolin says these films offer an early glimpse of the energy, ideas and themes shaping this year’s festival and a taste of the adventurous and memorable stories awaiting audiences this year.

“These films reflect the pulse of contemporary cinema and speak powerfully to the moment we are living in. They ask big questions, take risks, and remind us why cinema matters more than ever.

“Thanks to the exceptional work of the NZIFF programming team, we are shaping this year’s festival as a chance to experience that urgency, curiosity and beauty together on the big screen,” Bertolin says.

Bertolin is joined in the selection of films by a renewed programming team composed of Programme Manager Michael McDonnell and programmers Carmen Gray, Heperi Mita, Amanda Jane Robinson and Jordan Salomen.

Each of the first films revealed is part of one of the ten strands that define the NZIFF 2025 programme. These curated pathways group films by theme, mood or perspective, helping audiences navigate the festival in ways that reflect their interests and curiosities.

First films announced by strand:

Māhutonga: Our constellation of Māhutonga lights the way to Aotearoa’s storytellers, shining through the Southern Skies via the Southern Cross.

Went Up the Hill (directed by Samuel Van Grinsven, New Zealand)

Fresh: First narrative features from bold new voices in international cinema.

Cactus Pears (directed by Rohan Parashuram Kanawade, India)

Visions: Works showcasing the distinct cinematic style of revered masters and emerging talents.

Sex Dreams Love trilogy (directed by Dag Johan Haugerud, Norway)

Comprising the films Sex, Dreams and Love. 

Journeys: Cinematic journeys through regions whose stories offer fresh insight into place, identity, and experience.

The Blue Trail (directed by Gabriel Mascaro, Brazil)

Widescreen: Narrative and documentary films offering vivid snapshots from diverse realities from across the globe.

Happy Holidays (directed by Scandar Copti, Palestine)

Portraits: Character-driven narrative and documentary films that draw us into the lives of ordinary and extraordinary people.

Blue Moon (directed by Richard Linklater, USA)

Frames: Works that explore and expand the language of documentary filmmaking.

Mistress Dispeller (directed by Elizabeth Lo, China)

Rhythms: Narrative and documentary films centered around music and its forms. 

One to One: John & Yoko (directed by Kevin Macdonald and Sam Rice-Edwards, UK)

Nocturnal: A late-night strand devoted to films that revel in genre, irreverence, and the unexpected.

Lesbian Space Princess (directed by Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese, Australia)

Presented in association with Phantom Billstickers 

Treasures: A section of hand-picked classics and recently restored films.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (directed by Tobe Hooper, USA)

Chain Reactions (directed by Alexandre O. Philippe, USA)

NZIFF 2025 opens in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland on 31 July before screening in nine other centres around the motu throughout August and into September.

NZIFF 2025 will screen in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland (31 July – 10 August), Ōtautahi Christchurch (8 – 24 August), Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington (14 – 24 August), Ōtepoti Dunedin (15 – 31 August), Kirikiriroa Hamilton (28 August – 10 September), Whakatū Nelson (28 August – 10 September), Ahuriri Napier (28 August – 7 September), Ngāmotu New Plymouth (28 August – 7 September), Tauranga-moana Tauranga (28 August – 7 September), and Whakaoriori Masterton (28 August – 7 September).