Award-winning films from Cannes, Venice and Berlin film festivals will feature at Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF).

NZIFF today reveals 11 hot ticket films from its programme set to thrill, inspire, and surprise audiences when they have their New Zealand premieres at the festival.

“The film festival has always worked to bring the very best in film to New Zealand audiences, and this year we have an exceptional line-up with major award winners from the biggest film festivals in the world,” says Director Marten Rabarts. Cannes Film Festival titles include Palme d’Or winner, Titane, which will close the festival in a memorable way and Grand Prix award winners, A Hero, from decorated Iranian director Asghar Farhadi and Juho Kuosmanen’s offbeat train romance, Compartment No. 6.

Other Cannes titles include two very different 'coming-of-age' films, the intense Russian Unclenching the Fists and the sunny Croatian Murina, starring New Zealander Cliff Curtis, for which writer-director Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic was awarded the Caméra d’Or for best debut feature. They join the previously announced Jury Prize winner, Memoria. 

Hot off the heels of critically lauded debuts at Venice Film Festival comes Golden Lion winner, Audrey Diwan’s hard-hitting drama, Happening, and Grand Jury Prize winner, Paolo Sorrentino’s majestical memoir, The Hand of God. These films join the previously announced opening night film, The Power of the Dog, for which Dame Jane Campion won the Silver Lion for Best Director.

Berlin Film Festival highlights featured in the programme include Golden Bear winning black-comic porn-revenge story, Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn, Japanese romance anthology and Grand Jury Prize winner, Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy, Jury Prize winning documentary, Mr Bachmann and His Class, and the arresting World War II drama, Natural Light, from Hungarian director Dénes Nagy who took home the Silver Bear award for Best Director.