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The strategic document outlines a 10-year strategy of the Board of The New Zealand Film Festival Trust as it works to deliver and reconfigure Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival to ensure the festival’s continuance, the retention of core values and commonalities and to continue a rebuild into the future.

Planning for 2024 and beyond presents the opportunity for a strategic reinvigoration. Following a series of challenging years, the Board acknowledges that it must confront tough decisions to secure the festival’s future viability. For the NZFFT Board and the Festival team, the last four festivals have not been alike, nor are they representative of how the Board expects to operate in 2024 or over the next decade.

While individual challenges such as the once-in-a-generation pandemic, and once-in-a-decade economic shock, may continue to bear down on society, the Board and Festival staff must plan ahead to grow new audiences and experiences that not only ensure its economic viability but deliver a Festival event that holds its place in New Zealand and internationally.

Together with the Festival team and a number of partners, the Board met for a strategy hui and following this collaborative discussion, the Board developed Te ahua o

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As the curtain closed on NZIFF 2023 we asked you to tell it to us straight. What you liked, what you didn’t like, and more than 1200 of you generously took the time to share your thoughts with us. There was a lot to digest and we’re ready to spill the beans.

There were some recurring themes in your feedback and like always there was agreement and some disagreement. Our challenge for 2024 is to digest, reflect and action, what we can. Mostly we were heartened that 93.3% of you said that you satisfied or very satisfied with NZIFF 2023, we know that 100% satisfaction is hard to achieve but we’ll keep trying!

What you loved

The shared love of the festival was deeply heartening. Your appreciation makes all the effort worth it.

• Amazing to have the festival back in full force! Best time of the year, loved the programme and had such a great experience this year.
• Lovely! Amazing vibe, love people coming together to see films. Such a buzz
• I always enjoy the experience. The NZIFF is a cultural highlight of winter!
• It's one of the highlights of my year - the venues are great, the crowds are

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Films available now are:
Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power
Building Bridges: Bill Youren's Vision of Peace
Carmen
Detour
The Giants
Holy Spider
How to Blow Up a Pipeline
The Inspection
The New Boy
Of an Age
Past Lives
Reality
Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams
Shin Ultraman
Sisu
Sweet As

The New Zealand Film Festival Trust is proud to celebrate the recipient of the Dame Gaylene Preston Award for Documentary Filmmakers and new Arts Laureate for 2023, Annie Goldson

The award was announced by Te Tumu Toi | The Arts Foundation at a ceremony at the Aotea Centre on Friday 1 September.

The Dame Gaylene Preston Award for Documentary Filmmakers was created as part of the Arts Foundation Laureates Awards and is a partnership with the Arts Foundation of New Zealand, the New Zealand Film Commission, Vista Foundation and the New Zealand Film Festival Trust. The $35,000 award is made biennially to an outstanding New Zealand documentary filmmaker.

Previous recipients are Pietra Brettkelly (2019) and Florian Habicht (2021) and this year’s award was selected by a panel comprising Phil Bremner, Kay Ellmers, Libby Hakaraia and Habicht.

Of this year’s recipient, the selection panel said:

“Annie Goldson is a fearless and committed documentary filmmaker with an international focus, both in terms of reflecting international issues in a New Zealand and Pacific context and bringing New Zealand and Pacific stories to the international stage. Over her career she has created a large and diverse body of work in the field of documentary

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We're pleased to announce the winners of this year's Ngā Whanaunga Māori Pasifika Shorts. 

The Wellington UNESCO City of Film Award for Best Film ($3000 cash prize) went to The Last Sunday, directed by Saito Lilo; and the Letterboxd Audience Award ($1000 cash prize) went to Mako, directed by Mark Papalii.

Saito was presented the award by Wellington Mayor, and UNESCO ambassador, Tory Whanau, following the screening on Saturday 12 at The Roxy Cinema, Wellington, while Mark received the Letterboxd Audience Award at the Closing Night of NZIFF in Wellington on Sunday 13 August. The Wellington UNESCO City of Film Award was judged by a three-member jury — Aroha Awarau, Sima Urale and Mitchell Manuel. 

The jury commented that this film was technically excellent with strong structure, visually good storytelling and good acting. "Director Saito Lilo demonstrated courage and bravery in highlighting a topic which was relevant to today with pressure of family and the role of the church."

The jury also awarded Special Mention awards to the films Kōkako, written and directed by Douglas Brooks, and I Am Paradise, written and directed by Hiona Henare.

In addition to these three films, Ngā Whanaunga Māori Pasifika Shorts film competition’s 2023 finalists

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