Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival NZIFF

"I'd never share a rope with him" is about as damning a comment as anyone can make about a fellow mountaineer. Sir Edmund Hillary's words about Earle Riddiford in his last autobiography set the uneasy tone of this nuanced documentary by Earle’s son Richard Riddiford.

Recorded Sunday 2 August 2020 at ASB Waterfront Theatre in Auckland following the screening.

Director Anna Marbrook honours the last voyage of the great waka maker, sailor and mentor Ema Siope, whose journeys between Aotearoa and Sāmoa in search of healing, and her family’s reckoning with systemic abuse, are powerfully documented.

Recorded Thursday 30 July 2020 at ASB Waterfront Theatre in Auckland following the screening.

Premiering their forthcoming web series as a special festival presentation, director Max Currie (Everything We Loved, NZIFF14) and writer Cole Meyers’ queer and trans-celebratory drama swells with character and heart.

Recorded Sunday 26 July 2020 at ASB Waterfront Theatre in Auckland, following the world premiere screening.

A collection of Māori and Pasifika short films curated by Leo Koziol (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Rakaipaaka), Director of the Wairoa Māori Film Festival, with guest co-curator Craig Fasi (Niue), Director of the Pollywood Film Festival. In 2020, for the first time, Ngā Whanaunga Māori Pasifika Shorts is a competitive section in the Festival. The best film in Ngā Whanaunga Māori Pasifika Shorts as judged by an international jury, receives the Wellington UNESCO City of Film Award for Best Film.

Recorded Sunday 26 July 2020 at ASB Waterfront Theatre in Auckland, following the world premiere screening.

For this year’s New Zealand’s Best short film competition, Festival Director Marten Rabarts, Head of Programming Michael McDonnell, and Paris-based Programmer Sandra Reid viewed 78 submissions to make a shortlist of 12, from which renowned director Tusi Tamasese selected these six finalists. A jury of three will select the winners of the $4,000 Creative New Zealand Jury Prize and the $2,000 Madman Entertainment Emerging Talent Award, while the winner of an audience vote takes away the Audience Choice Award, consisting of 25 percent of the online box office from this year’s screenings.

Recorded Saturday 25 July 2020 at ASB Waterfront Theatre in Auckland, following the world premiere screening.

In the increasing public discourse on mental health, Leanne Pooley’s inspiring and fearless documentary tracks an extraordinary young woman’s journey from suicide survivor to advocate for those struggling. The fact it leaves you hopeful and with tangible advice makes it vital viewing.

Recorded Saturday 25 July 2020 at ASB Waterfront Theatre in Auckland, following the world premiere screening.

Marten Rabarts with Leanne Pooley and Jazz Thornton.