Ahi, a young Māori boy, searches for answers after his mother’s mysterious disappearance. As Matariki approaches, celestial and spiritual elements intertwine, leading Ahi to uncover truths about his mother's fate.

Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu’s We Were Dangerous is a simmering, potent drama set against the stark backdrop of a 1954 New Zealand reform school. It's a story of rebellion, told through the intertwined fates of Nellie and Daisy, two young women seeking escape from a system that seeks to break them. The arrival of Lou adds a complex layer to their dynamic, as the girls navigate the oppressive regime of a devout matron and the unsettling experimental punishments meted out under the cover of night. Director Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu doesn’t shy away from the darkness, but rather leans into moments of joy and absurdity in what the trio of young women face. The film pulses with a quiet rage, a testament to the enduring power of friendship in the face of systemic injustice. It's a challenging, yet deeply human story.

This impressively candid documentary revisits the three-minute long “incident” at the University of Auckland which triggered race relations between Māori and non-Māori in 1970s New Zealand. Current Interviews with the engineering students who participated in the mocking haka party and members of the activist group that disrupted it, now adults, reflect on their versions of what happened. Directed by Katie Wolfe (one of the directors of 2017’s Waru) this doc, originally a theatre piece, is the ultimate telling of this true story. With archival footage and insights from those who were there, The Haka Party Incident brings forgotten history to life.

Stories of queer joy and beauty, self-love and healing, curiosity, exploration, discovery, transitioning into strange times, and… post-apocalyptic love and intergalactic break-ups? A celebration of the many colourful facets of our resilient 2SLGBTQIA+ kin who have always been and will continue to be.

This next generation of storytellers have something to say when it comes to grounding oneself in homeland and community. These stories of return and reconnection, fulfilling our gifts to the community, healing through a crisis and picking up traditional knowledge of the land will leave you hopeful for the future.

Films that reflect the ways in which love transcends the physical body to manifest itself anew, changing us forever. It lives on through our memories, keeps watch, keeps us company, and waits to return to us again one day.

Healing through laughter is often a way our communities use play to engage with serious issues. These filmmakers will make you look at things with a smirk, a chuckle, or even a downright knee slap, rejoicing in the resilience of our people.

Woven together by language, whispers, hair, and sacrifice, KIN TIES explores our relationships to the ancestors and to the land.

Celebrating the voices of our Elders we see the footprints they leave behind for us to follow, the wisdom of their teachings, and how their teachings echo through our lives

It’s 1864 and against impossible odds, the Māori in the Waikato region valiantly face an army of colonial settlers to fight for their lands and people. Haki is a half-Māori and half-European teenager fighting on the side of the New Zealand military and taken prisoner by the Māori resistance. He befriends Kopu, a Māori girl who is imprisoned in her own right as she is believed to be the vessel for manifesting a Māori god of war, used for guidance as a resistance tactic in her people’s battle for sovereignty. Haki and Kopu find themselves caught between many concurrent battles of identity politics, physical and spiritual warfare, and friends and enemies, as they both discover there is no escape without a fight.