Nau mai ki te Wairarapa Film Festival - Welcome to the Wairarapa Film Festival
Wairarapa Film Festival celebrates local film, art, and storytelling that connect people with their place.Through curated screenings and events, we bring people together through the power of visual storytelling.
Wairarapa has been home to some of Aotearoa’s most acclaimed filmmakers, including Vincent Ward, Barry Barclay, Jemaine Clement, Ramai Hayward, Annie Collins, Sir Peter Jackson, and James Cameron. Join us as we celebrate the rich legacy and vibrant future of film and storytelling in our region.
Annie Collins Retrospective
Annie Collins Retrospective: Celebrating a Cinematic Trailblazer
Waifilmfest 2025 proudly honors Annie Collins, a pioneering force in Aotearoa's film industry. With a career spanning over 50 years, Annie has masterfully shaped New Zealand cinema through her editing of landmark films such as Robert Sarkies Out of the Blue (2006).
Curated Screenings
Annie has personally selected a lineup of her influential works, offering audiences a unique lens into the evolution of New Zealand storytelling. Each screening will be accompanied by in-depth discussions, providing insights into the creative processes behind these cinematic milestones.
Chaos & Creativity Masterclass
Don't miss Annie's exclusive masterclass, Chaos & Creativity, where she will explore the art of editing — from embracing creative chaos to discovering those magical moments that make a film truly resonate.
WBS WAIRARAPA 50 HOUR FILM PROJECT
What’s it all about?
It’s about a mad weekend, crammed with fun and frantic film making. You and your team will have 50 hours to write, shoot, edit and enter a short film into the WSB Wairarapa 50 Hour Film Project.
And why should I do that? Well apart from the fun, there is the glory, the trophy, the huge pot of prize money... and the chance to be noticed by some rather important people in the world of film.
What should your film be about? Anything you care about. The only real rules are that it should be between 2 – 7 minutes long and shot entirely on a phone. You can edit it using any app or video editing software. Oh, and your team should be seven peeps or less, including cast and crew. The only thing out of your control is the genre of your film – this will be given to you on the day of the briefing at The Screening Room at 5.30 Friday May 23. It could be a romance, drama, sci-fi, action, comedy or thriller. More info and a few surprises will be supplied on the night. At least 2 members of your team must be there.
For more information and to register check us out at 50 Hour.
Check out the super helpful 'How to Make a Film Videos created by our friends at Day One Hāpai te Haeata.
Autumn Programme 2025
Wednesday 21 May 2025 |
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WBS Wairarapa 50 Hour Film ProjectDATES & TIMEFRAMES
JUDGES: |
Thursday 22 May 2025 |
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Friday 23 May 2025 |
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Saturday 24 May 2025 |
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Sunday 25 May 2025 |
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Sunday 8 June 2025 |
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Film Information
Scarfies (1999)
Action, Comedy, Thriller | R16 | 94 minutes
Director & Co-Screenwriter: Rob Sarkies
Five Dunedin flatmates get more than they bargained for when they discover a cannabis crop growing in the basement of their student rental. At first, it's a welcome surprise—but when the original owner comes to reclaim it, things take a dark and unexpected turn.
A darkly comic Kiwi cult classic, Scarfies blends student flatting culture, crime, and moral dilemmas into a uniquely New Zealand story full of tension, humour, and grit.
Proud to celebrate Rob Sarkies' Scarfies 26 years after its release.
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Wednesday 21 May - 1:15 pm
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Friday 23 May - 1:00 pm
The Neglected Miracle (1985)
Documentary | 106 minutes
Director & Screenwriter: Barry Barclay
Indigenous farmers from Peru, Nicaragua, Italy, France, Australia, and Aotearoa New Zealand share their deep connection to the land and the seeds they have carefully cultivated for generations. Meanwhile, global corporations seek to claim ownership of these seeds through intellectual property rights.
Recently restored and digitised by the Film Preservation team at Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision, The Neglected Miracle returns to the big screen in honour of its 40th anniversary. We are proud to be the first festival to present this powerful and timely work in its newly restored form.
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Wednesday 21 May - 7:30 pm
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Thursday 22 May - 4:15 pm
Gardening With Soul (2013)
Biography, Documentary | 100 minutes
Director: Jess feast
Gardening With Soul is a feature-length documentary that follows a year in the life of 90-year-old Sister Loyola Galvin. Her infectious optimism is rooted in her deep love of gardening, which nourishes not only her plants but also her spirit.
In this intimate, funny, and deeply moving portrait of a woman nearing the end of her life, themes of faith, aging, and compassion intertwine with the practicalities of community living, challenges within the Catholic Church, and the simple, grounding importance of good compost.
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Thursday 22 May - 7:30 pm
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Friday 23 May - 4:15 pm
Rū (2019)
Short, Thriller, Drama | 16 minutes
Director: Awanui Simich Pene
A pregnant mother fights for her life when she is abducted during a violent gang initiation.
At 8-months pregnant, Kahu, lives a fairly routine and comfortable life in Auckland NZ with her husband and first born.
Manāia is a young prospector trying to prove himself to his gang.
On this night, following her evening rituals, Kahu pops out on her own for some midnight munchies.
Kahu drives past a local rest area where the rogue gangsters joyride with Manaia in the boot. Kahu and Manaia’s worlds collide at the local service station where Manaia is instructed to abduct Kahu. He conceals himself within her car, before holding her at knife point. Kahu makes a desperate decision to crash her car in an attempt to escape.
The once unlikely pair end up roadside facing off against each other.
Kahu seeing that Manāia is Māori, appeals to that part of him in the hope that it will curb his intentions. Manāia tries to resist her pleas but by this time, severely banged up and broken, and despite himself, suddenly speaks his own truth.
And as the words tumble from his lips, he begins to fall to his knees.
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Friday 23 May - 7:30 pm
Coming Home in the Dark (2021)
Thriller, Horror, Drama | 92 minutes
Director: James Ashcroft
A schoolteacher is forced to confront a brutal act from his past when a pair of ruthless drifters take his family and him on a nightmare road trip.
A family’s idyllic outing descends into terror when high school teacher Alan ‘Hoaggie’ Hoaganraad, his wife Jill and stepsons Maika and Jordon go exploring an isolated coastline. But an unexpected meeting with a pair of murderous drifters thrusts the family into a nightmare road trip where they find themselves captured by the enigmatic psychopath Mandrake and his hulking man-child accomplice Tubs. At first the family’s terror seems to be born of a random encounter with two sociopaths who seem intent on god only knows what. But as the night drags on Hoaggie and Jill realize that this nightmare has been set in motion 20 years earlier; and as they approach their mysterious final destination Mandrake reveals the horrible secret driving his actions leaving Hoaggie to face a questionable past before the sun rises.
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Friday 23 May - 7:30 pm
Ngā Reo o te Whenua: Voices of the Land (2013)
Documentary | G | 106 minutes
Director: Paul Wolffram
Ngā Reo o te Whenua: Voices of the Land (2014) is a documentary directed by Paul Wolffram that explores the revival of taonga pūoro, traditional Māori musical instruments. The film features performances by Richard Nunns and Horomona Horo, recorded in various natural settings across New Zealand, highlighting the intrinsic musicality of the natural world.
Richard Nunns, a renowned expert in taonga pūoro, dedicated his life to bringing these traditional instruments back into contemporary awareness. His collaborations, including those with the late Hirini Melbourne and Horomona Horo, have been pivotal in reinstating these musical traditions.
The film debuted at the 2014 Wellington Film Festival and serves as a tribute to Nunns' significant contributions to the revival of Māori musical heritage.
This special screening also includes the music video, Poi E (1986).
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Saturday 24 May - 7:15 pm
O Tamaiti (1996)
Short, Drama | G | 15 minutes
Director: Sima Urale
The award-winning story of a young boy who plays guardian and protector to his siblings, but even all his efforts cannot prevent the death of the new baby.
DIRECTOR'S NOTES - Sima Urale
Inspired by my own experience as a child growing up surrounded by relatives struggling with Samoan and Western cultures, O Tamaiti, is about the unconditional bond among children in Pacific Island families.
The story is seen through the eyes of the children. From their perspective, we experience the deepest fears and anxieties, of children who are seen but not heard. Their impressions are of an adult world, where cars zoom dangerously by, Father booms with an almighty voice, and the parents' lovemaking becomes a demented nightmare for the eldest boy, Tino.
In Samoan society, children often assume adult roles of ‘caregiver' or ‘mother and father' to younger brothers and sisters. The core of this film is about a young Samoan boy, and the effects of the burdens and responsibilities he must carry as the eldest in the family.
The narrative places the film in the ‘drama/tragedy' genre. It begins with the birth of a baby and moves through to its tragic cot death. The overall stylistic approach to the film also includes surreal elements.
I hope that the way that the characters, visuals and sound are treated will be a refreshing new approach to Polynesian content in film.
My intention in shooting O Tamaiti in black and white was to shed the stereotypical image of Pacific Islanders as a kitsch culture with colourful paraphernalia that is too often depicted in contemporary films.
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Sunday 25 May - 1:15 pm
Out of the Blue (2006)
Drama | G | 102 minutes
Director: Rob Sarkies
On November 13th 1990, in the small New Zealand seaside town of Aramoana, local man David Gray took a high-powered automatic weapon and shot dead 13 people.
At the time, it was the worst mass murder in New Zealand's history.
As emergency services scrambled to reach Aramoana, a handful of young, under-armed local policemen risked their lives trying to find the gunman.
Terrified and confused residents were trapped in their homes for 24 hours, not knowing where David Gray was - or if they would become his next victim.
There were great feats of bravery on that terrible day - from ordinary people in the most extraordinary of situations.
Out of the Blue is a gripping and powerful story of courage and survival.
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Sunday 25 May - 1:15 pm
