Overview
- Organisers have confirmed a public launch event in June with actors-turned-producers Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal attending and a planned special screening of their film Girls Will Be Girls.
- TIFFNZ was founded by Petrina D’Rozario and is presented as New Zealand’s first dedicated Indian film festival with programming and line-up still being developed by organisers.
- The inaugural edition is scheduled for October 2026 as a four-day festival spanning Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch and is expected to include screenings, workshops, cultural programmes and industry conversations.
- Organisers plan to showcase nearly 30 films across features and shorts to highlight the diversity of Indian cinema and to amplify South Asian voices in Aotearoa.
- Chadha and Fazal’s participation and the screening of their film, which has festival recognition including Sundance and Independent Spirit Awards, is intended to raise the festival’s profile and support cross-border industry collaboration and networking.