Thursday
12
Mar
2026
WIFT Awards 2026

WIFT Awards 2026

Posted Tuesday 17 Feb 2026

The Women In Film & Television (WIFT NZ) Awards will take place on 12th March 2026 at St Matthew-in-the-City, Auckland.

A time for us to celebrate the achievements of the wonderful women in our screen industry!

Date: Thursday 12th March 2026
Time: 7pm - 11pm
Venue: St Matthew-in-the-City, Auckland

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS VIA HUMANITIX

Forget everything you think you know about awards ceremonies. Yes, we're celebrating incredible women across our industry. From emerging talents to legends who've shaped New Zealand screen. But this is no stuffy gala!

You walk into the stunning St Matthew-in-the-City, welcome drink in hand. The room is buzzing. MC Kate Rodger brings the laughs and the heart. Surprises unfold throughout the night (we're not spoiling them, you'll have to be there). And when the formalities wrap? The dance floor opens and we raise the roof.

Your ticket gets you:

  • Entry to an unforgettable night of celebration

  • Open bar (yes, really! Thanks to the legends at FAT Lighting)

  • Delicious canapés courtesy of Little Wolf Catering

  • Surprise appearances

  • A room full of brilliant, inspiring screen industry people

  • A chance to dust off that formal outfit 

  • All for a price that won't break the bank

Whether you're flying solo or bringing your crew (all genders welcome), this is THE place to be.

Click here for the full press release and past winners.

Don't sleep, get your tickets now!

CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS

With thanks to our supporters: NZ On Air, Great Southern Film & Television, Perpetual Entertainment, Hinterland, Images & Sound, Sky, Professional Lighting Services, Queenstown Camera Company, SAE Creative Media Institute, South Pacific Pictures, Te Māngai Pāho, Wētā FX & FAT Lighting.

Date: Thursday 12 Mar 2026
Location: St Matthew-In-The-City
Time: 7pm

Thursday
12
Mar
2026

Upcoming events...

Wednesday 21 Oct 2026

In Conversation With: Cathy Garcia-Sampana

You may have missed her at the Big Screen Symposium this year, but in our eyes, she was the hidden gem of the conference.

Cathy Garcia-Sampana is one of the most successful filmmakers in the Phillipines. Her films have been the highest-grossing Filipino film of the year on nine occasions, and on six occasions have been the highest-grossing Filipino film of all time (Wikipedia). And with all of that, she spends a half of her time in Aotearoa!

Across a career spanning more than three decades and closely associated with ABS-CBN and its film studio Star Cinema, she has directed some of the most successful and widely watched productions in Philippine screen history. Her credits include One More Chance (2017), The Hows of Us (2018) Hello, Love, Goodbye (2019) and Hello, Love, Again (2024). The themes that are present through her work are family, navigating love, ambition, migration, and personal reinvention.

WIFT & PASC are delighted to have Cathy speak to us about her journey as a filmmaker, working within her values, and how the screen industry in Asia is vastly different from ours.

The session will be moderated by Marc Laureano.

CLICK HERE TO BOOK

Drinks & nibbles provided.

FREE for WIFT & PASC Members | $20 for non-members

Wednesday 21 Oct 2026

Understanding the Archive

What happens to your film after delivery? Ngā Taonga has the answer.

Delivery isn't the end of your film's story. If the New Zealand Film Commission has funded your film, you're required to deposit it with Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision, Aotearoa's audiovisual archive. Most filmmakers tick that box and move on, but knowing how the archive works can make a real difference to your film's future.

Here's why:
Ngā Taonga preserves and catalogues your material, and when someone wants to screen it or access it, they send that request on to you as the rights holder. Nothing is released without your say. As the years go by, that becomes more and more valuable, whether it's a festival programmer, a researcher or a retrospective curator looking for your work.

So, who are they?
Ngā Taonga holds more than 800,000 audiovisual items dating back to 1894, and cares for the collections of the NZ Film Commission, Te Māngai Pāho, RNZ, TVNZ and much of NZ On Air's funded content, alongside material from Whakaata Māori, the Waitangi Tribunal and many other public and private collections. It's where our screen history lives, and where your work will sit alongside it.

As a filmmaker, it is essential that you know how to make sure your film materials are preserved and archived properly, so your work stays discoverable for generations to come.

CLICK HERE TO BOOK

Free for WIFT Members, $20 for non-members. Drinks & nibbles provided.

Programme is brought to you with generous support from the NZ Film Commission and Foundation North.