Doc Edge, New Zealand’s premier international documentary festival and an Oscar®-qualifying event, has officially announced the finalists for the Doc Edge Awards 2025. The ceremony will take place on Thursday, 3 July, at the Grand Millennium Auckland.
A huge congratulations to our incredible members who have been selected as finalists — your powerful and dedicated storytelling are making waves on the world stage.
Feature Film Selection
Mighty Indeed, directed by Vanessa Wells, and produced by Polly Fryer, Vanessa Wells
Three women. Four decades. One melting continent. In one of the harshest places on Earth, three women from different generations chase a hidden and ephemeral world beneath the Antarctic sea ice. Dr Natalie Robinson leads a world-first expedition to McMurdo Sound, joined by microbiologist Jacqui Stuart on her first trip south. Mentoring them from afar is veteran sea ice physicist Professor Pat Langhorne.
Battling brutal weather and isolation, the team discovers extraordinary tiny creatures within the delicate structures of the ice. Weaving personal stories with rich archival footage and groundbreaking science, this is an intimate and deeply human portrait set against the immense scale of Antarctica, shared with grit, wit, and surprising warmth. Mighty Indeed
Short Film Selections:
Little Potato, directed by Chen Chen
An intimate portrait of Shou Ai Xia, a former Communist Party cadre now living with dementia. Filmed by her granddaughter, the film explores fading memory, revolutionary legacy, and the delicate line between personal history, cultural identity, and emotional truth. Little Potato
HOME, Production coordinated by Kate Chu
Home follows Teiti, a Mana Wahine who finds herself prices out of market rents in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington. Unable to afford a place on her own, Teiti takes matters into her own hands, embarking on a journey of Mana Motuhake at Art Activism. As Tangata Whenua of Aotearoa, she opted for sleeping on public lands. Preferring the beach over the streets, leaving no trace and breaking no laws. Teiti feels most at HOME and connected to her Tupuna long passed when she sleeps outside under the stars. Through this film she focuses on what it means to be an autonomous indigenous Māroi wahine in an aging society in 2024. HOME
The festival kicks off on 25 June – 3 July in Auckland before also heading to Wellington and Christchurch (16 – 27 July) and online in The Virtual Cinema (28 July – 24 August). Doc Edge website
See full list of finalists