NZCFF 2026
Beyond the line
This year, under the theme “Beyond the Line,” we explore how cinema transcends boundaries of language, culture, and geography.
Bringing together classic films, contemporary stories, and emerging voices, the festival creates opportunities for diverse audiences to connect, discover new perspectives, and engage in meaningful cultural dialogue.
Opening Ceremony:
Take Off
25th October
Auckland
NZ Chinese Film Festival 2026
Cities:
Auckland
Wellington
Dunedin
Queenstown
Christchurch
Blenheim
Nelson
Palmerston North
Closing Ceremony:
Spring in a Small Town
31st October
Auckland
2026 Featured Film
飞行家
Take Off
A Northeastern factory worker, Li Mingqi, inherits his father's dream of flight and builds a flying machine out of scrap metal-trying to break free of the ground and reach the sky.
NZ Classification:TBC
冬旅人
The Absent
In a border town in Xinjiang in winter, a Russian-family photographer returning after long absence, a Han girl drifting in search of her father, and a solitary Tatar accordionist cross paths. Three strangers in life's darker hours keep each other company briefly on the frontier, their lonely souls slowly draw close and each eventually finds her or his own way home. (Executive produced by the late Pema Tseden.)
NZ Classification:TBC
落凡尘
Into the Mortal World
Descendants of the Cowherd and Weaver Girl - Jinfeng and Yulu - set out to recall the Twenty-Eight Mansions and protect the human world. Jinfeng descends to atone for his mother, and teams up with Xiaofan, a girl who wants to reach the heavens to find her own mother.
NZ Classification: PG – Parental Guidance Recommended (Violence)
小城之春
Spring in a Small Town
Restored from 35mm original nitrate negatives; the 1948 score is fully reconstructed and a new 5.1 surround mix is created.
In a postwar southern town, Yuwen lives in frozen routine with her ailing husband in the ruined family estate; the return of her former lover Zhichen stirs feelings that never cross the line. A masterpiece of restrained Eastern aesthetics. This 4K
restoration by the China Film Archive screened in the Classics section of the 51st Toronto International Film Festival.
NZ Classification:TBC
轻如鸿毛
Fishes Flew Away
After a man jumps into the sea, his two very different wives are forced to deal with an unresolved house - and end up reunderstanding the man they married, and stepping into bigger lives of their own.
NZ Classification:M – Suitable for Mature Audiences (16 years and over)
下一个台风
After Typhoon
Just after a typhoon, a city girl with an injured right eye meets a mute island girl; two fierce young souls hold each other up — until the next typhoon arrives.
NZ Classification:TBC
不虚此行
All Ears
A struggling screenwriter starts writing eulogies for strangers; through ordinary people's stories he comforts others and finds his own direction.
NZ Classification: PG – Parental Guidance Recommended (Violence)
风林火山
Sons of the Neon Night
This is a story about bad ending maker. He chose to hand over the self-cutting knife to others and fate with his eyes closed, but the time of chance encounter was so moving. Fate seems to be arranged in the dark, the person he fell in love with still left him, he carried the original sin resolutely began a seemingly aimless and lonely journey, during the journey he re-recorded himself and combed his memory. In the end, it doesn't matter whether he chooses to let it go or end it.
NZ Classification: R16 – Restricted to persons aged 16 years and over.
校园动画短片集
New Voices in Chinese Animation
Eight animated short films by emerging Chinese filmmakers showcase diverse artistic styles and fresh perspectives, exploring childhood, memory, everyday life, and imaginative worlds.
As part of this year's “Beyond the Line” theme, the New Zealand Chinese Film Festival aims to bring these creative voices to local universities, connecting young filmmakers with audiences from different cultural backgrounds and inspiring new conversations through animation, art, and storytelling.
Additional Ticket Information
For films without a direct booking link listed on this page, please visit Silky Otter Cinemas to find screening times and purchase tickets.
Selected films will also be screened in additional cities across New Zealand. Please check the Silky Otter website for more screening locations and ticket availability.
