New Zealand International Film Festival
The New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF) is a film festival held annually across New Zealand throughout the latter half of the year, starting in Auckland in July. The Festival has grown significantly since the merger in 1984 of the Auckland International Film Festival (founded in 1969) and the Wellington Film Festival (founded 1972). The Festival is operated by the New Zealand Film Festival Trust. In 2009, for the first time, the Festival did away with its various regional names and united the various festivals under the banner of the New Zealand International Film Festival  (and using the abbreviation 'NZIFF'). Until then, each region had been promoted with the region’s name despite their having shared a common programme and artwork since 2002. The festival has a long tradition of supporting New Zealand filmmakers and New Zealand cinema. In 2021 edition though the Auckland edition was cancelled, but it will continue in Wellington, Christchurch and other editions. Wellington is going to screen a total of 164 feature films from 51 countries and Christchurch 95 features from 37 countries. History. In 1996 the New Zealand Film Festival Trust was set up by Bill Sheat, he was  the founding chair person and remaining in that role until 2003. The trust administers annual film festivals in Auckland, Wellington and ten other centres with an annual attendance of over 250,000 (and a record in 2019 of over 264,000). Auckland. Auckland was the first city in the country to have a film festival. Founded in 1969 as a component of the Auckland Festival, the Auckland International Film Festival (AIFF) in time became a fund-raising event subsidising live arts. Rescued from this role by the intervention of the New Zealand Federation of Film Societies in 1984, the AIFF achieved an  audience in excess of 100,000 for the first time in 2005. In 2019 it achieved a record audience of over 112,000. The year 2000 marked the AIFF's return to the refurbished Civic Theatre, a celebrated atmospheric theatre built in 1929. Wellington. The Wellington Film Festival (WFF) was inaugurated by Lindsay Shelton and the Wellington Film Society with seven films in 1972. Thirty years later, it showed over 150 programmes to audiences in excess of 71,000. In 2018 it exceeded 84,000 admits. The main venue is the Embassy Theatre, and the WFF and NZIFF have played a major role in  the theatre's rehabilitation and continuing refurbishment. Dunedin and Christchurch. Founded in 1977, the Dunedin manifestation of the Festival presented a highlights package of 75 features, plus short films, at the Regent Theatre. Founded along with the Dunedin event in 1977, the Christchurch Festival presented substantially the same programme. Other regions. A selection of festival titles continue to travel around New Zealand, making the NZIFF unique on the world film-festival stage. Provincial centres covered by the festival include Gore, Hamilton, Hawke's Bay, Masterton, New Plymouth, Palmerston North, Tauranga and Timaru. The New Zealand Film Festival Trust. Registered charity . The New Zealand Film Festival Trust, which runs the NZIFF, is a registered charitable entity under the Charities Act 2005, registration number CC23151. Board members. The NZ Film Festival Trust is governed by a board of trustees.