Marvel Studios and a crew of indie veterans who sold out present “Thunderbolts*,”an irreverent teamup featuring depressed assassin Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) alongside the MCU’s least anticipated band of misfits.The film also returns to the screen Marvel Cinematic Universe characters Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Red Guardian (David Harbour), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) and Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), in addition to some exciting new faces. Jake Schreier directs “Thunderbolts*”with Kevin Feige producing. Louis D’Esposito, Brian Chapek,Jason Tamez and Scarlett Johansson serve as executive producers. Marvel Studios’ “Thunderbolts*” opens in New Zealand cinemas May 1, 2025.

Welcome to the world of Minecraft, where creativity doesn’t just help you craft, it’s essential to one’s survival! Four misfits—Garrett “The Garbage Man” Garrison (Momoa), Henry (Hansen), Natalie (Myers) and Dawn (Brooks)—find themselves struggling with ordinary problems when they are suddenly pulled through a mysterious portal into the Overworld: a bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination. To get back home, they’ll have to master this world (and protect it from evil things like Piglins and Zombies, too) while embarking on a magical quest with an unexpected, expert crafter, Steve (Black). Together, their adventure will challenge all five to be bold and to reconnect with the qualities that make each of them uniquely creative…the very skills they need to thrive back in the real world.

Berlin during the Third Reich, examining Bonhoeffer's determination to live his life with uncompromising political and spiritual courage, while speaking truth to power, in his attempt to save countless Jewish lives.

In a fading Midwestern town, the local legend of Frendo the clown becomes all too real as teenagers start to go missing one by one, before meeting spectacularly sticky ends. With chills, memorable set pieces and messy mayhem aplenty, CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD will be sure to electrify both young horror audiences and fans of the classic slasher movies.

From director Edward Berger (All Quiet on the Western Front) CONCLAVE follows one of the world’s most secretive and ancient events – selecting a new Pope. Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is tasked with running this covert process after the unexpected death of the beloved Pope. Once the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders have gathered from around the world and are locked together in the Vatican halls, Lawrence finds himself at the center of a conspiracy and discovers a secret that could shake the very foundation of The Church.

“Disney’s Snow White” is a live-action musical reimagining of the classic 1937 film. The magical music adventure journeys back to the timeless story with beloved characters Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, and Sneezy. “Disney’s Snow White” is directed by Marc Webb and produced by Marc Platt and Jared LeBoff, with Callum McDougall serving as executive producer, and features all-new original songs from Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.

From DreamWorks Animation—creators of the beloved blockbuster franchises Kung Fu Panda, How to Train Your Dragon and The Boss Baby—comes the canine-crime-fighting film adaptation of Dav Pilkey’s New York Times bestselling literary phenomenon: Dog Man. When a faithful police dog and his human police officer owner are injured together on the job, a harebrained but life-saving surgery fuses the two of them together and Dog Man is born. Dog Man is sworn to protect and serve—and fetch, sit and roll over. As Dog Man embraces his new identity and strives to impress his Chief (Lil Rel Howery, Get Out, Free Guy), he must stop the pretty evil plots of feline supervillain Petey the Cat (Pete Davidson; Saturday Night Live, The King of Staten Island). Petey’s latest plan is to clone himself, creating the kitten Lil Petey, to double his ability to do crime stuff. Things get complicated, though, when Lil Petey forges an unexpected bond with Dog Man. When Lil Petey falls into the clutches of a common enemy, Dog Man and Petey reluctantly join forces in an action-packed race against time to rescue the young kitten. In the process, they discover the power of family (and kittens!) to bring even the most hostile foes together. Dog Man also stars Isla Fisher (Wedding Crashers, Rango) as TV reporter Sarah Hatoff; Poppy Liu (Hacks, The Afterparty) as Petey’s assistant, Butler; Emmy nominee Stephen Root (Barry, King of the Hill) as Grampa; Billy Boyd (the Lord of the Rings franchise, Seed of Chucky) as Sarah’s cameraman, Seamus; and Emmy and Golden Globe winner Ricky Gervais (The Office, Extras) as Flippy the fish. Dog Man is directed by Emmy winner Peter Hastings (The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants, Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness), whose credits include the groundbreaking animated series Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain. The film is produced by Karen Foster (Spirit Untamed), who served as co-producer on DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon. Launched in 2016 by Dav Pilkey—the #1 global bestselling author and award-winning illustrator of the Captain Underpants books—the Dog Man Scholastic series now includes 12 books. The series has more than 60 million copies in print and has been translated into 45 languages. Cat Kid Comic Club, a spin-off of Dog Man launched in 2020, has also topped bestseller lists around the world. The most recent Dog Man book, Dog Man: Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea, was overall the #1 bestselling children’s book in the U.S. in 2023, across all children’s formats and ages. Pilkey’s newest book in the Dog Man Series, Dog Man: Big Jim Begins, is set to release on December 3, 2024.

A widowed mother's first date in years takes a terrifying turn when she's bombarded with anonymous threatening messages on her phone during their upscale dinner, leaving her questioning if her charming date is behind the harassment.

The newest chapter in New Line Cinema’s bloody successful franchise takes audiences back to the very beginning of Death’s twisted sense of justice—“Final Destination Bloodlines.” Plagued by a violent recurring nightmare, college student Stefanie heads home to track down the one person who might be able to break the cycle and save her family from the grisly demise that inevitably awaits them all. “Final Destination Bloodlines” stars Kaitlyn Santa Juana, Teo Briones, Richard Harmon, Owen Patrick Joyner, Anna Lore, Rya Kihlstedt, with Brec Bassinger, and Tony Todd. The film is directed by Adam Stein & Zach Lipovsky. The screenplay is by Guy Busick & Lori Evans Taylor, and story is by Jon Watts and Guy Busick & Lori Evans Taylor. It is based on characters created by Jeffrey Reddick.

In a post-apocalyptic world, a virus has transformed humans into violently deranged cannibals. A bereaved mother has lost everything and takes refuge in an isolated mountain cabin, until a desperate wounded stranger arrives with a story of hope.

Films + Film Talks presented as part of the Wairarapa Film Festival 2025. Sister Loyola is one of the liveliest octogenarians you could ever meet. As the main gardener at the Home of Compassion in Island Bay, Wellington, her daily tasks include heavy lifting alongside vigorous spade and wheelbarrow work, which she sometimes performs on crutches. Loyola and the other Sisters of Compassion follow the vision of Mother Aubert to ‘meet the needs of the oppressed and powerless in their communities’.

Films + Film Talks presented as part of the Wairarapa Film Festival 2025. Sister Loyola is one of the liveliest octogenarians you could ever meet. As the main gardener at the Home of Compassion in Island Bay, Wellington, her daily tasks include heavy lifting alongside vigorous spade and wheelbarrow work, which she sometimes performs on crutches. Loyola and the other Sisters of Compassion follow the vision of Mother Aubert to ‘meet the needs of the oppressed and powerless in their communities’.

Films + Film Talks presented as part of the Wairarapa Film Festival 2025 NEVER FORGOTTEN: The Marines of Masterton (2025), written and directed by local historian Mark Pacey will have its WORLD PREMIERE at the Wairarapa Film Festival this autumn! NEVER FORGOTTEN: The Marines of Masterton is a feature-length documentary that tells the story of the United States Marine Corps (USMC) during their stay in Wairarapa during World War 2. The USMC's 3rd Defense Battalion were stationed at Solway Showgrounds in 1943.Pacey's documentary explores the impact of the marine's visit, their relationships with our local community, as well as their lasting legacy and the journey to constructing a memorial in their honour.

Films + Film Talks presented as part of the Wairarapa Film Festival 2025 O Tamaiti - 15 Mins - The award-winning story of a young boy who plays guardian and protector to his siblings, but even all his efforts cannot prevent the death of the new baby. Out of the Blue - 102 Mins - On November 13th, 1990, in the small New Zealand seaside town of Aramoana, local man David Gray took a high-powered automatic weapon and shot dead 13 people. At the time, it was the worst mass murder in New Zealand's history. As emergency services scrambled to reach Aramoana, a handful of young, under-armed local policemen risked their lives trying to find the gunman. Terrified and confused residents were trapped in their homes for 24 hours, not knowing where David Gray was - or if they would become his next victim. There were great feats of bravery on that terrible day - from ordinary people in the most extraordinary of situations. Out of the Blue is a gripping and powerful story of courage and survival.

Prince And Family is an upcoming Indian movie directed by Binto Stephen starring Dileep, Dhyan Sreenivasan, Bindu Panicker and Siddique.

Films + Film Talks presented as part of the Wairarapa Film Festival 2025 RŪ - 16 mins - A pregnant mother fights for her life when she is abducted during a violent gang initiation. Coming Home in the Dark - A schoolteacher is forced to confront a brutal act from his past when a pair of ruthless drifters take his family and him on a nightmare road trip.

Films + Film Talks presented as part of the Wairarapa Film Festival 2025: Five kiwi flatmates find something growing in their basement much to their delight, but when the rightful owner comes knocking and finds that they have appropriated the goods things start to go awry.

Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers (Jordan) return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.

Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) has a talent for solving complex problems. When an old acquaintance is murdered, leaving behind a cryptic message to “find the accountant,” Wolff is compelled to solve the case. Realizing more extreme measures are necessary, Wolff recruits his estranged and highly lethal brother, Brax (Jon Bernthal), to help. In partnership with U.S. Treasury Deputy Director Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), they uncover a deadly conspiracy, becoming targets of a ruthless network of killers who will stop at nothing to keep their secrets buried.

Films + Film Talks presented as part of the Wairarapa Film Festival 2025: Indigenous farmers from Peru, Nicaragua, Italy, France, Australia, and Aotearoa New Zealand share their deep connection to the land and the seeds they have carefully cultivated for generations. Meanwhile, global corporations seek to claim ownership of these seeds through intellectual property rights. Recently restored and digitised by the Film Preservation team at Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision, *The Neglected Miracle* returns to the big screen in honour of its 40th anniversary. We are proud to be the first festival to present this powerful and timely work in its newly restored form. Special Guests will be present at this film to provide an Introduction.

Maddie’s first collection of short stories is rejected by her publisher. Her boyfriend and her best friend are getting it on. Her mother is leaving her father - for a woman. And the guy who broke her heart in high school is back in her life. Hiding out at the family beach house, and ignoring her messy life, Maddie can’t resist getting involved in her family’s fragmenting relationships. And, of course, makes things worse. Over the next few days she nearly wrecks her parents’ marriage, rediscovers her inspiration as a writer, rejects and regains her best friend, and reconnects with the guy who broke her heart in high school. Who might just be the love of her life. When she writes about what is happening, those she loves feel betrayed. Will Maddie publish these stories? Will she able to mend these damaged relationships? Will her realisation that that true love has been there all along, be too late?

Marvel Studios and a crew of indie veterans who sold out present “Thunderbolts*,”an irreverent teamup featuring depressed assassin Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) alongside the MCU’s least anticipated band of misfits.The film also returns to the screen Marvel Cinematic Universe characters Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Red Guardian (David Harbour), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) and Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), in addition to some exciting new faces. Jake Schreier directs “Thunderbolts*”with Kevin Feige producing. Louis D’Esposito, Brian Chapek,Jason Tamez and Scarlett Johansson serve as executive producers. Marvel Studios’ “Thunderbolts*” opens in New Zealand cinemas May 1, 2025.

Tinā is the story of Samoan teacher Mareta Percival. Struggling after the death of her daughter in the Christchurch earthquakes, Mareta reluctantly takes on the role of substitute teacher at an elite, wealthy private school and is surprised to find children crying out for guidance, inspiration, and love. Using the symphony of her culture to empower her students, she forms a choir, bringing them together while unexpectedly rediscovering her passion for being a teacher and mother.