Digital Traditions: Kastom Keeper is a short film that screens before the feature film, The War Below: Restoring Hope in the Solomon Islands. In Malaita, Solomon Islands, Obama Scholar and Moana 2 cultural advisor Millicent Barty races to preserve her people’s vanishing traditions, rebuilding a traditional faefae, teaching youth to digitally archive their culture, and using ancestral knowledge to rebuild a seawall as the sea reclaims their land. The War Below: Beneath the beauty lies a dormant terror. In the Solomon Islands, thousands of unexploded WWII bombs remain under homes and schools. 80 years after the war, bombs continue to kill and injure families. Lorettalyn lives with severe injuries from a blast that killed her husband and young son, now raising her remaining children while navigating long-term physical and economic hardship. Maeverlyn, who survived a separate explosion that severely injured her and killed members of her community, establishes Bomb Free Solomon Islands – a survivor-led organisation advocating for awareness, support, and long-term solutions to the ongoing threat.

I, OBJECT is a live-action/animated film that centers around TOM, a 10-year-old boy. After the death of his father, Tom has taken refuge in the world of his imagination. He sees faces in objects that come alive in his mind. Through these things, Tom comes to accept the loss of his father and fall back in love with human beings.

Based on true emotions and inspired by real-life experiences of Nirmal Nimma, Ishqnama narrates a timeless tale of two souls brought together by destiny but divided by circumstances beyond their control. Set against the backdrop of the India-Pakistan border, the film explores the power of love that survives despite distance, politics, and societal barriers.

In “Moana,” Disney’s live action reimagining of the beloved Oscar®-nominated animated adventure, Moana (Catherine Lagaʻaia) answers the Ocean’s call and, for the first time, voyages beyond the reef of her island of Motunui with the infamous demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson) on an unforgettable journey to restore prosperity to her people. The film is directed by Emmy® and Tony Award® winner Thomas Kail (“Hamilton”); produced by Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, Beau Flynn, Hiram Garcia and Lin-Manuel Miranda; and executive produced by Kail, Scott Sheldon, Charles Newirth and Auliʻi Cravalho, who voiced Moana in the animated films “Moana” and “Moana 2.” “Moana” features original songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Opetaia Foaʻi and Mark Mancina, and an original score composed by Mancina. Audiences can experience the brilliant cinematic sights, sounds and songs of “Moana” exclusively in cinemas on July 8, 2026.

After the record-breaking global success of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Spider-Man: Brand New Day marks an entirely new chapter for Peter Parker and Spider-Man. Four years have passed since the events of No Way Home, and Peter is now an adult living entirely alone, having voluntarily erased himself from the lives and memories of those he loves. Crime-fighting in a New York that no longer knows his name, he's devoted himself entirely to protecting his city — a full-time Spider-Man — but as the demands on him intensify, the pressure sparks a surprising physical evolution that threatens his existence, even as a strange new pattern of crimes gives rise to one of the most powerful threats he has ever faced.

Christopher Nolan’s next film, The Odyssey, is a mythic action epic shot across the world using brand new IMAX® film technology. The film brings Homer’s foundational saga to IMAX® film screens for the first time and opens in cinemas everywhere on July 16, 2026. The Odyssey stars Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson and Lupita Nyong’o, with Zendaya and Charlize Theron. The Odyssey is produced by Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan for their company, Syncopy. The executive producer is Thomas Hayslip.

The toys are back and this time, Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Jessie and the rest of the gang's jobs are challenged when they come face-to-face with Lilypad (voice of Greta Lee), a brand-new tablet device that arrives with her own disruptive ideas about what is best for their kid, Bonnie. Will playtime ever be the same?

Unlikely Kin. Exclusive screening followed by Q & A with Kim Webby (Producer and Co-Director). On the remote shores of Aotearoa, a Māori father and son honour stranded whales as sacred ancestors—preserving their bones for cultural healing, brewing medicine to save ancient forests, and protecting the endangered Pacific rat, kiore, on a nearby island. Six years in the making, this documentary fresh from a sell-out opening-night premier at the DocEdge Festival, began as a simple curiosity about whales, kiore, and kauri quickly became something much deeper. In the words of the filmmakers Kim Webby and Mike Jonathon "For us as filmmakers, this journey has been about people, whakapapa, resilience, and our relationship with the natural world. Along the way, we found ourselves challenged, inspired, and constantly reminded that some of the most powerful stories come from those living quietly and purposefully on the whenua." Limited seating available for this exclusive screening, Monday 27 July 6.30pm, followed by a Q & A with Producer and Co-Director Kim Webby. Book your tickets online at deluxetheatre.co.nz We would like to thank the Doc Edge Festival for supporting this exclusive screening in Ōpōtiki.

From James Strong, director of the acclaimed mini-series Mr Bates vs The Post Office, Words of War tells the powerful true story of world-renowned journalist and human rights activist Anna Politkovskaya. Maxine Peake (I Swear) expertly portrays Politkovskaya’s brave crusade, putting her life in jeopardy by fighting to be an independent voice of truth for the Russian people. She refused to give up reporting on the war in Chechnya despite numerous acts of intimidation and violence, including being poisoned. Sparring with Peake on the silver screen is Jason Isaacs, in the role of Politkovskaya’s husband Sasha - a TV journalist who can barely hide his jealousy of his wife’s success. Irish screen legend Ciarán Hinds also joins the cast as Dmitry Muratov, Anna’s editor of the independent paper Novaya Gazeta. Politkovskaya’s legacy lives on, and her story serves as a reminder of the importance of protecting the right to report the news without fear of death or reprisal.