It’s been a turbulent start of the year for Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival. In February, word spread quickly about the shock resignations of key senior staff. Days later, an official press release announced Paolo Bertolin as the new artistic director.
To many a film-lover in Aotearoa, the hardest news of all was learning that the festival was only coming to Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. This cut out Hamilton, Havelock North, Masterton, Matakana, Napier, Nelson, New Plymouth, Palmerston North, Tauranga and Timaru as well as new-to-2023 locations Whangārei and Gisborne.
As stated in the same press release as Bertolin’s appointment: “We acknowledge that for some of you the festival won’t be screening in your town or city this year and we appreciate that this will be disappointing. After a challenging few years navigating a number of significant impacts, we’ve had to adapt the festival to ensure its future viability.”
