Following its world premiere at the Dublin International Film Festival in February, feature documentary LOMU will make its Australian premiere at the Sydney Film Festival on June 13, before returning home for its New Zealand premiere at the 2026 Whānau Mārama New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF) where it will play as the festival’s Centrepiece film.
LOMU is a complex and deeply human portrait of Jonah Lomu – the most adored son of the Pacific and a legendary All Black – whose extraordinary talent and presence transcended rugby and reshaped the global game.
Directed by Vea Mafile’o (NZ) and Gavin Fitzgerald (IRE), the film traces Jonah’s journey from the streets of South Auckland to the world’s biggest rugby stages, charting his meteoric rise, immense cultural impact, and the private struggles that unfolded behind the legend.
Bursting onto the international scene as a teenage prodigy, Jonah shattered expectations with his unprecedented combination of size, speed and power. At just 19, he became the youngest All Black in history and a symbol of pride and possibility for Pasifika communities across Aotearoa and the wider Pacific.
Through intimate interviews with family, friends, team mates and coaches, alongside rich archival material – including never-before-seen family footage – LOMU reveals the personal cost of global fame. Beneath his on-field dominance was a shy, deeply grounded young man shaped by Tongan values, strong Christian faith, and the pressures of representing both nation and culture on the world stage.
The film builds to the 1995 Rugby World Cup, where Lomu’s electrifying performances transformed rugby’s physical and cultural landscape. Yet even at the height of his success, he was quietly battling a serious kidney disorder – an unseen struggle that would profoundly shape the later years of his life and career.
More than a sports documentary, LOMU is a powerful Pasifika story of identity, faith and resilience. It explores the weight of expectation carried by one of the world’s first global rugby superstars, and the enduring legacy of a man who changed not only how the game is played, but who it belongs to.
Co-director Vea Mafile’o says bringing the film home to Tāmaki Makaurau is especially meaningful: “This story belongs to our people. To premiere LOMU at home, in Tāmaki Makaurau where so much of Jonah’s journey began, is incredibly special. It’s about honouring not just his legacy, but the community, culture and faith that shaped him – and sharing that with the audiences who carry that same pride.”
The film is a co-production between Velvet Moss (NZ) and Sylver Entertainment (UK), produced by Simon Lazenby and Victoria Barrell for Sylver Entertainment, and Emma Slade and Victoria Dabbs for Velvet Moss. Oli Harbottle and Anna Godas serve as Executive Producers for Dogwoof, and Desray Armstrong, Leela Menon and Fraser Brown as Executive Producers for Tahi Productions. LOMU was made with UK Global Screen Funding and with the financial support of New Zealand Film Commission, the assistance of the New Zealand Government’s Screen Production Rebate and Images and Sound Ltd.
LOMU will premiere in Australia at the Sydney Film Festival on Saturday 13 June, and in Aotearoa on Saturday 1 August at Auckland’s mighty Civic Theatre. The full schedule of regional screenings for the NZIFF will be released in coming weeks.
