Prime Minister Christopher Luxon met Bollywood actor Aamir Khan during his trip to India in March. Photo: Supplied
A week-long Indian film festival is set to launch in Auckland in October next year, celebrating Indian cinema while fostering stronger ties between the screen industries of the two countries.
The festival is expected to be a celebration of Indian cinema, and an opportunity for discussions that bridge the industries that drive more screen opportunities between New Zealand and India, organisers say.
"Indian Film Festival New Zealand will provide the perfect opportunity to bring India-New Zealand stories, talent and markets together," says Petrina D'Rozario, former head of Screen Canterbury and director of the 2026 festival.
The screen relationship between India and New Zealand spans three decades, with a golden period in the 1990s and early 2000s when more than 100 Indian films were shot in the South Pacific nation.
The first recorded Indian production filmed in New Zealand was Sanam Harjai in 1995, with scenes shot in Christchurch, Queenstown, Punakaiki and Wanaka.
But it was 2000 blockbuster Kaho Naa … Pyaar Hai (Say It Is Love), starring Hrithik Roshan, that truly put New Zealand on the Bollywood map.
To mark the film's 25th anniversary, festival organisers are hosting a special screening on 5 November at Sylvia Park, featuring Bollywood film director and choreographer Farah Khan.
Despite the early inroads Indian producers made in New Zealand, momentum has since waned.
Petrina D'Rozario is director of Indian Film Festival New Zealand. Photo: Supplied
D'Rozario hopes the festival will encourage more Indian productions to be filmed in New Zealand, creating new opportunities for collaboration.
"The festival next year is supported by partners in both countries," she says.
Among those partners is Pritesh Raniga, owner of Forum Films, who will serve as the festival's screening and distribution partner.
"Indian cinema has become an integral part of society, and it is exciting to see the emergence of a New Zealand film festival dedicated to this vibrant film industry," Raniga says.
He says Indian movies have grossed more than $30 million in New Zealand over the past five years, reflecting a growing audience.
The festival has also partnered with Viniyard Talent Agency in India to bring actors and leading technicians to New Zealand.
"The Indian Film Festival, initiatied by Petrina D'Rozario, serves as a powerful bridge between our two nations, fostering cultural understanding and strengthening the bonds of friendship between India and New Zealand," says Madan Mohan Sethi, India's consul-general to New Zealand.
"Through the universal language of cinema, the festival is celebrating the growing cultural and artistic collaboration that enriches our bilateral relationship."
D'Rozario says the festival programme will include films from Indian and Kiwi-Indian filmmakers, along with workshops, masterclasses and Q&A sessions with industry professionals.
"We're on a mission to promote this cross-cultural creative exchange, and to add another glittering highlight to New Zealand's annual arts and culture calendar," she says.
