13th NZ Chinese Film Festival Brings Six Chinese Films to Auckland and Wellington

Summary

The 13th New Zealand Chinese Film Festival opened in Auckland on 2 November 2026, screening six Chinese films — The Trace of a Detective, Welcome to Dragon Restaurant, A Love Letter to Grandma, Pegasus 3, The Eight Immortals! and Blades of the Desert: Wind Rises — in Auckland and Wellington from 2 to 8 November, with a China Film Night held in Wellington. Attendees at the opening ceremony included Chinese Consul-General in Auckland Chen Shijie, China Film Administration deputy director Wei Nan, former Speaker of the New Zealand Parliament and New Zealand-China Friendship Society honorary chair Sir David Carter, former New Zealand Governor-General Sir Anand Satyanand, and The Trace of a Detective director Chen Sicheng, lead actor Zhang Yi and chief producer Qian Chongyuan.

Chen said in his remarks that China-New Zealand film exchanges have a long history, with the two countries having held 12 Chinese film festivals in New Zealand and 10 New Zealand film festivals in China over more than two decades, introducing more than 150 Chinese films to New Zealand audiences and more than 100 New Zealand films to Chinese audiences. Wei said that since the two countries signed a film co-production agreement in 2010, filmmakers have drawn on their strengths in story elements and animation technology to co-produce animated films such as Mosley, while Chinese blockbusters including Wolf Warrior 2 and The Wandering Earth benefited from the skills of New Zealand post-production teams. He expressed the hope for deeper practical cooperation in co-production, technology application and talent development.

Sir David Carter spoke highly of New Zealand-China relations and outlined for Chinese filmmakers the advantages of shooting in New Zealand in terms of cost structure, streamlined administrative processes and beautiful natural scenery. Chen Sicheng said the film's four stories are drawn from cases typical of their era, while Zhang Yi noted that the prototype for his character, Cui Daozhi, China's first generation of criminal technical police and chief firearms and toolmark identification expert, wept several times while watching the film. The festival is jointly hosted by the China Film Administration, the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand (Cook Islands, Niue) and the Chinese Consulate-General in Auckland, co-organised by the New Zealand Pacific Culture and Arts Exchange Centre and the China Film Archive, with special support from the Wellington Chinese Cultural Centre and the Auckland Chinese Cultural Centre, and sponsored by China UnionPay, whose acceptance network covers 183 countries and regions.

Commentary

The 13th New Zealand Chinese Film Festival, screening six new Chinese films in Auckland and Wellington, continues a film exchange tradition between the two countries spanning more than two decades. Since the 2010 co-production agreement, cooperation has expanded from early animation to post-production, with New Zealand teams including Weta Workshop contributing effects work to Chinese blockbusters such as The Wandering Earth. For local small and medium-sized enterprises, the festival is more than a cultural event: it highlights the complementarity of the New Zealand and Chinese creative sectors, with New Zealand globally competitive in post-production, visual effects and natural scenery, and China offering a vast content market and capital.

The cost and administrative advantages cited by Sir David Carter offer an entry point for local production companies seeking Chinese projects. China UnionPay's sponsorship, meanwhile, points to an acceptance network covering 183 countries and regions, making it easier for local merchants to cater to the payment habits of Chinese tourists and students. Looking at industry trends, demand in China's film market for high-quality post-production continues to grow, while New Zealand's screen sector is seeking diversified international cooperation after the pandemic, and such cultural exchanges could generate business opportunities in co-production and technology licensing.

SMEs should nonetheless be mindful of cultural differences and project-cycle risks, and are advised to engage through industry bodies or the co-production agreement framework rather than pursuing one-off projects.

Keywords: New Zealand Chinese Film Festival, Auckland, Wellington, Chen Shijie, Wei Nan, film co-production agreement, David Carter, Chen Sicheng, Zhang Yi, China Film Night

AI illustration on MiDeer Observer

Source: China Film Archive