The 2026 New Zealand International Film Festival will kick off later this winter, and the organisers have revealed what titles fans can expect to see.

The first films confirmed for the 2026 programme include Comédie-Française, Jim Jarmusch's Father Mother Sister Brother, a documentary about All Black Jonah Lomu and queer classic Mysterious Skin.

Entertainment correspondent Steve Newall explained further. 

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The 2026 New Zealand International Film Festival will kick off later this winter, and the organisers have revealed what titles fans can expect to see.
The first films confirmed for the 2026 programme include Comédie-Française, Jim Jarmusch's Father Mother Sister Brother, a documentary about All Black Jonah Lomu and queer classic Mysterious Skin.
Entertainment correspondent Steve Newall explained further.&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE

News, opinion, analysis, lifestyle and entertainment – we’ve got your Sunday morning listening covered with The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin on Newstalk ZB.

The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

Steve Newall: entertainment correspondent on the new films to premiere at the NZ International Film Festival 2026

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/f6d4ea13-a764-4191-b281-b46101860390/transcript

Engelbert Humperdinck's been dubbed the 'king of romance' - with a long-running musical career to show for it.

Rising to fame alongside The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, he's released  64 albums, been nominated for four Grammys and one Golden Globe, and he's kept the attention of millions of listeners over 60 years.

He turned 90 last month and he's still going  strong, with his Celebration Tour set to arrive in New Zealand later in the month.

"I've been so used to travelling and doing my thing, it's second nature to me, I don't worry about things like that."

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Engelbert Humperdinck's been dubbed the 'king of romance' - with a long-running musical career to show for it.
Rising to fame alongside The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, he's released &nbsp;64 albums, been nominated for four Grammys and one Golden Globe, and he's kept the attention of millions of listeners over 60 years.
He turned 90 last month and he's still going &nbsp;strong, with his Celebration Tour set to arrive in New Zealand later in the month.
"I've been so used to travelling and doing my thing, it's second nature to me, I don't worry about things like that."
LISTEN ABOVE

Engelbert Humperdinck: British singer speaks ahead of New Zealand tour

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/36853f3a-e4fa-49c3-8854-b4620015f1a9/transcript

Over a decade after Rove Live went off the air, comedian Rove McManus is making his big return to TV.

His new show, CelebrityEscape, will be available on Three and Three Now from Tuesday, and it's set to showcase comedians from both sides of the Tasman.

McManus says he was expecting someone to step in and fill his shoes after he left for America after the end of Rove Live, but so far, no one's been able to.

"Obviously, other shows did come through, but they didn't last or have the same impact - and then, of course, as the nature of the way people watch things changed - that probably has an effect on it as well." 

LISTEN ABOVE 

Over a decade after&nbsp;Rove Live went off the air, comedian Rove McManus is making his big return to TV.
His new show,&nbsp;Celebrity Escape, will be available on Three and Three Now from Tuesday, and it's set to showcase comedians from both sides of the Tasman.
McManus says he was expecting someone to step in and fill his shoes after he left for America after the end of Rove Live, but so far, no one's been able to.
"Obviously, other shows did come through, but they didn't last or have the same impact - and then, of course, as the nature of the way people watch things changed - that probably has an effect on it as well."&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE&nbsp;

Rove McManus: TV host and comedian on his new show Celebrity Escape

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/45c126f0-4e75-47ce-9e10-b4620010e7ac/transcript

Whistler by Ann Patchett. Daphne Fuller has had three stepfathers, the second of whom vanished from her life when she was nine years old after an accident for which her mother held him responsible. Years later, their chance meeting in a NY museum brings memories, regrets and a determination to make up for lost time. This is a wonderful book about the power of redemption, and families, and of storytelling. 

Stakes by Noelle McCarthy. Readers who, like me, adored Noelle McCarthy’s memoir Grand will love this. It’s a remarkably honest, candid and brave account of grappling with life’s troubles - shame, trauma and an early influence which provided something to hang onto through her adult years and which manifests itself in both literary and personal ways. She’s an extraordinary writer and her book is wonderful. 

LISTEN ABOVE

Whistler by Ann Patchett. Daphne Fuller has had three stepfathers, the second of whom vanished from her life when she was nine years old after an accident for which her mother held him responsible. Years later, their chance meeting in a NY museum brings memories, regrets and a determination to make up for lost time. This is a wonderful book about the power of redemption, and families, and of storytelling.&nbsp;
Stakes by Noelle McCarthy. Readers who, like me, adored Noelle McCarthy’s memoir Grand will love this. It’s a remarkably honest, candid and brave account of grappling with life’s troubles - shame, trauma and an early influence which provided something to hang onto through her adult years and which manifests itself in both literary and personal ways. She’s an extraordinary writer and her book is wonderful.&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE

Whitcoulls Recommends: Whistler and Stakes

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/0bc21837-ff7f-460e-90d1-b462000d0e7e/transcript

Steve Newall: entertainment correspondent on the new films to premiere at the NZ International Film Festival 2026

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