The Antarctic Film Festival

This engaging programme blends stunning documentary footage, curated by award winning filmmaker Anthony Powell, that reveals the continent’s stark beauty, unforgiving conditions, climate change, and penguin antics with stories captured by inventive and funny entries from the Winter International Film Festival of Antarctica’s 48-Hour Challenge, an annual showcase of creativity and resilience from those who winter-over on the Ice. But before the movies, Christiaan Pilaar will take you on a photographic journey to the Antarctic Peninsula, which he visited in 2025. It provided ample opportunities for capturing stunning landscape and sunrise/sunset shots, and made the hours of standing around on the deck of the ship in the cold well worthwhile. “It’s about bringing Antarctica to the people of New Zealand, through science, art, humour, and personal connection,” says Hubertien Wichers, President of the New Zealand Antarctic Society. “The tour has been very successful, inspiring audiences and connecting the local community through Antarctica. The film festival's serious aspect is to raise awareness about the role Antarctica plays in our climate. Antarctica tells us about the history of the planet, the changes that are going on and what the future may hold for us and the next generations."