The NZ Mountain Film and Book Festival (NZMFF) has launched its 2025 programme and tickets go on sale today.

The annual international film competition attracted a record-breaking 294 entries, with a final lineup featuring 64 award-winning and finalist films, including 18 by New Zealand filmmakers.

"It's fantastic to see returning filmmakers who consistently raise the bar year after year,” festival director Whitney Oliver said.

“We're also stoked to welcome new (to us) talent who have wowed us with fresh narratives and creative style.”

Whitney said the New Zealand made films showcase a variety of outdoor stories, from epic backyard missions to environmental causes, and each left a distinct impression.

Many of the New Zealand filmmakers will be in Wānaka to introduce their films during the Pure NZ sessions on Saturday June 22 and Sunday June 23.

The Hiddleston/MacQueen Award (with $2,500 prize money) for the Best NZ-made Film went to Josh Morgan and Jasper Gibson for their entry, Waiatoto, which tells the story of a traverse across the Southern Alps via packraft, skis and tramping.

Nick Pascoe, one of the three adventurers involved in the journey with Jasper Gibson and Charlie Murray, will also be a keynote speaker at this year’s festival.

The film competition's grand prize was awarded to US director Leo Hoorn for his film, Trango.

After a two-year attempt, a team of ski mountaineers, including previous NZMFF guest speaker Christina Lustenberger (USA), ski the first descent of the Great Trango Glacier in Pakistan. 

The grand prize was awarded to US director Leo Hoorn for his film, Trango. PHOTO: Supplied

The Trango film team said they were “incredibly honoured to be selected for NZ Mountain Film Festival’s Grand Prize Award this year”. 

Festival founder and head judge Mark Sedon said the record-breaking number of entries was confirmation that the festival’s reputation continues to grow in New Zealand and around the globe.

The NZMFF is New Zealand’s only adventure film competition.

The festival will take place in Wānaka from June 20-24 and Queenstown from June 26-27 and the films will also be available to watch online in New Zealand and Australia from July 1-31. 

View the 2025 NZ Mountain Film & Book Festival teaser video here, the full programme here, and find the full list of this year’s films here. Programmes will also be available at Wānaka Paper Plus. 

The full list of award winners is: 

Grand Prize  

Trango, Director: Leo Hoorn, USA

Best Short Film Award  

Body of a Line, Director: Henna Taylor, USA. An animated short film that morphs into real life as Madaleine undertakes a creative journey to climb a difficult rock route. Featuring original music and poetry.    

Best Mountain Culture Award    

Everest Dark, Director: Jereme Watt, USA. As the death toll on the world's highest peak rises, one of Nepal’s most legendary climbers leads an elite team of Sherpas to retrieve fallen climbers from Everest’s Death Zone.

Award for the Best Film on the Environment

Footprints on Katmai, Director: Max Romey, USA. Following his grandmother's footsteps to one of the most remote beaches in Alaska, painter Max Romey discovers that an ocean of problems is closer to home than he could have imagined.

Best Climbing Film

Nose Job, Director: Alastair Lee, UK. Two retired comp climbers with little trad or multi-pitch experience attempt a bold feat: becoming the first Britons to free climb The Nose on El Cap. 

Best Snow Sports Film

Painting The Mountains, Director: Pierre Cadot, France. Follow a photographer’s love affair with El Chaltén, a remote Patagonian village beneath Fitz Roy, which blends photography, journalism, and extreme skiing.

Best Film on Adventurous Sports & Lifestyles

Alone Across Gola, Director: Jude Kriwald, UK. Stranded in Liberia’s Gola rainforest, filmmaker Jude Kriwald faces hunger, isolation, robbery and disappearing trails. A tale of a solo, self-filmed journey chasing a childhood dream. 

Solo Award

Far Enough, Director: Julien Carot, France. A 22-year-old Frenchman gets on his bike in Chamonix to ride to Nepal’s Khumbu Valley to climb Ama Dablam - 11,500 kilometres on a bike and 80,000m of elevation gain. The real adventure isn’t just about reaching the summit— but everything it takes to get there.

Special Jury Awards

Girl Climber, Director: Jon Glassberg, USA. Emily Harrington, pro-climber and Everest summiteer, takes on a 24-hour free climbing ascent of El Cap.

The Headless Horseman, Director: Andy Collet, France. In the shadow of Gyachung Kang, far from the fame of 8,000-metre peaks, two climbers confront hardship, separation, and doubt. 

NZ Award Winners: 

Hiddleston/MacQueen Award for Best NZ-Made Film 

Waiatoto, Directors: Josh Morgan & Jasper Gibson. 

Community Spirit Award

Spirit of the West, Director: Pedro Pimentel. Set against New Zealand’s wild West Coast, the film captures the spirit of the Old Ghost Ultra - where community, resilience, and grit collide in a celebration of people and place.

Grassroots Award

The Long Way Round, Director: Mitchell Radford. A 16-day solo adventure through Fiordland from Glenorchy to Milford Sound, the long way. The film showcases exploration and endurance in some of New Zealand's most incredible and diverse landscapes.

Best Documentary Award 

All in or Nothing, Director: Gordon Duff. Up against 120 riders with full support crews, young athlete Matthew Fairbrother only has himself to rely on. Follow his gruelling six days as he attempts to win the overall title at the NZ MTB Rally.

Festival Spirit Award

Riverbound - The Storybook Has Just Begun, Directors: Dylan Gerschwitz & Deane Parker. Yak, a former pro kayaker now paraplegic, takes on Class 3 rapids in the Upper Buller Gorge. Can packrafting restore his freedom—and redefine who gets to run wild rivers?