The film festival is a very important part of the film industry, many distribution deals come about as a result of meetings held at film festivals. They are also a place where many great film collaborations have started. They provide a forum for films of all genres and nations to be screened and seen by the rest of the industry and media alike. They also provide a contact point for anyone wanting to break in to the film industry, along with a place where film fans, can see great films and meet their creators.

Below is a list of the film festivals for 2007-2008, More will be added as the dates are confirmed. Many of the festivals are open to the general public, full contact details can be found for each festival below.

Fest organizers say: "An annual amatuer short digital movie competition, run by the MovieFest Trust to help showcase the talent and creativity of New Zealand filmmakers. There is a registration period followed by the topic announcement, then teams have up to 6 weeks to make a 3-5 minute long short film that includes the topic in some way. Movies are submitted, screened and judged, with regional semi-finals followed by a nationwide grand finale with prizes."

Fest organizers say: "DOCNZ is an international competitive documentary film festival showcasing the very best in documentary films from all around the world and documentary film-making as a challenging and intelligent art-form. It will run in conjunction with the biannual National Documentary Conference and will launch an international competition in addition to the local competition."

Fest organizers say: "Drifting Clouds international short film festival is held in the magical surrounds of Wellingtons botanical gardens. It offers the largest film prize in New Zealand-over $25,000 dollars worth of prizes to the winner of Best NZ Film. The festival also hosts the Drifting Clouds Short Filmmaker Awards recognizing nine categories in filmmaking. 2003 the festival will offer the inaugural 'Golden Dragon Award' to the winner of Best International Film."

Fest organizers say: "First film festival in New Zealand to be solely dedicated to Maori film and Maori film makers."

Fest organizers say: "The theme is 'Adventurous Sports and Lifestyles' but please be aware subject matter criteria is extremely broad and as long as there is a link with mountains or adventure sports that take place in the hills, remote regions or the poles that's fine (caving, kayaking, white water, base jumping, para gliding, etc. are all included). You do not have to enter a specific film category as this allows the judges freedom to choose the most appropriate awards."

Fest organizers say: "The Auckland International Film Festival and The Wellington Film Festival are both organized by the New Zealand Film Festival Trust."