First Look at Doc Edge 2026

Doc Edge kicks off its 21st iteration by announcing the first 16 films selected for this year’s festival, including work by DEGANZ members Kim Webby, Mike Jonathan, and Jonno Woodford-Robinson. The selection so far spans deeply personal stories to urgent global issues, drawing on voices from Aotearoa and around the world, with multiple films celebrating their world premieres at Doc Edge.

This year, the Oscar-qualifying festival is running 24 June – 12 July in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland and 15 – 26 July in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington. The industry events and awards will take place in Tāmaki from 29 June – 1 July, bringing together filmmakers, distributors, and industry guests from across the motu and the globe.

Read more about Kim, Mike, and Jonno’s mahi below.

Unlikely Kin

World Premiere

Directors: Kim Webby & Mike Jonathan

A father and son fight to uphold Māori guardianship — harvesting stranded whales and protecting endangered fauna. They reveal how ancestral knowledge may be the essential key to healing the land and saving New Zealand’s forests.

There’s a Hole in my Bucket

World Premiere

Editors: Jonno Woodford-Robinson & Richard Lord

When Royd Tolkien, great-grandson of J.R.R. Tolkien, loses his brother Mike to Motor Neurone Disease, Mike leaves behind one final act of love and mischief: a bucket list of 50 challenges designed to drag his reluctant, comfort-zone-hugging brother back into the land of the living. Raucous, tender, and deeply human.

Congratulations on the early selections! We look forward to seeing the full programme release later in May.

Last updated on 7 May 2026