News

Rialto Distribution has acquired worldwide rights to Tinā and is planning a nationwide U.S. theatrical release on Sept. 5. Hawaii, American Samoa and Guam will release August 29.

The film, written and directed by Samoan-New Zealand filmmaker Miki Magasiva, premiered at the 2024 Hawaii International Film Festival, going on to garner multiple accolades including the Best Narrative Feature Award at the 2025 Palm Springs International Film Festival and the Golden Space Needle Award at the Seattle International Film Festival.

Tinā has grossed over $10 million in box office revenue across New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific and currently stands as the most successful New Zealand release in nearly a decade. Rialto Distribution will spearhead the rest of the film’s international rollout (excluding Australia and New Zealand) following its U.S. debut.

Magasiva’s feature debut is the deeply moving story of Mareta Percival, played by Anapela Polataivao (Our Flag Means Death, Night Shift...

Whilst a spa retreat may seem like the ultimate luxury and a perfect setting for some familial bonding, Lucy Knox instead uses the idyllic locale to house her tormented drama short Hot Mother, with the surrounding expansive mountains of Aotearoa serving in direct opposition to the confined and tense atmosphere playing out inside. Knox’s naturalistic approach deftly captures the bickering, acerbic relationship that exists between its mother-daughter duo, an idea that she felt the need to explore after spending time with her family on holiday. The short thrust its audience directly into the uncomfortable chill between the two women, brilliantly played by Alison Bruce and Erana James, before leading us into the oppressive tension of their relationship which all comes to a head in the steam room. Hot Mother is a film which will stick in your mind for a lot longer than you may want it to and...