Teaser Trailer dropped for Big Girls Don’t Cry

Big Girls Don't Cry will be this year's Opening Night film at the 2026 Whānau Mārama New Zealand International Film Festival, kicking off with the NZ premiere of the film on July 29 in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. To celebrate this announcement, we have released our official teaser trailer to give you a first look at Paloma Schneideman's debut feature film.

The film follows 14-year-old Sidney ‘Sid’ Bookman as she’s caught between childhood and adolescence, navigating burgeoning sexual curiosity, and grappling with a desperate need for acceptance and all the clumsiness of growing up. Playing out in the era of dial-up internet and reality tv, the film weaves together themes of queer adolescence, class shame and identity, at a moment when the wider world was starting to seep into small town Aotearoa.

Starring Ani Palmer, Rain Spencer, Noah Taylor, Tara Canton, Ngataitangirua Hita, Beatrix Rain Wolfe, Ian Blackburn.

Coming soon to Aotearoa NZ cinemas.