Big Bike Film Night returns to Gisborne with local and global cycling adventures

A still image taken from short film Gravel Mania – set in Osttirol, Austria – which features in the Big Bike Film Night screening at the Dome Cinema in March.

The Big Bike Film Night, a film festival that brings a love of cycling to cinemas, is back for its 11th year next month.

Curated by Taupō-based Brett Cotter, it features a mix of New Zealand and international short films.

“Each year I set out with just one goal – to bring together the best short cycling films from around the world for our audiences, celebrating the fun, the adventure and inspiration that bikes enable,” Cotter says.

The line-up is diverse. It includes films set in locations ranging from the exotic locations of northern Pakistan to the suburban streets of Santa Barbara in the United States; from the mountain peaks of Austria to Scotland’s highlands.

A highlight is All In or Nothing, a New Zealand film set around the Nelson-Tasman region. It follows 19-year-old trailblazer Matt Fairbrother as he takes part in multi-stage enduro event The New Zealand Mountain Bike Rally against 120 riders.

Fairbrother took on the challenge of completing the whole week of racing unsupported – no shuttles or heli-drops into stages, no accommodation, no catering and no boat crossing.

The film showcases Fairbrother’s grit, determination and resilience over the 27 stages and the additional 500km cycled between the stages – carrying his own kit, sleeping rough in a bivvy, kayaking 50km across the ocean and grinding up 18,000 extra vertical metres to get to the finish line.

The Big Bike Film Night’s 2025 collection of eight movies will be presented to local cycling and cinephile fans from March 11 to 13 at the Dome Cinema as part of a national tour.

For a full programme of films, go to www.bigbikefilmnight.nz.