New Zealand Film
Welcome to the New Zealand Film archive. Most New Zealand films have been made by small independent film-makers, often on a low budget and sometimes with sponsorship from the private sector or the NZ Film Commission. Only recently have international film companies used the New Zealand film industry as a source of feature films. However, the independent tradition of filmmaking in New Zealand dates back to the end of the 19th century, when film was first shot in New Zealand. The first feature film made in Godzone was "Hinemoa". It premiered on August 1, 1914 at the Lyric Theatre, Auckland.
The documentary film Cinema of Unease, by Sam Neill, presents an accessible history of film in New Zealand.
Most films are able to be accessed below, however some Films have been seperated into sub-categories, ie "New Zealand Documentaries", "Short Films" and "Peter Jackson Directs". The mother-lode can be prospected below.
Right: An artists rendition of Geoff Murphy's "Goodbye Pork Pie".
Mirror, Mirror: The Complete Series (1995)
5.6/10
Director: John Banas, Sophia Turkiewicz
Starring: Judy McIntosh, Michala Banas, Petra Jared
Two 14 year old girls discover they can see through identical mirrors 100 years apart and that they can travel to each other's times. At first this is... Read more
Bro' Town: Series 5 (2008)
Bro' Town returns for it's fifth and final series! Watch as the boys get to grips with religious cults, weird men's groups , perhaps even a visitation... Read more
Show Me Shorts Film Festival: Volume 2 (2010)
Director: Various, James Cunningham, Sima Urale
Show Me Shorts is an annual national film festival bringing the best Kiwi and Australian short films to New Zealand cinemas. This DVD contains a selec... Read more
Dangerous Orphans (1987)
4.4/10
Director: John Laing
Starring: Peter Stevens, Michael Hurst, Jennifer Ward Lealand
Three orphans plot to avenge the death of their father, but first they must penetrate the ranks of hitmen and minders that surround their targets. Sta... Read more
Taking the Waewae Express (2008)
6.6/10
Director: Andrea Bossshard, Shane Loader
Starring: Rangimoana Taylor, Matariki Whatarau, Evan Hussey, Isaac Heron, Jacob Renwick-Fa...
A group of young men in love with fast cars and the odd puff of forbidden substances (Waewae Express is the Maori equivalent of Shank's Pony!) is shat... Read more
Death Warmed Up (1983)
Director: David Blyth
Starring: Bruno Lawrence, David Letch, Margaret Umbers, Michael Hurst
Michael Tucker is programmed into killing his parents by genetic surgeon Dr Archer Howell and is incarcerated in a psychiatric institution for the cri... Read more
Kiwi Gold: Volume 1 (2010)
Starring: David McPhail, Jon Gadsby, Peter Rowley, Pio Terei
A nostalgic selection of your favourite Kiwi TV shows from the 70s, 80s and 90s. 'Kiwi Gold' re-introduces you to the golden years of Kiwi comedy with... Read more
Offensive Behaviour (2004)
5.1/10
Director: Patrick Gillies
Starring: Richard Allom Cosgrove, David Sheard, Janice Gray, Elizabeth Moody, Yvonne Dawso...
Destitute filmmaker, Quentin (Richard Allom Cosgrove) has resorted to making homegrown porn flicks to fulfill his celluloid dreams, and Nigel (David S... Read more
The Best of Country Calendar 2006 (2007)
From the wilds of the East Coast, the remoteness of the Uruweras, the solitude of a fishing trawler, to the sophistication of a Hawkes Bay property, N... Read more
Stringer (2007)
4.5/10
Director: Steve Morrison
Starring: Matthew Sunderland, Paul Glover, Josephine Davison, Danielle Cormack
Jake Stringer (Matthew Sunderland) is a journalist researching cases of organ trafficking when he is attacked. He wakes to find he has a huge scar on... Read more