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".
Show of Hands (2008)
6.5/10
Director: Anthony McCarten
Starring: Melanie Lynskey, Craig Hall, Stephen Lovatt, Kyle Dyhrberg, Chelsie Preston Cray...
Melanie Lynskey came back to NZ to make this light-hearted romantic drama about a competition (famously held in Lower Hutt back in the '80s) where fol... Read more
When Night Falls (2007)
6/10
Director: Alex Galvin
Starring: Sylvia Rands, Tania Nolan, Rosella Hart, Kevin Keys
Wairarapa, New Zealand, 1932. One evening, two nurses are caring for an invalid patient at his isolated country home. Over the past few weeks, a kille... Read more
Being Eve: The Complete Series (2001)
8.2/10
Starring: Fleur Saville, Stephen Lovatt, Alison Bruce, Tandi Wright
Made in New Zealand this award-winning teen comedy/drama series focuses on the life of 15-year-old philosopher, Eve Baxter as she tries to understand... Read more
The Jaquie Brown Odyssey (2010)
Director: Gerard Johnstone
Starring: Ryan Lampp, Hannah Banks, Madeleine Sami, Jaquie Brown
A.k.a. "The Jaquie Brown Diaries: Series 2". Since losing her job on McHuntly at 7, Jaquie has hit rock bottom. Her only chance to climb back up the m... Read more
Flying Fox in a Freedom Tree (1989)
7.2/10
Director: Martyn Sanderson
Starring: Faifua Amiga Jr, Richard Von Sturmer
Growing up in Western Samoa, young Pepe has many tutors. His friend Tagata teaches him street smarts. Colonial style schools offer a hidden cirriculum... Read more
The Day That Changed My Life (2015)
7.9/10
Director: Christopher Dudman
A powerful, uncensored and life-affirming documentary built around raw, heartfelt, never-before-seen interviews captured in the immediate aftermath of... Read more
The Topp Twins and the APO (2011)
Starring: Jools Topp, Lynda Topp
Country meets the Classics in this very special concert, filmed live for television at the Auckland Town Hall. The Topp Twins make their orchestral de... Read more
Westside: Series 1 (2015)
8.1/10
Starring: Antonia Prebble, David de Lautour, Dan Musgrove, Esther Stephens, Will Hall, Tod...
A prequel series to 'Outrageous Fortune' set in 1970s New Zealand. This six-part series tells the story of legendary safecracker and career criminal T... Read more
The Free Man (2017)
6.3/10
Director: Toa Fraser
Freedom is defined as the power of self-determination attributed to the will; the quality of being independent of fate or necessity. To reach that lev... Read more
Mauri (1989)
5.7/10
Director: Merata Mita
Starring: Anzac Wallace, Eva Rickard
'Mauri' is the story of a man, Rewi, who reclaims his spirituality. Rewi is haunted by a past which threatens to engulf his future. However, his relat... Read more