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".
The Killian Curse (2005)
7.8/10
This tongue-in-cheek horror series, with creatures created by the WETA workshop, tells the 21 stories of 21 students from Room 21, each of whom must f... Read more
Mesmerized (1985)
4.9/10
Director: Michael Laughlin
Starring: Jodie Foster, John Lithgow, Michael Murphy, Dan Shor, Harry Andrews
Based on the true story of the intriguing Victoria Thompson murder trial that occurred in late 1800s New Zealand. This Gothic melodrama features Jodi... Read more
The Lost Children (2006)
8.3/10
Director: Mike Smith
Starring: John Bach, Brian Sergent, Tandi Wright, Beatrice Joblin, Rhys Castle-Hughes, Mik...
New Zealand. 1867. The rugged desolate coast of Taranaki. Three children washed ashore from a shipwreck. No food, no shelter.... no adults. This 13-pa... Read more
When Love Comes (1999)
7.2/10
Director: Garth Maxwell
Starring: Nancy Brunning, Rena Owen, Dean O'Gorman, Simon Prast, Sophia Hawthorne
Six people from very different backgrounds journey through the ins and outs and ups and downs of love and destiny. It is a film that touches your hear... Read more
Slow West (Blu-ray) (2015)
6.9/10
Director: John Maclean
Starring: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Michael Fassbender, Ben Mendelsohn, Madeleine Sami, Brooke Wil...
Set at the end of the 19th Century, 'Slow West' is an American western filtered through the eyes of European filmmaking. The story centres on 16-year-... Read more
Billy T Live (1990)
Starring: Billy T James
On April 29, 1990 one of the greatest events of New Zealand entertainment took place in Auckland. This was no run of the mill stage show, it was Billy... Read more
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring ( Blu-ray ) (2001)
8.8/10
Director: Peter Jackson
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee, Elijah Wood, Hugo Weaving, Ian Holm, Ian McKell...
In the first installment of director Peter Jackson's ambitious and successful film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy trilogy, Elijah Wood stars a... Read more