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".
Antarctica: A Year On Ice (2013)
7.6/10
Director: Anthony Powell
Filmed over 10 years, Frozen Planet photographer Anthony Powell presents a visually stunning and deeply personal chronicle of what it is like to live... Read more
Hunt for the Wilderpeople ( Blu-ray ) (2016)
7.9/10
Director: Taika Waititi
Starring: Rima Te Wiata, Sam Neill, Oscar Kightley, Rhys Darby, Rachel House, Julian Denni...
Set in the New Zealand bush, the screenplay (based on Barry Crumps novel) begins on country folk Bella (Rima Te Wiata) and Hec (Neill) taking custody... Read more
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - Extended Edition (2002)
6.2/10
Director: Peter Jackson
Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchet...
A new version of the second instalment in the epic trilogy now includes over 40 minutes of never-before-seen footage. Frodo Baggins and the Fellowshi... Read more
Braindead ( Aka Dead Alive ) (1991)
8.1/10
Director: Peter Jackson
Starring: Timothy Balme, Elizabeth Moody, Diana Penalver, Ian Watkin, Jed Brophy
Taking a trip back to suburban Wellington of the '50s, director Peter Jackson has created the mother of all zombie movies. Jam-packed with demented jo... Read more
No. 2 (2006)
5/10
Director: Toa Fraser
Starring: Mia Blake, Ruby Dee, Taungaroa Emile, Rene Naufahu, Tuva Novotny, Miriama McDowe...
Nana Maria (Ruby Dee) is a feisty eighty-something matriarch who decides to host a family get-together to announce the heir to her estate. Not as eas... Read more
Bad Blood (1981)
6.6/10
Director: Mike Newell
Starring: Carol Burns, Dennis Lill, Jack Thompson, Donna Akersten, Martyn Sanderson, Marsh...
Jack Thompson gives a heartfelt and extraordinarily compelling performance as Stan Graham, a tragic and notorious West Coast figure who was pushed ove... Read more
Vigil / The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey / A State of Siege (1984)
Director: Vincent Ward
Starring: Bruce Lyons, Hamish McFarlane, Penelope Stewart, Frank Whitten, Bill Kerr, Fiona...
A Vincent Ward double feature. 'Vigil' (1984, 86 mins) Director Vincent Ward supplies a striking visual atmosphere in this rural melodrama about life... Read more
The Man in the Hat (2009)
Director: Luit Bieringa
Starring: Narrated by, Sam Neill
Peter McLeavey has run his gallery in Wellington for more than 40 years, becoming a legendary figure of the city and the New Zealand art community. Mc... Read more
Chunuk Bair (1992)
6.5/10
Director: Dale G Bradley
Starring: Robert Powell, Kevin J Wilson
The tragedy of Gallipoli is told through the heroic experience of the Wellington Regiment over a 3 days as, exhausted and shell-shocked, they battle t... Read more
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
7.4/10
Director: Peter Jackson
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Ian Holm, Ian McKellen, James Nes...
"The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" brings to an epic conclusion the adventures of Bilbo Baggins, Thorin Oakenshield and the Company of Dwarve... Read more