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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".

Goodbye Pork Pie (1980)

6.9/10
Director: Geoff Murphy
Starring: Tony Barry, Kelly Johnson, Claire Oberman

Gerry is a 19-year-old unemployed no-hoper from Auckland who illicitly rents a yellow Mini with little more than mischief in mind. He offers a ride to... Read more

Children of Fire Mountain (1979)

8.4/10
Director: Peter Sharp
Starring: Mark Hadlow, Terence Cooper, Melissa-Arohn Baker, Paul Airey

Set in 1900, a small town is the backdrop for this award-winning 13-part children's drama series about a group of children living in Wainamu, a therma... Read more

Sons for the Return Home (1978)

4.7/10
Director: Paul Maunder
Starring: Fiona Lindsay, Uelese Petaia, Moira Walker

From the book by Albert Wendt comes this moving portrayal of love across the racial divide. Sione (Uelese Petaia) from a traditional Samoan family and... Read more

Middle Age Spread (1978)

6/10
Director: John Reid
Starring: Donna Akersten, Dorothy McKegg, Grant Tilly, Peter Sumner, Bridget Armstrong

A unique "comedy of manners", based on Roger Hall's stage play which was a smash hit in NZ and the UK. Colin (Grant Tilly) is the deputy principal of... Read more

Angel Mine (1978)

5/10
Director: David Blyth
Starring: Derek Ward, Jennifer Redford, Myra De Groot, Mike Wilson

An outrageous erotic fantasy in which a young suburban couple become fully entangled in a wish-fulfillment world of black leather, punk rock and sexua... Read more

Hunter's Gold (1977)

7.3/10
Director: Tom Parkinson
Starring: Ken Blackburn, Terence Cooper, Andrew Hawthorn, Bruce Allpress

Set in New Zealand in 1860, amidst the turmoil of the Otago Gold Rush, 13 year old Scott Hunter sets off to Tucker's Gully to find his father, and en... Read more

Sleeping Dogs (1977)

6.6/10
Director: Roger Donaldson
Starring: Sam Neill, Warren Oates, Ian Mune, Nevan Rowe

An ambitious political thriller starring Sam Neill and Warren Oates, set in an unnamed country undergoing police state repression and armed resistance... Read more

This Is New Zealand (1970)

Director: Hugh Macdonald

Directed by Hugh Macdonald, "This Is New Zealand" was made to promote the country at Expo '70 in Osaka, Japan. An ambitious concept saw iconic NZ imag... Read more