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".
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
Slow West (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
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 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
Housebound (Blu-ray) (2014)
6.8/10
Director: Gerard Johnstone
Starring: Rima Te Wiata, Ryan Lampp, Mick Innes, Morgana O'Reilly, Glen-Paul Waru, Ross Ha...
Funny, suspenseful and freighted with fright bombs, Housebound could easily be the most energising fun youve ever had at a New Zealand movie. Its a... Read more
Short Poppies (2014)
7.9/10
Starring: Rhys Darby, David Farrier
Journalist David Farrier goes on a quest to small town New Zealand to find the average Kiwi. What he finds in this mockumentary series, is a lovable b... Read more
Broken Hallelujah (2014)
7.6/10
Director: Alastair Riddell
Starring: Ben Mitchell, Vanessa Riddell, Greg Smith
This is not a love story but a story about love. Kirsty Preston leads a comfortable life. All of this changes when she discovers how her husband, Gary... Read more
I Survived a Zombie Holocaust (2014)
5/10
Director: Guy Pigden
Starring: Harley Neville, Jocelyn Christian, Ben Baker, Mike Edward
A young runner on a Zombie film set has the first day from hell when real Zombies overrun the set. Filmed in Dunedin, this homegrown horror/comedy is... Read more
The Dead Lands (2014)
6.3/10
Director: Toa Fraser
Starring: James Rolleston, Lawrence Makoare, Te Kohe Tuhaka, Xavier Horan, George Henare,...
Hongi (James Rolleston) - a Maori chieftain's teenage son - must avenge his father's murder in order to bring peace and honour to the souls of his lov... Read more
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies ( Blu-ray ) (3D) (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