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 Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Extended Edition (2013)
6.8/10
Director: Peter Jackson
Starring: Ian McKellen, James Nesbitt, Ken Stott, Orlando Bloom, Martin Freeman, Benedict...
Having survived the beginning of their unexpected journey, the Company travels East, encountering along the way the skin-changer Beorn and a swarm of... Read more
Gardening with Soul (2013)
6.7/10
Director: Jess Feast
Starring: Sister Loyola Galvin
Sister Loyola is one of the liveliest nonagenarians you could ever meet. As the main gardener at the Home of Compassion in Island Bay, Wellington, her... Read more
Fantail (2013)
7.2/10
Director: Curtis Vowell
Starring: Stephen Lovatt, Tammy Davis, Jarod Rawiri, Sophie Henderson, Vinnie Bennett
Tania thinks she is Maori. She works the graveyard shift at a petrol station to save money to take her brother Pi to Surfers Paradise. When Pi goes aw... Read more
Nancy Wake: Gestapo's Most Wanted (2013)
7.7/10
Director: Mike Smith
Starring: Owen Black, Rachael Blampied
This is the incredible true story of Nancy Wake, the daring allied spy who became the Gestapo's most wanted woman in WWII. Codenamed The White Mouse... Read more
Erebus: Operation Overdue (2013)
7/10
Director: Peter Burger, Charlotte Purdy
In 1979, a jet carrying 257 passengers on a sightseeing tour over Antarctica went missing. Eleven police officers were called to duty and undertook an... Read more
The Pa Boys (2013)
6.7/10
Director: Himiona Grace
Starring: Matariki Whatarau, Francis Kora, Tola Newbery, Juanita Hepi, Roimata Fox
Danny, Cityboy and Tau form a three piece band called The Pa Boys. With girlfriends Jo and Puti they set off on a tour of small town pubs on the East... Read more
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug ( Blu-ray ) (3D) (2013)
7.8/10
Director: Peter Jackson
Starring: Ian McKellen, James Nesbitt, Ken Stott, Orlando Bloom, Martin Freeman, Benedict...
Having survived the beginning of their unexpected journey, the Company travels East, encountering along the way the skin-changer Beorn and a swarm of... Read more
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
7.9/10
Director: Peter Jackson
Starring: Ian McKellen, James Nesbitt, Ken Stott, Orlando Bloom, Martin Freeman, Benedict...
Having survived the beginning of their unexpected journey, the Company travels East, encountering along the way the skin-changer Beorn and a swarm of... Read more
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug ( Blu-ray ) (2013)
7.9/10
Director: Peter Jackson
Starring: Ian McKellen, James Nesbitt, Ken Stott, Orlando Bloom, Martin Freeman, Benedict...
Having survived the beginning of their unexpected journey, the Company travels East, encountering along the way the skin-changer Beorn and a swarm of... Read more
Beyond the Edge (2013)
6.8/10
Director: Leanne Pooley
"Beyond the Edge" documents the epic true journey of the heroic and triumphant ascent to the top of Mount Everest in 1953 by Edmund Hillary, a modest... Read more