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".
A stylish Kiwi noir about the perils of writer's block in the lonely New Zealand landscape. Gareth Reeves plays the world-famous crime author who retu... Read more
Two Chinese gold miners in a remote valley in Central Otago struggle to improve their lot. The goldrush is over. Their life is tough. When they make a... Read more
Paul (Matthew Macfadyen), a prize-winning war journalist, returns to his remote New Zealand hometown due to the death of his father, battle-scarred an... Read more
In an effort to combat cycles of inequality, a visiting African-American businessman establishes a home for minority teens in New Zealand's most sough... Read more
An offbeat and deeply weird melodrama about two children, split up at birth, and their later coming together with the aid of psychic powers. A vivid h... Read more
In this wonderful fantasy, the spirit of an inventive monk, Elmer, who died 1,000 years ago while trying out his newest invention, a pair of wings, en... Read more
Laura (Sara Wiseman) arrives in New Zealand after ten years in L.A., sporting an American accent and dressed for Rodeo Drive. Laura's sister Maree (Ra... Read more
When the chairwoman of the Waimatua school jubilee committee unexpectedly falls victim to a farm accident, local man Billy Williams (Cliff Curtis) fin... Read more
Peter Jackson's astonishing special effects extravaganza is light years from the plasticine models of the 1933 original, yet the heart of the story is... Read more
Peter Jackson has cut an extra 13 minutes into his monkey movie, including an underwater beastie attack at Skull Island, a charging ceratops and much... Read more