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".
Beautifully photographed over three-and-a-half years in China and New Zealand, "The Red House" tells the story of Lee (Lee Stuart) and Jia (Meng Jia),... Read more
Unpacking the dramas that energise a class of budding young actors, The Rehearsal mounts an enticing inquisition of performance, identity and moral an... Read more
Based on the novel by Ronald Hugh Morrieson, the story centers around Ned Poindexter (Jonathan Smith) and his 16-year-old sister Prudence (Tracy Mann)... Read more
Spectacular underwater photography highlights the story of Jonasi, 'the silent one', a uniquely gifted young man sent from the sea as a baby to grow u... Read more
Living on a ramshackle chicken farm with their parents and various siblings, 10-year-old twins Kimi (Hato Paparoa) and Melody (Melanie Mayall-Nahi) ar... Read more
Jake Sawyer (Jason Behr) is a tattoo artist who has been wandering the world in search of ethnic themes to exploit in his designs. After capturing hi... Read more
Country meets the Classics in this very special concert, filmed live for television at the Auckland Town Hall. The Topp Twins make their orchestral de... Read more
Features six episodes of the Topp Twins (Jools and Lynda Topp) award-winning comedy TV series - Speedway, Pasifika, Netball, Otago, Food and Wine and... Read more
In this kiwi-made, post-apocalyptic fantasy series a deadly virus has wiped out the adult population, leaving the children of the world to survive on... Read more
The future is theirs to create... In this post-apocalyptic fantasy series a deadly virus has wiped out the adult population, leaving the children of t... Read more