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".
Illustrious Energy (1987)
7.9/10
Director: Leon Narbey
Starring: Heather Bolton, Peter Hayden, Shaun Bao, Peter Chin, Desmond Kelly, Harry Ip, Ge...
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
In My Father's Den (2004)
7.6/10
Director: Brad McGann
Starring: Matthew Macfadyen, Miranda Otto, Emily Barclay, Colin Moy, Jodie Rimmer, Vicky H...
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 the Zone (2018)
7.7/10
Director: Robyn Paterson
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
Jack Be Nimble (1993)
6.3/10
Director: Garth Maxwell
Starring: Alexis Arquette, Bruno Lawrence, Sarah Smuts-Kennedy, Tony Barry, Elizabeth Hawt...
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
Jack Brown Genius (1994)
5.3/10
Director: Tony Hiles
Starring: Lisa Chappell, Marton Csokas, Stuart Devenie, Timothy Balme, Nicola Murphy
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
Jinx Sister (2008)
6.4/10
Director: Athina Tsoulis
Starring: Sara Wiseman, Rachel Nash, Jarod Rawiri, William Wallace, Jenni Heka, Rawiri Par...
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
Jubilee (1999)
6.2/10
Director: Michael Hurst
Starring: Cliff Curtis, Theresa Healey, Hori Ahipene, Kevin Smith
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
Ka Whawhai Tonu: Struggle Without End (2024)
7.6/10
Starring: Temuera Morrison, Jason Flemyng, Miriama Smith, Cliff Curtis
In 1864 during the New Zealand Wars, Haki, a M?ori-European teenager, fighting for the NZ colonial forces, is captured by the M?ori resistance. He sta... Read more
King Kong ( Blu-ray ) (2005)
7.2/10
Director: Peter Jackson
Starring: Adrien Brody, Naomi Watts, Thomas Kretschmann, Jack Black, Jamie Bell, Colin Han...
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
King Kong: Deluxe Extended Edition (2005)
7.2/10
Director: Peter Jackson
Starring: Naomi Watts, Adrien Brody, Jack Black, Thomas Kretschmann, Colin Hanks, Jamie Be...
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