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 Piano (1993)
7.6/10
Director: Jane Campion
Starring: Anna Paquin, Genevieve Lemon, Harvey Keitel, Holly Hunter, Sam Neill, Kerry Walk...
Ada (Holly Hunter), her nine-year-old daughter (Anna Paquin) and her piano arrive to an arranged marriage in nineteenth century New Zealand in this Pa... Read more
The Piano ( Blu-ray ) (1993)
7.6/10
Director: Jane Campion
Starring: Anna Paquin, Genevieve Lemon, Harvey Keitel, Holly Hunter, Sam Neill, Kerry Walk...
Ada (Holly Hunter), her nine-year-old daughter (Anna Paquin) and her piano arrive to an arranged marriage in nineteenth century New Zealand in this Pa... Read more
The Pretender: Series 1, Episodes 1-5 (2005)
7.5/10
Director: Michael Bennett, Patrick Gillies
'The Pretender' is a smart, satirical and biting examination of our nation's leaders; the people behind them; and the jealousy, megalomania, fear, con... Read more
The Price of Milk (2000)
6.8/10
Director: Harry Sinclair
Starring: Danielle Cormack, Karl Urban, Willa O'Neill, Michael Lawrence, Rangi Motu
On a dairy farm in a beautiful green valley there lived two lovers. Lucinda (Danielle Cormack), Rob (Karl Urban) and their 117 cows lead a charmed exi... Read more
The Quiet Earth (1985)
6.8/10
Director: Geoff Murphy
Starring: Bruno Lawrence, Alison Routledge, Peter Smith
A brilliant kiwi sci-fi thriller with Bruno Lawrence believing he is the last person on earth - until he stumbles on two more survivors, one a young w... Read more
The Quiet Earth (Blu-Ray) (1985)
6.8/10
Director: Geoff Murphy
Starring: Alison Routledge, Anzac Wallace, Bruno Lawrence, Pete Smith
When everyone around him vanishes overnight, scientist Zac Hobson (Bruno Lawrence) finds himself seemingly the only person on the planet. The isolatio... Read more
The Red House (2012)
6.8/10
Director: Alyx Duncan
Starring: Lee Stuart, Meng Jia Stuart
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
The Rehearsal (2016)
5.8/10
Director: Alison Maclean
Starring: Kerry Fox, James Rolleston, Alice Englert
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
The Scarecrow (1982)
7.9/10
Director: Sam Pillsbury
Starring: John Carradine, Jonathan Smith, Tracy Mann, Bruce Allpress
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
The Silent One (1984)
7.1/10
Director: Yvonne Mackay
Starring: Pat Evison, Anzac Wallace, Rongo Tupatea Kahu, Telo Malese
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