New Zealand National Film Unit Movies

Three young people set off on a road trip from Wellington to find a seal colony.

Examines the practical philosophy, the achievements and frustrations of one of New Zealand's most lively and innovative architects, Ian Athfield. The...

A documentary following the attempt by three young people to be the first windsurfers to cross Cook Strait.

Discovered to be using illegal drugs by a local policeman, the members of the commune kill him and bury him in their garden. After this pivotal...

A primer on proper phone manners produced for the New Zealand Post Office.

The same night as a girl is slain in the woods, the teenagers Sam and Les are robbed of all of their hard earned hens. In the quest for their hens...

Directed by Sam Pillsbury, this 1974 film observes Ralph Hotere — one of New Zealand’s greatest artists — at a moment when...

A visual essay on contemporary Kiwi architecture.

Set in post-war (1949) rural New Zealand, this film traces the efforts of two con men to run a betting scam in a small town (Tainuea) already rife...

An award-winning short exploring man-made impacts on New Zealand’s water cycle.

A short documentary about freestyle skiing made for the New Zealand Tourist and Publicity Department.

A documentary about the history of settler groups that came to New Zealand from Europe.

An entertaining look at life in Wellington, New Zealand in the 1960s, giving a colourful impression of Wellington city: hills, winding streets, busy...

On Christmas Eve, a nameless little girl reads 'The Monster's Christmas' storybook to her teddy bear, as something sneaks around in the trees outside...

Expat Kiwi Rewi Alley became one of the best known foreigners in 20th Century China and advocate for the Communist Revolution. When China was under...

The short tells the story of a drunkard going through alcohol withdrawal, as personified by the Devil. Director Bob Stenhouse takes what could be a...

The men of the The 28th (Māori) Battalion are seen returning to Wellington Harbour from WWII aboard the ship Dominion Monarch after their time...

A documentary about New Zealanders in Antarctica: researching International Geophysical Year, and supporting the Trans-Antarctic Expedition by laying...

Tokelau is a New Zealand territory, spanning three small South Pacific atolls. In the 1960s the New Zealand Government expressed concern about...

140 Days Under the World is a 1964 New Zealand short documentary film about Antarctica. It depicts one summer's work by New Zealand scientists in the...