New Zealand National Film Unit Movies

This 1981 NFU film is a tour of the contemporary world of Aotearoa’s tangata whenua. It won headlines over claims that its portrayal of...

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...

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 educational short made by the New Zealand National Film Unit for the National Mountain Safety Council to promote awareness of bush safety.

Three Brits travel and settle down in New Zealand, and the film records their hopes, jobs, challenges, and adventures in the new country.

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...

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

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

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 visual essay on contemporary Kiwi architecture.

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...

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

A short documentary tracking the transportation of New Zealand products into ports in the Philippines, China, Japan, and Hong Kong, with a focus on...

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

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

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...

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

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

Road safety instructional film using child actors and amusing animals.

A documentary about the New Zealand theatre troupe "Red Mole".