New Zealand National Film Unit Movies

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...

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...

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

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...

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...

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

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

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...

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

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

A visual essay on contemporary Kiwi architecture.

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...

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

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...

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...

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

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...