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...

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

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

Account of the royal tour of New Zealand taken by the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh. Includes film of various visits and...

This impressionistic, late 1960s survey traces Auckland from volcanic origins to a population of half a million people. Produced by the National Film...

Documentary about big game fishing in New Zealand.

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...

Documentary following an attempt to find, net, and train a bottlenose dolphin for Napier marine mammal park Marineland.

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 visual essay on contemporary Kiwi architecture.

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

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...

This NFU film visits the remote Urewera to explore the world of the Tūhoe people. Their independence and identity have been challenged by...

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

Shot for an Australian Travel Agents Seminar, this short film seeks to portray 1969 New Zealand as a hip and happening place. The tourism...

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 documentary portrait of life in the Cook Islands, focusing on Rarotonga and neighboring islands. The film records traditional fishing, weaving,...

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...

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