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Essential New Zealand Cinema

The Piano (1993)
Jane Campion · 58 critic votes
When an arranged marriage brings Ada and her spirited daughter to the wilderness of nineteenth-century New Zealand, she finds herself locked in a battle of wills with both her controlling husband and a rugged frontiersman to whom she develops a forbidden attraction.
An Angel at My Table (1990)
Jane Campion · 15 critic votes
Streaming on Criterion Channel, HBO Max Amazon Channel
Based on the autobiographical work of New Zealand writer Janet Frame, this production depicts the author at various stage of her life. Afflicted with mental and emotional issues, Frame grows up in an impoverished family and experiences numerous tragedies while still in her youth, including the deaths of two of her siblings. Portrayed as an adult by Kerry Fox, Frame finds acclaim for her writing while still in a mental institution, and her success helps her move on with her life.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Peter Jackson · 11 critic votes
Streaming on HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max, YouTube TV
Young hobbit Frodo Baggins, after inheriting a mysterious ring from his uncle Bilbo, must leave his home in order to keep it from falling into the hands of its evil creator. Along the way, a fellowship is formed to protect the ringbearer and make sure that the ring arrives at its final destination: Mt. Doom, the only place where it can be destroyed.
The Power of the Dog (2021)
Jane Campion · 9 critic votes
Streaming on Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
A domineering but charismatic rancher wages a war of intimidation on his brother's new wife and her teen son, until long-hidden secrets come to light.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Peter Jackson · 4 critic votes
Streaming on HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max, YouTube TV
As armies mass for a final battle that will decide the fate of the world--and powerful, ancient forces of Light and Dark compete to determine the outcome--one member of the Fellowship of the Ring is revealed as the noble heir to the throne of the Kings of Men. Yet, the sole hope for triumph over evil lies with a brave hobbit, Frodo, who, accompanied by his loyal friend Sam and the hideous, wretched Gollum, ventures deep into the very dark heart of Mordor on his seemingly impossible quest to destroy the Ring of Power.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Peter Jackson · 3 critic votes
Streaming on HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max, YouTube TV
Frodo Baggins and the other members of the Fellowship continue on their sacred quest to destroy the One Ring--but on separate paths. Their destinies lie at two towers--Orthanc Tower in Isengard, where the corrupt wizard Saruman awaits, and Sauron's fortress at Barad-dur, deep within the dark lands of Mordor. Frodo and Sam are trekking to Mordor to destroy the One Ring of Power while Gimli, Legolas and Aragorn search for the orc-captured Merry and Pippin. All along, nefarious wizard Saruman awaits the Fellowship members at the Orthanc Tower in Isengard.
Whale Rider (2002)
Niki Caro · 2 critic votes
Free on Tubi TV, YouTube Free, Shout! Factory TV · Streaming on Sundance Now, Kanopy, Hoopla
A contemporary story of love, rejection, and triumph as a young Māori girl fights to fulfill a destiny her grandfather refuses to recognize.
PATU! (1983)
Merata Mita · 1 critic vote
In 1981, the New Zealand government invited the South African rugby team to tour New Zealand. This effectively split the country in half. Patu! is the story of the protest movement, HART (halt all racist tours). This documentary shows footage of protester meetings, rugby games and various beatings meted out to protesters from police.
Utu (1983)
Geoff Murphy · 1 critic vote
Free on Darkroom
In New Zealand in the 1860s the native Māori people fought the British colonials to keep the land guaranteed to them by treaty. The warrior Te Wheke fights for the British until betrayal leads him to seek utu (revenge). The settler Williamson in turn seeks revenge after Te Wheke attacks his homestead. Meanwhile Wiremu, an officer for the British, seems to think that resistance is futile.
Ngati (1987)
Barry Barclay · 1 critic vote
Streaming on Kanopy
Set in and around the fictional town of Kapua in 1948, Ngāti is the story of a Māori community. The film comprises three narrative threads: a boy, Ropata, is dying of leukaemia; the return of a young Australian doctor, Greg, and his discovery that he has Māori heritage; and the fight to keep the local freezing works open.
Te Rua (1991)
Barry Barclay · 1 critic vote
A hundred years after the theft from New Zealand of three irreplaceable tribal carvings, two members of a Māori tribe decide it's time for ancient grievances to be put right. Variously praised as a major step forward in indigenous cinema, attacked for overambition, and little screened, Te Rua marked Barry Barclay’s impassioned follow-up to his acclaimed debut feature Ngāti.
Braindead (1992)
Peter Jackson · 1 critic vote
When a Sumatran rat-monkey bites Lionel Cosgrove's mother, she's transformed into a zombie and begins killing (and transforming) the entire town while Lionel races to keep things under control.
Desperate Remedies (1993)
Peter Wells · 1 critic vote
In a town called Hope on the edge of Britain's empire, desperations clash: the beautiful Dorothea Brook is desperate to free her pregnant sister Rose from the clutches of Fraser, a fortune hunter. A local politician, William Poyner, is desperate for cash and thinks marriage to Dorothea will save him. Dorothea hires Lawrence Hayes, a rough but handsome Argonaut, to bribe Fraser with jewels and to marry Rose; Hayes desperately loves Dorothea and may marry Rose to stay close to her. But Dorothea has a lover, the ravishing Anne Cooper, who encourages the match with Poyser to give the lovers cover. Are these remedies, each desperate in its turn, going to make anyone happy?
Heavenly Creatures (1994)
Peter Jackson · 1 critic vote
Precocious teenager Juliet moves to New Zealand with her family and soon befriends the quiet, brooding Pauline through their shared love of fantasy and literature. This friendship gradually develops into an intense and obsessive bond.
Forgotten Silver (1995)
Peter Jackson, Costa Botes · 1 critic vote
The life story of Colin McKenzie, a forgotten pioneer of international cinema who was born in rural New Zealand in 1888.
Sister Galvan (2003)
Marian Evans · 1 critic vote
Voted for in Sight & Sound's 2022 Greatest Films of All Time poll
Two Cars, One Night (2004)
Taika Waititi · 1 critic vote
Sometimes first love is found in the most unlikely of places, like in the carpark outside the Te Kaha pub.
Top of the Lake (2013)
Jane Campion, Garth Davis · 1 critic vote
Streaming on Hulu
A woman haunted by her past, Detective Robin Griffin, investigates complex and unsettling cases.
Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)
Taika Waititi · 1 critic vote
Free on The Roku Channel, Plex, Plex Channel · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Peacock Premium
Ricky is a defiant young city kid who finds himself on the run with his cantankerous foster uncle in the wild New Zealand bush. A national manhunt ensues, and the two are forced to put aside their differences and work together to survive.
Waru (2017)
Ainsley Gardiner, Awanui Simich-Pene · 1 critic vote
Free on Tubi TV, Pluto TV, Fandango at Home Free · Streaming on Hoopla
Eight Māori female directors have each contributed a sequence to this powerful and challenging feature which unfolds around the tangi of a small boy who died at the hands of his caregiver.
They Shall Not Grow Old (2018)
Peter Jackson · 1 critic vote
A documentary about World War I with never-before-seen footage to commemorate the centennial of Armistice Day, and the end of the war.
Cousins (2021)
Ainsley Gardiner, Briar Grace-Smith · 1 critic vote
Connected by blood but separated by circumstances, three cousins spend a lifetime in search of each other.

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Essential New Zealand Cinema

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