Discoveries from New Zealand World Cinema

To cure their insomnia, a social outcast befriends an ASMR streamer where the lines between friendship and obsession become blurred.

"Waterfall Confessional begins as a montage of hazy waterfalls captioned with simple statements. The waterfalls are kitsch, in that they have a 'designed for television' profundity. Situated in a public space, like Masons Screen, I imagine the video as a storefront television from a Superman cartoon, the ones Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane, and a crowd of onlookers, gather in front of to see what Superman is doing. In this case, Superman isn’t quite sure what he is doing. Like television news, it is sort of hollow.The text describes a moment of crisis, without providing much detail. These waterfalls transition into a series of spinning objects, of various scales, collected with a rapid, sincere dance beat. Muffled dialogue sporadically intrudes under the footage." - Artist Statement

Spanning seven short stories - each taking place in a different city around the globe, “All the Lonely People” showcases a slice of life from various strangers while they try to face their regular, everyday problems. From New Zealand to New York city, the assortment of strangers deal with modern day anxieties that slowly spiral out of control.

An innocent rubbish tip assistant, Gert, is given the task of escorting a beautiful mute "princess", Plum, on a perilous journey to meet her prospective husband. Their journey is fraught with danger, challenges, romance and discovery. In surreal action, they encounter a menagerie of characters and animals in far-flung corners of New Zealand.

True story of Alexander Graham Bell's invention of the telephone, inspired by his mother.

The DNA samples Lucy needs to finish her thesis don't arrive, so she's stuck - unless she can find a DVA sample from a 100-year-old Chinese corpse. She persuades her flatmates to visit the local cemetery to dig up a Chinese corpse. Unfortunately, it turns out to be a hopping Chinese Vampire

When best friends Alex and Sam are left at home for the night, they do what all teenage boys do: raid mum’s wardrobe, play dress ups, and create a fantasy world where they feel safe and accepted. Well, maybe that's just what some boys do. But little do they know, the parents are on to them. Is there a safe bubble about to burst?

Who is driving a violent, misinformed New Zealand, and why? Fire and Fury is a Stuff Circuit investigation into disinformation in Aotearoa New Zealand.

When estranged son, Tai, is called home to Aotearoa to his father Putty's deathbed, he is forced to confront a painful past after years of avoiding it. Once inseparable, Tai and Putty would spend hours together fishing and joking around. However, after a family secret is revealed, their relationship falls apart.

The courageous story of a tenacious New Zealand woman who would stop at nothing in seeking justice for her brother's murder.

Joe has been meaning to share his secret for weeks but his nerves continue to get the better of him. Now, after pressure from his impatient boyfriend, Joe is forced to face his fears. Coming out is a comedy about the emotional prison that secrets create.

A black-and-white visual meditation of wilderness and the elements. Wildlife filmmaker Richard Sidey returns to the triptych format for a cinematic experience like no other.

After quickly growing tired of his new flatmate, twenty-something goofball Charles has his character (and patience) tested when an exciting new option unexpectedly stumbles into his life...

Short subject documentary about land speed record holder Burt Munro. Produced for NZBC.

Wheels of Fate is a short documentary film about identity, belonging and acceptance. It reflects on Ryan Espadilla's experience immigrating to New Zealand. This film features the euphoria and sanctuary of inline skating as Ryan reveals inner struggles, trials and aspirations as he journeys towards a sense of belonging. It captures observation that speaks to the intricacies of the immigrant experience and the passion of inline skating.

When statistician John Wilkins is sucked out of a plane at 43,000 feet, he calculates that he has exactly 3 minutes and 48 seconds before he hits the ground.

A young drug dealer stumbles upon a doppelganger online celebrity who tortures and murders people on camera. As his mania grows and the line between reality and fiction is blurred, a second identity grows from his second life in his dreams, and something of a prophecy is revealed.

The Pa Boys is an energetic, uplifting road movie capturing the best of New Zealand's culture, beauty, talent and music, whilst exploring themes of identity, friendship and discovering your roots.

When the clubhouse of a group of country kids, known as the "Terrible ten" needs money for funding they invent numerous ways to make money. During their attempts at making puddings and selling mineral water they stumble on a formula for breeding coloured sheep.

Before Christmas, the North Pole is a very busy place. When Rumbletum, the cantankerous boiler which drives the toy machines breaks down, Santa has to find a job in the city to pay for the repairs.

Love, loss, and black holes. Minimum Mass is the story of couple who experience a series of miscarriages and come to believe their children are being born in another dimension. Set in contemporary Rotorua, New Zealand and the speculative world of black holes, it is a 20 minute interactive narrative virtual reality. Minimum Mass takes place in a real-time, photorealistic computer generated story world and has been developed as an in-headset experience.

Jim Hawkins has been trying to keep his merchant ships out of the hands Captain Savage, an officer who's been hunting down English ships for his own gain. In trying to avoid Savage, Jim ends up meeting a young woman and instantly is attracted to her. However, what he finds out is that she is the only daughter of the man who had betrayed his trust so long ago - Long John Silver. Jim finds Silver retired and mourning the death of his wife. By coindidence, Savage also knows the Silvers and chases all of them back to the island where once Flint's trove was hidden. Will honor and respect win out over power or will Jim's lack of trust in John Silver and his daughter be justified?

Eight connecting moments of seemingly different lives thread together Vai’s journey of empowerment through culture over her lifetime. Beautifully shot over seven Pacific countries, and played by a different indigenous actress in each place, Vai links together a story of family, culture, and at times, isolation. A delicate exploration into the meaning of growth, adaptation, and most notably, a connection to water and home.

When the New Zealand Government enforce mandatory vaccination on the workforce, many rebel. They convoy to Parliament in protest but are ignored by politicians, ridiculed by media and smashed by police after a 23-day occupation.

As two flatmates quarrel over petty domestic chores, a third flatmate battles for his life against the flat ghost.

Cinema documentary feature celebrating iconic New Zealand entertainer, Billy T James.

In 2024 Niue celebrated 50 years of self-governance, overseen by New Zealand administration. What benefits and what problems has this created for the small Island nation? We look back at the hopes and aspirations of those who lead the 1974 movement for self- governance, and how Niueans feel about it today. 'Being Niuean' looks at what happens when most of your island population has relocated to the diaspora, and how the motherland manages to sustain itself.

Interceptor is a documentary that traverses the waters of the Te Manukanuka O Hoturoa, the Manukau harbour in Auckland through underwater camera images, 16mm Whittner film and audio recordings. Manukau waterscapes, the day after heavy rain, reveal the compromised waters of Māngere inlet, and birds active in the mudflats around Puketutu island.

An unlikely outlaw wreaks hell across the dusty dystopia of The State on a wild quest to save what is held most dear, but things aren’t always what they seem on the desolate wasteland frontier.

Five American mobsters sit in a diner and discuss the sexual politics of the fairytale: "Little Red Riding Hood".

Henry Waghorn and his father Henry Waghorn Senior run a circus of performing chickens, however the chickens’ real value may be more to do with taste than performance. An offer from Theo Theodolite to join him in a fried chicken outlet has little attraction for the Waghorn family. However Thoe’s daughter Wilga sees a different side to Henry and his training skills and their relationship might have flourished if Henry Senior hadn’t had an unfortunate accident. Finally the truth of the accident is discovered and the explosive finale sheds new light on the need for better-trained chickens.

This often confronting documentary observes a Māori restorative justice model through the eyes of straight-talking Mike Hinton, manager of Restorative Justice at Manukau Urban Māori Authority. The bringing together of victims (including wider whānau) and offenders may offer an alternate way forward for "a criminal justice system failing too many and costing too much”. Restoring Hope kicked off Māori Television’s 2013 season of Sunday night documentaries. In a Herald On Sunday preview, Sarah Lang argued it was “enough to restore hope in local documentary-making.” I’m in an arena where people have high emotions, they get stressed and pressured. I’m reasonably confident that I can avoid situations where I’ll be unsafe. I don’t have any death wish — I’ve got a game of golf tomorrow. – Mike Hinton, on the dangers of the job

Wilbur: The King in the Ring is a comedic documentary, which wrestles with the worldwide obesity plight. Wilbur McDougall, a former pro-wrestler, agrees to let his best friend J. Ollie Lucks make a documentary about his gastric sleeve surgery and subsequent transformation. But in order to stay literally half the man he was, Wilbur will be forced to maintain a healthier lifestyle while Ollie’s altruistic intentions verge on exploitative.

A quirky love story about a shyshopkeeper called Lorraine whose closest confidante is an outdated female mannequin named Quinn.

Ty discovers a kōauau on a beach, which causes him to repeat the same day over and over again. Frustrated and desperate, Ty must figure out how to break the cycle and free himself from the kōauau.

In 1993 David Dougherty was found guilty and imprisoned for the abduction and rape of his 11 year old neighbor. It took two trials, two high court appeals, a petition to the Governor General and 3 years, 6 months and 1 week in prison before David finally won his freedom and was found not guilty of the crime he didn't commit. But it wouldn't have happened without the unrelenting efforts of three individuals - a journalist, a lawyer and a scientist - who put their own personal and professional lives on the line in order to prove that David Dougherty was innocent.

A bunch of friends are making a movie in an attempt to win the shortest film competition. But when people have to go to work, things get challenging. Can they finish the movie in time for the deadline?

A misunderstanding leads to sombre consequences as two flatmates recall very different turns of event from the previous night.

A young and affluent couple become fatally entangled in their own wish-fulfillment world.

Tattooing — "the world's oldest skin game" — is the subject of this iconic documentary. Writer/director Geoff Steven scored a major coup by signing Easy Rider legend Peter Fonda as his presenter. Travelling to Aotearoa, Samoa, Japan and the United States, the doco traces key developments in tattooing, including its importance in the Pacific, prison-inspired styles, and the influence of 1960s counterculture. Legendary tattooists feature (including Americans Ed Hardy and Jack Rudy), while the closing credits parade some eye-opening full body tattoos.

A journalist follows a trickle of information upstream, leading to revelations about California's water and the couple accused of hoarding it to build their own agricultural empire.

Eight Pan-Asian female filmmakers’ powerful anthology film illuminates the immigrant experience in Aotearoa New Zealand through the lives of eight Asian women connected by the house they call home.

This documentary looks at how the strings were pulled on Peter Jackson's low-budget puppet movie Meet the Feebles. An old Wellington railway shed fizzes with energy and imagination as a team peppered with future Oscar-winners crafts the gleefully subversive Muppets parody.

Safe House is the story of a struggle for survival in an unfamiliar and threatening world, based on the true life experience of a woman in the early days of the witness protection programme in New Zealand. TV Movie

A survivor in a ruined landscape finds hope in a polluted puddle. When he tries to purify and drink the water, solvent-induced intoxication blurs his perception—then Terminal Lake appears on the horizon.

A hunter in New Zealand has created a fantasy world of mounted animal trophies. He returns home to add his latest catch and make some music and finds himself in a new challenge.

Join the fluffy gentle giant, Motmot, as he navigates life through the bleak world of Strugart, until one day his life is drastically turned upside down by an unknown creature, a human boy.

After being left a box of junk, Finn discovers a watch with a unique ability.

Claude and his friends are out of their element and in a whole lot of trouble when they choose the wrong lettuce for lunch. They must now find their way out of this world of horrors before they end up on the menu!

Liz has missed an appointment to have an abortion. She has to keep her child, and neither her boyfriend Geoff nor child's father Neil are too happy about it. She can not decide which partner is better for her, and Neil makes a proposal to her when they attend the wedding of her best friend Prue and Mike. She probably prefers Geoff, but he is preoccupied with his girlfriend Bryony, who returned from abroad. Another friend, Ant, has written a script for documentary film, which is directed by a German and in which topless women, well, talk about their lives.

A teenagers fantasy and a solo mum's reality collide, leaving both to grapple a system that don't know how they fit in.

Helen is suffering from chronic depression and uses self inflicted pain as a means of escape. Alex loves her so keeps trying to care for her.

Meet Ari, an average 20-something millennial living at home with her parents. She also happens to be an MMA fighter with a mum who doubles as her coach. Her mother, Mei, has always planned everything for Ari - her training regime and now her dating regime so she can find the perfect partner, and have the perfect baby at the perfect time in her life. In a bid to escape her overbearing mum-coach, Ari enters an illegal underground MMA fight where she manages to piss off the most dangerous man in town, James Lee. Swords, cakes and the truth go flying when they all collide at her cousin's big fat Indian wedding.

A random act of violence leaves eight people in crisis, searching for hope and new beginnings, as the Matariki constellation (Maori New Year) rises in the Southern skies.

An East Coast community in Ruatōria, New Zealand attempts to live in autarchy according to the tenets of their movement. Bob Marley, a prophet of our electronic age, is the soundtrack to the everyday lives of these Māori who feel closer to their own roots by observing a blend of Afro-Carribean Rastafarianism and the Ringatū faith. Merata Mita's camera respectfully portrays this singular cultural dialogue. The outsider cultures of Jamaicans, Ethiopians and Māori have come together, vibrating to a common cosmic chord. They find an underground brotherhood, across continents and seas.

1981. A summertime day in the life of a Samoan kid in West Auckland touches on wider conflict and grief. A simple story perfectly told.

In writer/director Paolo Rotondo’s debut feature, three teenagers on the run break into a deluxe Waiheke Island home and find themselves caught in a tense psychodrama with the conflicted owner.

The story of lyrical genius, Martin Phillipps and his band, The Chills, is a cautionary tale, a triumph over tragedy, and a statement about the meaning of music in our lives.

The Chinese philosophy of the Five Elements postulates that everything in our universe is based on wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. While traveling through China’s stunning landscapes and witnessing the seasons, this documentary seeks not only the roots of this ancient theory but also the continuing impacts on modern China.

In this short film, director Akemongkhon Mongkhonmaung explores themes of police brutality and homoerotic relationships