Cinema of New Zealand
Encyclopedia
New Zealand cinema, can refer to films made by New Zealand
-based production companies
in New Zealand. However, it may also refer to films made about New Zealand by filmmakers from other countries. In addition, due to the relatively small size of its film industry, many New Zealand-made films are co-productions with companies based in other nations.
was formalised by Parliament under the National Party
. The functions of the Commission under Article 17 New Zealand Film Commission Act (1978) were to;
With this Act the New Zealand Film industry became more stabilised. Article 18 “Content of Films” New Zealand Film Commission Act (1978) would serve to define which aspects a film had to have in order for it to be labelled as a New Zealand Film. To qualify as a New Zealand film all the aspects listed below must be of New Zealand in origin;
These defining aspects have in recent years caused debate on whether films like The Frighteners
and the Lord of the Rings
qualify as New Zealand Films. The impact of the New Zealand Film Commission
on the industry was in getting films made, coming to a definition of NZ Film, and helping establish a Screen Industry in New Zealand.
Most New Zealand films are made by independent film
makers, often on a low budget and with sponsorship from public funds. Relatively few New Zealand-made films have been specifically commissioned for the international market by international film distributor
s.
Recently, international film companies have become more aware of the skills of New Zealand filmmakers, and have increasingly used the New Zealand film industry as a base to shoot and also sometimes finish their feature films.
Private funding for New Zealand films has often been in short supply, although for a period in the early eighties tax-breaks resulted in a rush of money and a production boom. Although the trend seems to be changing for the better, some New Zealand directors and actors have been ignored in large part by their own country, despite success overseas, and often had to work in the USA, Australia, and the UK as a result.
The first screening of a colour film (colour process, not just a colourised black and white film) was on Christmas Eve in 1911. It was a simultaneous showing at the Globe Picture Theatre, Queen Street and the Kings Theatre, Upper Pitt Street (now Mercury Lane).
The first filmmaker in New Zealand was Alfred Whitehouse, who made ten films between 1898 and mid-1900. The oldest surviving New Zealand film is Whitehouse's The Departure of the Second Contingent for the Boer War (1900).
The first feature film made in New Zealand is arguably Hinemoa
. It premiered on 17 August 1914 at the Lyric Theatre, Auckland
.
The oldest surviving cinema is Roxburgh, located in Central Otago. It was opened in October 1898 and is still open.
made a number of feature films on New Zealand themes. Rewi's Last Stand was probably his best, but little of this 1925 film survives. The film was remade with sound in the 1930s. Independent filmmaker John O'Shea
was active from 1940 to 1970 making New Zealand cinema; his company Pacific Films
produced numerous short films as well as the three New Zealand feature films made in that period: Broken Barrier
(1952) with Roger Mirams
, Runaway (1964), and Don't Let It Get You (1966).
However, during this period, most New Zealand-made films were documentaries
. The National Film Unit
was a government-funded producer of short films, documentaries, and publicity material. This is New Zealand
, a short film made for the World Expo in 1970 was extremely popular there and subsequently screened in New Zealand cinemas, to much public acclaim. It used three projectors onto a wide screen, and was restored in 2004-05 and later re-released.
was established to fund the production of New Zealand cinema films. A number of film projects were funded and this led to a revitalisation of the New Zealand film industry.
One of the first New Zealand films to attract large-scale audiences at home - and also see release in the United States - was Sleeping Dogs, directed by Roger Donaldson
in 1977. A dark political action thriller that portrays the reaction of one man to the formation of a totalitarian government, and subsequent guerrilla war
in New Zealand, it introduced Sam Neill
as a leading actor. While its local images of large scale civil conflict and government repression were unfamiliar to most viewers, they became a reference point after the 1981 Springbok Tour
protests and police response, just a few years later.
Sleeping Dogs was also notable for being the first full-length 35mm
feature film made entirely by a New Zealand production crew. Before then, feature films such as 1973's Rangi's Catch had been filmed and set in New Zealand, but were still produced and directed by foreign crews.
1981 saw the release of the road movie Goodbye Pork Pie
, which made NZ$1.5 million (a figure comparable with major Hollywood blockbusters of the time like Star Wars
or Jaws
). Director Geoff Murphy accepted movie offers from Hollywood.
The release of Goodbye Pork Pie is considered to be the coming-of-age of New Zealand cinema, as it showed that New Zealanders could make successful films about New Zealand. Before Murphy was lured away by Hollywood, he made two other key New Zealand films, Utu
, (1983), about the land wars of the 1860s, and The Quiet Earth
(1985) a science fiction film. Both films featured Bruno Lawrence
, who became a movie star in the country.
Melanie Rodriga
was the first woman to write and direct a feature film (as Melanie Read) with the thriller ‘Trial Run
’ (1984), although Yvonne MacKay had directed the Ian Mune
-scripted ‘The Silent One’ (1984).
In 1987 Barry Barclay
's film Ngati
, screenplay by Tama Poata
and starring veteran actor Wi Kuki Kaa
, was released to critical acclaim and some box-office success. 'Ngati' is recognised as the first feature film to be written and directed by a member of a minority indigenous population (in this case Maori).
Merata Mita
was the first Maori woman to write and direct a dramatic feature film, Mauri (1988). An accomplished documentary film-maker, Mita made landmark documentaries including Patu! (1983) about the controversial and violent anti-apartheid protests during the 1981 Springboks rugby tour from South Africa, and Bastion Point: Day 507 (1980) during the eviction of Ngāti Whātua
Maori tribe from their traditional land Bastion Point
, known as 'Takaparawhau' in Maori.
's landmark short Kitchen Sink came to typify the trend. Instead of trying to be short features focused on dialogue and character, the new shorts tried instead to push the envelope in terms of visual design and cinematic language. The result saw an explosion of visually rich and compelling works that seemed to aspire more to the best of European cinema than the mainstay of Hollywood fare.
Key examples of these are:
The Lounge Bar (Don McGlashan
, Harry Sinclair
as The Front Lawn
, 1989), 12 Min, 35 mm, colour;
Kitchen Sink (Alison Maclean
, 1989), 14 minutes, 35 mm, b/w;
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
-based production companies
Production company
A production company provides the physical basis for works in the realms of the performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, and video.- Tasks and functions :...
in New Zealand. However, it may also refer to films made about New Zealand by filmmakers from other countries. In addition, due to the relatively small size of its film industry, many New Zealand-made films are co-productions with companies based in other nations.
Defining New Zealand Film
In October 1978 the New Zealand Film CommissionNew Zealand Film Commission
The New Zealand Film Commission is a New Zealand government agency formed to assist with creating and promoting New Zealand films...
was formalised by Parliament under the National Party
New Zealand National Party
The New Zealand National Party is the largest party in the New Zealand House of Representatives and in November 2008 formed a minority government with support from three minor parties.-Policies:...
. The functions of the Commission under Article 17 New Zealand Film Commission Act (1978) were to;
- Encourage and assist in the making, promotion, distribution and exhibition of films
- Encourage and promote cohesion with NZ film industry
- Encourage and promote maintenance of films in archives
With this Act the New Zealand Film industry became more stabilised. Article 18 “Content of Films” New Zealand Film Commission Act (1978) would serve to define which aspects a film had to have in order for it to be labelled as a New Zealand Film. To qualify as a New Zealand film all the aspects listed below must be of New Zealand in origin;
- The subject of the film
- The locations at which the film was made
- The nationalities or places of residence of: The authors, scriptwriters, composers, producers, directors, actors, technicians, editors, etc.
- The sources from which the money is derived
- The ownership and whereabouts of the equipment and technical facilities
These defining aspects have in recent years caused debate on whether films like The Frighteners
The Frighteners
The Frighteners is a 1996 comedy horror film directed by Peter Jackson and co-written with his wife, Fran Walsh. The film's cast includes Michael J. Fox, Trini Alvarado, John Astin, Jeffrey Combs, Dee Wallace, Jake Busey and Chi McBride...
and the Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
The Lord of the Rings is an epic film trilogy consisting of three fantasy adventure films based on the three-volume book of the same name by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The films are The Fellowship of the Ring , The Two Towers and The Return of the King .The films were directed by Peter...
qualify as New Zealand Films. The impact of the New Zealand Film Commission
New Zealand Film Commission
The New Zealand Film Commission is a New Zealand government agency formed to assist with creating and promoting New Zealand films...
on the industry was in getting films made, coming to a definition of NZ Film, and helping establish a Screen Industry in New Zealand.
Most New Zealand films are made by independent film
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
makers, often on a low budget and with sponsorship from public funds. Relatively few New Zealand-made films have been specifically commissioned for the international market by international film distributor
Film distributor
A film distributor is a company or individual responsible for releasing films to the public either theatrically or for home viewing...
s.
Recently, international film companies have become more aware of the skills of New Zealand filmmakers, and have increasingly used the New Zealand film industry as a base to shoot and also sometimes finish their feature films.
Private funding for New Zealand films has often been in short supply, although for a period in the early eighties tax-breaks resulted in a rush of money and a production boom. Although the trend seems to be changing for the better, some New Zealand directors and actors have been ignored in large part by their own country, despite success overseas, and often had to work in the USA, Australia, and the UK as a result.
Early film
The first public screening of a motion picture was on 13 October 1896 at the Opera House, Auckland and was part of a show presented by Charles Godfrey’s Vaudeville Company.The first screening of a colour film (colour process, not just a colourised black and white film) was on Christmas Eve in 1911. It was a simultaneous showing at the Globe Picture Theatre, Queen Street and the Kings Theatre, Upper Pitt Street (now Mercury Lane).
The first filmmaker in New Zealand was Alfred Whitehouse, who made ten films between 1898 and mid-1900. The oldest surviving New Zealand film is Whitehouse's The Departure of the Second Contingent for the Boer War (1900).
The first feature film made in New Zealand is arguably Hinemoa
Hinemoa (1914 film)
Hinemoa was an early film produced in New Zealand in 1914. It was claimed to be the first feature film produced in New Zealand, although it should not be confused with a film of the same name shot by Gaston Méliès a year earlier. It was billed as "The first big dramatic work filmed and acted in the...
. It premiered on 17 August 1914 at the Lyric Theatre, Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
.
The oldest surviving cinema is Roxburgh, located in Central Otago. It was opened in October 1898 and is still open.
The Classical era
New Zealand film was a small-scale industry during the 1920s-1960s. During the 1920s and 1930s, director Rudall HaywardRudall Hayward
Rudall Charles Victor Hayward was a pioneer New Zealand filmmaker from the 1920s to the 1970s, who directed seven feature films and numerous others. He was born in England, and died in Dunedin while promoting his last film....
made a number of feature films on New Zealand themes. Rewi's Last Stand was probably his best, but little of this 1925 film survives. The film was remade with sound in the 1930s. Independent filmmaker John O'Shea
John O'Shea (director)
John Dempsey O'Shea was a New Zealand independent filmmaker; he was a director, producer, writer and actor.He was active from 1940 to 1970, and in 1952 set up Pacific Films in Wellington with Roger Mirams...
was active from 1940 to 1970 making New Zealand cinema; his company Pacific Films
Pacific Films
The Pacific Film Unit was established in Wellington, New Zealand in 1948 by ex-National Film Unit staff Alun Falconer and Roger Mirams. At this time most films produced in New Zealand were documentaries made by the government’s National Film Unit...
produced numerous short films as well as the three New Zealand feature films made in that period: Broken Barrier
Broken Barrier
Broken Barrier is a 1952 New Zealand film. It was directed and produced by John O'Shea and Roger Mirams, and written by O'Shea. It starred Kay Ngarimu and Terence Bayler, and also featured Mira Hape, Bill Merito and George Ormond....
(1952) with Roger Mirams
Roger Mirams
Roger Eastgate Holden Mirams was a New Zealand film director, well known for the children's television series he produced throughout his career which extended over 70 years...
, Runaway (1964), and Don't Let It Get You (1966).
However, during this period, most New Zealand-made films were documentaries
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
. The National Film Unit
National Film Unit
The National Film Unit was a state-owned film production organisation in New Zealand. Founded in 1941, it mostly produced newsreels, documentaries and promotional films about New Zealand, and for many years was the only significant film production facility in the country...
was a government-funded producer of short films, documentaries, and publicity material. This is New Zealand
This is New Zealand
This is New Zealand is a documentary film showcasing New Zealand scenery that was produced by the New Zealand National Film Unit for screening at the World Expo in Osaka in 1970....
, a short film made for the World Expo in 1970 was extremely popular there and subsequently screened in New Zealand cinemas, to much public acclaim. It used three projectors onto a wide screen, and was restored in 2004-05 and later re-released.
The 1970s and 1980s
During the late 1970s, the New Zealand Film CommissionNew Zealand Film Commission
The New Zealand Film Commission is a New Zealand government agency formed to assist with creating and promoting New Zealand films...
was established to fund the production of New Zealand cinema films. A number of film projects were funded and this led to a revitalisation of the New Zealand film industry.
One of the first New Zealand films to attract large-scale audiences at home - and also see release in the United States - was Sleeping Dogs, directed by Roger Donaldson
Roger Donaldson
Roger Donaldson is an Australian-born New Zealand film producer, director and writer who has made numerous successful movies. He was a co-founder of the New Zealand Film Commission.-Life and career:...
in 1977. A dark political action thriller that portrays the reaction of one man to the formation of a totalitarian government, and subsequent guerrilla war
Guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
in New Zealand, it introduced Sam Neill
Sam Neill
Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill, DCNZM, OBE is a New Zealand actor. He is well known for his starring role as paleontologist Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III....
as a leading actor. While its local images of large scale civil conflict and government repression were unfamiliar to most viewers, they became a reference point after the 1981 Springbok Tour
1981 Springbok Tour
The 1981 South African rugby union tour of New Zealand was a controversial tour of New Zealand by the South Africa national rugby union team, known as "the Springboks"...
protests and police response, just a few years later.
Sleeping Dogs was also notable for being the first full-length 35mm
35 mm film
35 mm film is the film gauge most commonly used for chemical still photography and motion pictures. The name of the gauge refers to the width of the photographic film, which consists of strips 35 millimeters in width...
feature film made entirely by a New Zealand production crew. Before then, feature films such as 1973's Rangi's Catch had been filmed and set in New Zealand, but were still produced and directed by foreign crews.
1981 saw the release of the road movie Goodbye Pork Pie
Goodbye Pork Pie
Goodbye Pork Pie is a 1981 New Zealand film directed by Geoff Murphy and written by Geoff Murphy and Ian Mune. The film is considered to be one of New Zealand's most popular films, and has been described as Easy Rider meets the Keystone Kops....
, which made NZ$1.5 million (a figure comparable with major Hollywood blockbusters of the time like Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
or Jaws
Jaws (film)
Jaws is a 1975 American horror-thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name. In the story, the police chief of Amity Island, a fictional summer resort town, tries to protect beachgoers from a giant man-eating great white shark by closing the beach,...
). Director Geoff Murphy accepted movie offers from Hollywood.
The release of Goodbye Pork Pie is considered to be the coming-of-age of New Zealand cinema, as it showed that New Zealanders could make successful films about New Zealand. Before Murphy was lured away by Hollywood, he made two other key New Zealand films, Utu
Utu (film)
Utu is a 1983 New Zealand movie directed by Geoff Murphy. It starred Anzac Wallace. Utu was reputed to have one of the largest budgets for a New Zealand film at the time...
, (1983), about the land wars of the 1860s, and The Quiet Earth
The Quiet Earth (film)
The Quiet Earth is a 1985 New Zealand science fiction post-apocalyptic film directed by Geoff Murphy and starring Bruno Lawrence, Alison Routledge and Pete Smith as three survivors of a cataclysmic disaster. It is loosely based on the 1981 science fiction novel of the same name by Craig Harrison...
(1985) a science fiction film. Both films featured Bruno Lawrence
Bruno Lawrence
Bruno Lawrence was a New Zealand musician and actor.Initially notable as founder of 1970s musical and theatrical "Blerta", he had well-regarded roles in several major films, and starred on the 1990s Australian satirical TV series Frontline.-Biography:Born David Charles Lawrence in Worthing, West...
, who became a movie star in the country.
Melanie Rodriga
Melanie Rodriga
Melanie Rodriga is a Perth-based New Zealand-Australian film maker, lecturer and self-identified radical lesbian feminist.- Early life :...
was the first woman to write and direct a feature film (as Melanie Read) with the thriller ‘Trial Run
Trial Run
Trial Run is a 1969 TV series following a young lawyer, his adoring secretary, and his employer, a famed lawyer. This show was released January 18, 1969.-Cast:*James Franciscus as Louis Coleman*Janice Rule as Lucille Harkness...
’ (1984), although Yvonne MacKay had directed the Ian Mune
Ian Mune
Ian Barry Mune, OBE is a New Zealand character actor and director. He co-wrote and starred in Roger Donaldson's first film, Sleeping Dogs. He also directed Came a Hot Friday, which featured comedian Billy T. James as the Tainui Kid, and What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?, the sequel to Once Were...
-scripted ‘The Silent One’ (1984).
In 1987 Barry Barclay
Barry Barclay
Barry Barclay, MNZM was a New Zealand filmmaker and writer of Maori and Pākehā descent.-Background:...
's film Ngati
Ngati
Ngati is a 1987 New Zealand feature film directed by Barry Barclay, written by Tama Poata and produced by John O'Shea.-Production:Ngati is of historical and cultural significance in New Zealand as it is the first feature film written and directed by Māori. Producer John O'Shea, an icon in New...
, screenplay by Tama Poata
Tama Poata
Tama Te Kapua Poata was a New Zealand writer, actor, humanitarian and activist. He was from the Māori tribe of Ngati Porou. He was also known as 'Tom,' the transliteration of 'Tama.'-Background:...
and starring veteran actor Wi Kuki Kaa
Wi Kuki Kaa
Wi Kuki Kaa was an acclaimed New Zealand actor in film, theatre and television. He was from the Maori tribes of Ngati Porou and Ngati Kahungunu.-Biography:...
, was released to critical acclaim and some box-office success. 'Ngati' is recognised as the first feature film to be written and directed by a member of a minority indigenous population (in this case Maori).
Merata Mita
Merata Mita
Merata Mita, CNZM was a significant filmmaker in New Zealand as well as a key figure in the growth of the Māori screen industry. Mita was from the Māori tribes of Ngāti Pikiao and Ngāi Te Rangi.-Background:...
was the first Maori woman to write and direct a dramatic feature film, Mauri (1988). An accomplished documentary film-maker, Mita made landmark documentaries including Patu! (1983) about the controversial and violent anti-apartheid protests during the 1981 Springboks rugby tour from South Africa, and Bastion Point: Day 507 (1980) during the eviction of Ngāti Whātua
Ngati Whatua
Ngāti Whātua is a Māori iwi of New Zealand. It consists of four hapu : Te Uri-o-Hau, Te Roroa, Te Taoū, and Ngāti Whātua-o-Ōrākei....
Maori tribe from their traditional land Bastion Point
Bastion Point
Bastion Point is a coastal piece of land in Orakei, Auckland, New Zealand, overlooking the Waitemata Harbour. The area has significance in New Zealand history for its role in 1970s Māori protests against forced land alienation by non Māori New Zealanders.-History:The land was occupied by Ngāti...
, known as 'Takaparawhau' in Maori.
The Coming of Age of The New Zealand Short Film
During the late 1980s a trend developed that saw the reinvention of the New Zealand short film form. Alison MacleanAlison Maclean
Alison Maclean is a Canadian film director of music videos, short films, television , commercials and feature films...
's landmark short Kitchen Sink came to typify the trend. Instead of trying to be short features focused on dialogue and character, the new shorts tried instead to push the envelope in terms of visual design and cinematic language. The result saw an explosion of visually rich and compelling works that seemed to aspire more to the best of European cinema than the mainstay of Hollywood fare.
Key examples of these are:
The Lounge Bar (Don McGlashan
Don McGlashan
Don McGlashan is a New Zealand musician and songwriter who has been a member of bands such as The Plague, From Scratch, The Whizz Kids, Blam Blam Blam, The Front Lawn, The Mutton Birds and, from 2009, The Bellbirds. He composed several pieces for the Limbs Dance Company...
, Harry Sinclair
Harry Sinclair
Harry Sinclair is a film director, writer, and actor. In his early career he was an actor and member of The Front Lawn, a musical theater duo. He went on to write and direct several short films, a TV series and three feature films.-Background:...
as The Front Lawn
The Front Lawn
The Front Lawn was a New Zealand musical/theatrical duo formed by Don McGlashan and Harry Sinclair. From 1989-90, they were joined by Jennifer Ward-Lealand. Their song Andy appeared at number 82 in the Top 100 New Zealand Songs...
, 1989), 12 Min, 35 mm, colour;
Kitchen Sink (Alison Maclean
Alison Maclean
Alison Maclean is a Canadian film director of music videos, short films, television , commercials and feature films...
, 1989), 14 minutes, 35 mm, b/w;