10 Best Movies from New Zealand to Watch First

10 Essential Films from New Zealand

Ranked native cinema in New Zealand’s own creative voice.

1. 

   1. King Kong

   2005

   In 1933, a reckless filmmaker leads a crew to a mysterious island where they capture a colossal ape smitten with the expedition's leading lady, then bring the beast back to New York with tragic results. Peter Jackson's lavish, spectacular remake.

2. 

   2. The Lovely Bones

   2009

   Murdered at fourteen, a girl watches from an in-between afterlife as her shattered family grieves and her killer walks free, torn between her longing for revenge and her wish for them to move on. Peter Jackson's haunting, surreal drama.

3. 

   3. What We Do in the Shadows

   2014

   A documentary crew follows four centuries-old vampires sharing a flat in Wellington as they bicker over chores, navigate nightlife, and mentor a newly turned member. A gloriously deadpan mockumentary comedy.

4. 

   4. The World's Fastest Indian

   2005

   Based on a true story, an eccentric elderly New Zealander who has spent decades tinkering with his vintage Indian motorcycle travels to the Utah salt flats to chase a world land-speed record. A warm, crowd-pleasing drama starring Anthony Hopkins.

   Why & details

   Curator’s note: A New Zealand biographical drama about Invercargill motorcyclist Burt Munro.

5. 

   5. Hunt for the Wilderpeople

   2016

   A rebellious city foster kid and his gruff, reluctant foster uncle end up on the run together in the vast New Zealand bush, becoming the targets of a national manhunt as an unlikely bond forms. Taika Waititi's warm, hilarious adventure.

   Why & details

   Curator’s note: A New Zealand bush adventure-comedy by Taika Waititi centered on foster care, landscape, and local humor.

6. 

   6. Whale Rider

   2002

   A young Māori girl determined to become the leader her people need must overcome tradition — and her own grandfather's stubborn refusal to see a girl as chief — to fulfill her destiny. A stirring, beloved drama.

   Why & details

   Curator’s note: A Maori community story centered on leadership, ancestry, and coastal New Zealand life.

7. 

   7. Once Were Warriors

   1994

   In urban New Zealand, a proud Māori woman struggles to hold her family together against poverty and her volatile, violent husband, finding the strength to protect her children. A raw, powerful drama.

   Why & details

   Curator’s note: A defining New Zealand drama about Maori family life, urban poverty, violence, and survival.

8. 

   8. Guns Akimbo

   2019

   An ordinary video-game programmer wakes to find guns bolted to his hands and himself forced into a livestreamed, gladiatorial death match against a ferocious killer, all to save his kidnapped ex. A hyperkinetic, over-the-top action comedy.

9. 

   9. Black Sheep

   2006

   On a New Zealand farm, a genetic experiment goes horribly wrong and turns the sheep into bloodthirsty, man-eating monsters — the worst possible nightmare for a young man with a crippling phobia of sheep. A gleefully gory horror comedy.

10. 

    10. The Piano

    1993

    A mute Scottish woman sent with her young daughter and her beloved piano into an arranged marriage in colonial New Zealand finds herself drawn to a rugged settler who awakens her silenced passion. Jane Campion's ravishing, Oscar-winning drama.

    Why & details

    Curator’s note: A New Zealand-set Jane Campion landmark and one of the country's most internationally recognized films.