Breathtaking sceneries, wild coastlines, THE HOBBIT, WHALE RIDER and friendly people. Seven feature films and two short film programmes offer insights into New Zealand that go beyond these images.
In the 1980s, low-budget productions like GOODBYE PORK PIE and young filmmakers insisting on the foundation of a national film industry succeeded in exactly that and put an end to an era when New Zealand was mostly used only as an excotic backdrop in films. ONCE WERE WARRIORS most radically broke with the idyllic world image of New Zealand in 1994 and became the most successful film at the box office at home. Meanwhile, Taika Waititi’s BOY took over that position, telling the story of a troubled childhood of a Maori boy as a comedy. Peter Jackson rewrites New Zealand Film history in his early work FORGOTTEN SILVER, current shorts show this day’s filmmaking and life in New Zealand and Alyx Duncan tells the universal love story of her parents in THE RED HOUSE.
Many New Zealand films have an absorbing way of storytelling and dry humour – and do feature amazing scenery, like Jane Campion’s THE PIANO and Tusi Tamasese’s THE ORATOR.
Film overview:
BOY
by Taika Waititi
New Zealand 2010 90 min. English-Maori original version with German subtitles
THE PIANO
by Jane Campion
New Zealand/Australia/France 1993 120 min. English-Maori original version with German subtitles
ONCE WERE WARRIORS
by Lee Tamahori
New Zealand 1994 90 min. original version with German subtitles
FORGOTTEN SILVER
by Costa Botes and Peter Jackson
New Zealand 1995 53 min. English original version
GOODBYE PORK PIE
by Geoff Murphy
New Zealand 1981 105 min. English original version
NEW ZEALAND SHORTS
Short film program
New Zealand 2009-2012 78 min.
PANEL: MADE IN NEW ZEALAND
THE ORATOR
by Tusi Tamasese
New Zealand/Samoa 2011 110 min. Samoan original version with German subtitles
THE RED HOUSE
by Alyx Duncan
New Zealand 2012 75 min. English original version
THIS IS NEW ZEALAND – SHORT CLICHÉS AND CLASSICS
Short film program
New Zealand 1949–1994 55 min.
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