Most Viewed From New Zealand National Film Unit

Three young people set off on a road trip from Wellington to find a seal colony.

The same night as a girl is slain in the woods, the teenagers Sam and Les are robbed of all of their hard earned hens. In the quest for their hens they cross the murderer's path.

Three Brits travel and settle down in New Zealand, and the film records their hopes, jobs, challenges, and adventures in the new country.

The short tells the story of a drunkard going through alcohol withdrawal, as personified by the Devil. Director Bob Stenhouse takes what could be a dark subject and makes it a funny madcap romp.

An award-winning short exploring man-made impacts on New Zealand’s water cycle.

A primer on proper phone manners produced for the New Zealand Post Office.

Discovered to be using illegal drugs by a local policeman, the members of the commune kill him and bury him in their garden. After this pivotal event, distinctions between reality and fantasy become increasingly blurred.

140 Days Under the World is a 1964 New Zealand short documentary film about Antarctica. It depicts one summer's work by New Zealand scientists in the Ross Dependency in the Antarctic and the exploration of some of the last unmapped regions. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.

A documentary about New Zealanders in Antarctica: researching International Geophysical Year, and supporting the Trans-Antarctic Expedition by laying supply depots for Vivian Fuchs’ overland crossing.

A visual essay on contemporary Kiwi architecture.

A documentary about the history of settler groups that came to New Zealand from Europe.

A short documentary tracking the transportation of New Zealand products into ports in the Philippines, China, Japan, and Hong Kong, with a focus on cultural differences and economic opportunities.

Examines the practical philosophy, the achievements and frustrations of one of New Zealand's most lively and innovative architects, Ian Athfield. The film provides a portrait of the architect and his work both in New Zealand and his project to design housing for 140,000 squatters from the Tondo area of Manila in the Philippines, for which Athfield won an international competition in 1975.

Set in post-war (1949) rural New Zealand, this film traces the efforts of two con men to run a betting scam in a small town (Tainuea) already rife with illegal gambling corruption, and eccentricity.

An entertaining look at life in Wellington, New Zealand in the 1960s, giving a colourful impression of Wellington city: hills, winding streets, busy people and strong winds.

On Christmas Eve, a nameless little girl reads 'The Monster's Christmas' storybook to her teddy bear, as something sneaks around in the trees outside her window. She hears a noise in the other room, and thinking that it's Father Christmas, she goes to investigate. She finds one of the monsters, who has come seeking help to defeat an evil witch that has stolen all the monsters' voices.

Directed by Sam Pillsbury, this 1974 film observes Ralph Hotere — one of New Zealand’s greatest artists — at a moment when excitement is gathering about his work. Lauded as a “classic” by Ian Wedde, the documentary is framed around the execution of a watershed piece: a large mural Hotere was commissioned to paint for Hamilton’s Founders Theatre. Interviews with friends and associates — poets Hone Tuwhare and Bill Manhire, art critics, officials and dealers — are intercut with fascinating shots of Hotere working (including making art by photocopying or 'xerography').

Road safety instructional film using child actors and amusing animals.

A short documentary about freestyle skiing made for the New Zealand Tourist and Publicity Department.

A documentary following the attempt by three young people to be the first windsurfers to cross Cook Strait.