Your search for documentary returned 161 results

These short New Zealand documentaries selected by the Moving Image Centre observe artists and artisans at work. We meet master craftsmen, musicians, contemporary painters, writers and sculptors and follow these passionate people through the process of creation.

This selection of four short films, two each by artist/filmmakers Ben Rivers and Ben Russell, takes us on a mind-expanding trip across the globe, melding documentary footage into something altogether more fantastic.

A spicy mix of funny and imaginative stories that span animation, documentary and experimental genres. Short films by up-and-coming New Zealand filmmakers, selected from an overwhelming number of entries nationwide by a panel of industry experts.

Classic 70s TV documentaries made in the Hokianga by Barry Barclay explore the legend of ‘Opo the friendly dolphin’ and an old woman’s memories of pioneering life and the niceties of civilised life.

NZ documentary classics. Tūrangawaewae focuses on the establishment of a new urban marae in Porirua. The Carving Cries explores the importance of passing on shared memories, knowledge and history to the next generation.

In the world of magic, nothing is what it seems as a terminally ill magician prepares for his swansong – and the ultimate trick on the maker of this bizarre documentary.

Love, whether it is romantic, catastrophic or familial, is fertile ground for storytelling, as these emerging local short filmmakers have all discovered.

A musical documentary about the celebration of life and death. Screening with Hotel Salvation.

Selected from over 150 submissions, this year's video programme offers an exciting blend of action, animation and comedy with a distinctly offbeat sensibility.

A selection of new dance films, both performance and documentary, from New Zealand filmmakers; including a documentary portrait of the life of Shona Dunlop McTavish who brought modern dance to Dunedin.

This selection of local short films exploring a broad variety of dance styles features a charming samba documentary made in Brazil, a dreamlike ballet film and a spectacular hip-hop dance drama.

This provocative documentary investigates the charges against two young activists arrested while protesting the 2008 GOP Convention. “Both a compelling news documentary and a stunning character study.” — Austin Chronicle

Fascinating, elegant documentary portrait of American composer Elliott Carter whose career straddles the better part of the last century.

The legacy of Robert Flaherty (Nanook of the North, Moana) is examined through the eyes of the people whose parents and grandparents he put on the cinema screens of the world. A fascinating film about documentary ethics.

Spectacular documentary traces the creatures and seasons of the Arctic, reminding of nature’s magnificence and providing powerful anti global-warming message: Enjoy the show while it lasts.

Join our panel of esteemed filmmakers as they discuss their individual approach to creating feature length documentaries.

Vivid and strikingly objective, Zhou Bing’s in-the-field documentary covering both sides of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy Umbrella Movement examines the personal and political identities at odds in this ongoing conflict.

This urgent documentary takes an intimate look at young political activists in Hong Kong as they take a determined stand against a global superpower to fight for freedom, democracy and a better future.

The inspiring story of one teacher making a difference in the lives of migrant children in rural Germany, Maria Speth’s absorbing documentary took the Silver Bear at Berlin 2021.

Discover the wild story of pioneering English photographer and great-uncle of cinema Eadweard Muybridge in this fascinating documentary that sifts legend from truth.

The saga of The Band, whose iconic farewell concert was immortalised in The Last Waltz, continues to captivate in this new documentary shaped from the perspective of guitarist-songwriter Robbie Robertson, only one of two surviving members.

The life of British post-war photographer Maurice Broomfield is examined by his son, documentary veteran Nick Broomfield, whose own confrontational style lies at odds with his father’s steadfast pacifism.

People from all sides of the cultural battlefield confront smartphone footage of the French gilets jaunes protests and the police crackdown they inspired in this intelligent and innovative documentary.

Top prize winner at the Amsterdam Doc Festival, this exquisite Korean film follows the daily routine of a deaf-blind man and his tiny wife. “Cinematic love stories don’t come more convincing or singular than this.” — Village Voice

This marvellously cinematic doco observes the inter-generational struggles of one Indonesian family. Best Doc, Sundance 2010. “Crucial viewing, this masterpiece is nothing short of breathtaking.” — Hot Docs

This groundbreaking documentary on musician, artist and superstar producer Brian Eno changes every time it screens. The two New Zealand premiere screenings at the Festival will both be completely different and will never be seen again.

Tessa Mitchell seeks to fully understand her infamous grandfather, printmaker and publisher Bob Lowry. Using the unconventional medium of performance documentary, she uncovers the story of a troubled but truly revolutionary New Zealander.

This documentary chronicles a heart-stopping series of auditions for the 2006 Broadway revival of A Chorus Line. “A thrilling combination of documentary and musical dazzler.” — Rolling Stone

As widower father moves out of the family house, filmmaker son unpacks the secrets of his parents’ 55-year marriage. One of the year’s most involving and moving investigative documentaries.

A tribute to the late, great artist, musician and animator Rosto, whose singular animated films inspired many.

MIC Toi Rerehiko presents its selection of the best New Zealand short films of the last 12 months. Includes internationally honoured films by Sima Urale, Leo Woodhead and Roseanne Liang.

A vivid first-hand portrait of the New York music scene of the early 00s featuring era-defining groups like The Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and LCD Soundsystem.

Viewed as the underdog candidate, this lovingly crafted depiction of a white volunteer coach’s season with a football team in impoverished North Memphis was the surprise winner of this year’s Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.

NZ documentary classics. The Spirits and the Times Will Teach focuses on the reminiscences of two kuia, Ngākahikatea Wirihana and Herepo Rongo. Waikato explores the support of the Waikato people for the King movement.

This visually stunning Swedish eco-documentary visits 25 countries to offer irrefutable evidence of global warming in the wider context of catastrophic changes to the natural environment.

Remarkable, moving documentary following a choir of mostly AIDS orphans from the Agape Orphanage in South Africa on their determined quest to sing in London. Spirited and uplifting.

Gripping documentary account (produced by Jane Campion) of the outrageous conspiracy exposed in the aftermath of a 13-year-old Japanese girl’s abduction in 1977.

This beautifully observed account of life and work within a legendary dynasty of Japanese ceramicists is the latest documentary from Dutch filmmaker and former NZIFF guest Suzanne Raes.

Check out the year’s best New Zealand short films as chosen by this year’s guest selector, Lee Tamahori, from a shortlist drawn up by NZIFF programmers from a total of 81 entries.

Helming this compelling documentary following one of New Zealand's sporting superstars, Kiwi director Peter Brook Bell charts how Mark Hunt overcame a challenging childhood to rise to global success – despite his best efforts to throw it all away.

Playing outside the boundaries of drama and documentary, this adventurous self-portrait of a 20-something artist and dancer asks the question, “if you could star in the film of your life, how would you rewrite the script?”

Intrigued by cruise ships and the people who frequent them, Sophie Dros’ fascinating documentary focuses on an extravagant Scottish Baron whose love of luxury liners masks a very human need for affection and validation.

In this genuinely powerful and illuminating documentary, we step inside an outpatient mental health clinic run by a sympathetic elderly doctor to pull back “the invisible curtain” obscuring the world of Japan’s mentally ill.

Director Jamila Wignot captures the bold and innovative spirit of Alvin Ailey, the legendary American dancer and choreographer, in this deftly handled documentary.

Covertly shot over five years as a civil war escalates in western Myanmar, this delicately refined doco follows the lives of a hard-bitten Buddhist midwife and her ambitious young Rohingya Muslim apprentice.

Chronicling the struggle of Indigenous people in Brazil to protect their ancestral land, this collaborative documentary was made with the involvement of the Uru-eu-wau-wau community.

This inspirational Australian documentary invites us into the world of trauma cleaning as run by the larger-than-life personality of Sandra Pankhurst, whose response to the chaos of death and squalor is simple kindness.

A “making of” that soars over the wasteland of promotional puffery and DVD extras, this candid, funny picture of Russian documentary maven Viktor Kossakovsky at work on his feel-good epic ¡Vivan las Antipodas! packs enough revelation, provocation and debate to constitute a masterclass.

Winner of both Jury and Audience Awards for Best Documentary at Sundance, Blood Brother explores the idealism of a young American aid worker in an Indian orphanage. “Documentaries don’t come any bigger-hearted.” — Variety

A self-confessed loser in love tracks down his numerous exes for interviews in this comedic documentary of humiliation and haplessness.

This brash, attention-grabbing documentary recounts a life-long tale of violently obsessive passion that has made numerous headlines over the decades.

A group of elderly choristers performs a repertoire of hipster favourites in this amazingly satisfying British documentary. "A sobering, poetic ode to joy." — New Yorker

A university student in India writes letters to her estranged lover, affording audiences a glimpse into the drastic changes taking place around her.

NZ documentary classics. The Prophets concerns the Tūhoe of the Urewera country and the Ringatū religion. The Great Trees talks about leadership and education. Sir Āpirana Ngata is remembered.

The subjects of famous documentaries (The Staircase, Hoop Dreams, Capturing the Friedmans) talk about how the experience changed their lives—for better and worse.

A highly affecting documentary about Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya who was murdered in 2006 after her disturbing reports from Chechnya. “Apt to provoke moral outrage in anyone short of Vladimir Putin.” — Variety

Following the fortunes of several Chinese high school students through their final, high-stress year, this documentary offers compelling insight into the China of tomorrow.

Award-winning documentary about an eccentric elderly man who dreams of turning his castle into a monastery and the Russian Orthodox nun with ideas of her own about how it should be done.

Entertaining, humorous and original documentary by Gary Burns and Jim Brown exploring the legacy of suburbia, from the rise of the motorcar to the arrival of the "new urbanists".

Provocative documentary explores the legacy of Nazi death camp Mauthausen in Austria, which now functions as a major contributor to the local tourist economy.

How did one cheesy porn flick end up grossing $600 million, enrage the conservatives, enrapture the liberals, unite the feminists and finally bring down a President? This highly entertaining documentary has the answers.

In a marvellous mix of found footage, we’re invited to speculate about the lives and imaginations of passers-by in old documentary footage of street scenes from Vienna, Surabaya and Porto.

Enthralling doco gets up close to four-year-old New York painting genius Marla Olmstead and her family. Is Marla the actual artist or does she receive all sorts of "coaching" from her devoted dad?

Beautifully crafted, poetic documentary frames war-torn Iraq through three male clans: a Sunni master and apprentice, a young Shiite commander and his men, and a Kurd farmer and son.

The world’s most horrible, life-endangering jobs are the subject of Austrian Michael Glawogger’s superbly cinematic, confrontingly aestheticised documentary.

Geoff Burton’s graceful documentary examines the treatment of a student’s life-threatening brain disease shortly upon arriving in Australia, and the quiet stoicism of his wife, a devout young Bangladeshi woman.

Filmmaker Joshua Prendeville’s sterling documentary holds a delicate lens to the fascinating life and work of one of Aotearoa’s literary treasures, Dame Fiona Kidman.

Two short docos invite us into two very odd, very different personal domains. Zoe McIntosh found her King of Caravans at a motel caravan park in Whanganui. A Story for the Modlins uncovers a reclusive American family in Madrid.

The great Ai Weiwei, giant of contemporary Chinese, activist and human rights art, directs with breathtaking outrage this soul-searching documentary on the devastation of a Mexican community gutted by a mass abduction of students.

Nourishing and unexpectedly moving, director Marta Pulk’s documentary takes us to theatre-mad Estonia, where a young, inexperienced woman wins a job to watch and critique every theatre production in a calendar year.

Science in Dark Times follows the work of a remarkable woman, Dame Juliet Gerrard, Jacinda Ardern's Chief Science Advisor, through three years of dramatic crises, including the Whakaari White Island eruption and the unfolding of the Covid-19 pandemic.

This joy of a documentary, narrated by avant-garde artist Laurie Anderson, is a long overdue study of the remarkable women who pioneered the world of electronic music.

Science in Dark Times follows the work of a remarkable woman, Dame Juliet Gerrard, Jacinda Ardern's Chief Science Advisor, through three years of dramatic crises, including the Whakaari White Island eruption and the unfolding of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Grand Jury Prize winner for the Best US Documentary at Sundance last year, Eugene Jarecki’s The House I Live In is a cogent, condensed study of the ‘war on drugs’ and its insidious role in the socio-economic break down of America.

This thrilling documentary recounts Frenchman Philippe Petit's 1974 attempt to walk a tightrope between the twin towers of the World Trade Centre. " Exhilarating, ecstatic and toe-curlingly vertiginous... Unforgettable." — Peter Calder NZ Herald

This riveting documentary strips away the sensationalism that has accrued around the survivors of the 1972 Andean air crash to reinstate their experience as one of the great instances of heroic human endurance.

Fashioned as a tongue-in-cheek murder mystery, this disarmingly entertaining documentary looks at the optimistic rise and swift demise of the electric car in 1990s California.

The Official Festival Closer is a brilliant new documentary by David LaChapelle, which exuberantly demonstrates the rise of Krumping a startling new hip-hop dance subculture, which has grown beneath the mass-media’s radar.

Welcome to the world of 20-year-old Lily Hevesh – the world’s most successful domino artist. See thousands of dominos patiently set up and impressively toppled in this uplifting and inspiring coming of age documentary.

The work of community leaders seeking to curb gun violence on the streets of Chicago is captured with gritty complexity in this confronting documentary from Oscar-nominated filmmakers Bing Liu and Joshua Altman.

Lyrically combining archival interviews and the author’s own words, this absorbing documentary offers a rare opportunity to rediscover the taboo-breaking works and life of French writer Violette Leduc.

A smartly assembled documentary exposé about the terms of agreement that we all blithely click through when we join Facebook or Google or iTunes or a multitude of other websites. “Deeply unnerving stuff.” — Twitch

This Sundance-winning doco showing Oregon’s Death with Dignity legislation in action is a trenchant, impressively honest work of advocacy. “A hard but incredibly moving, even transformative watch.” — Boston Globe

Entertaining portrait of manically creative 80-year-old Japanese inventor who holds the record for individual patents – over 3,000 – and counts the floppy disk and an aphrodisiac called Love Jet amongst his inventions.

This gentle documentary follows a grandfatherly Argentinean who earns a living travelling from pueblo to pueblo making and showing action movies featuring the locals. “Extraordinary… a real charmer.” — Variety

Visceral documentary traces the radicalising effect of the US occupation on one Shi-ite family. “A revealing insight into the war in Iraq from the locals' point of view.” — Variety

Werner Herzog’s stirring, lyrical documentary about Graham Dorrington, an English engineer who explores the South American rainforest canopy from a silently floating airship.

Twenty-five years after the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior, this Dutch documentary recalls the events and examines activism past and present with six of the original crew members now living on Waiheke.

Alex Gibney's Academy Award winning documentary digs deep into the systematised abuse and outright murder of 'enemy combatants' held in American prisons.

First-time filmmakers Luke Rynderman and Adam Kamien present a stylistically unique and visually stunning feature that delves into the unsolved 1978 Speedway Burger Chef murders while shifting away from the traditional true crime documentary format.

A loving tribute to small-scale farming. “A keenly observed, beautifully filmed documentary about a Sussex farmer struggling to survive in a world of big supermarkets and oppressive health and safety regulations.” — Evening Standard

Meet the very brave and inspiring LGBT-rights activists in Uganda who are fighting a tide of homophobia driven by imported evangelism, political opportunism and tabloid sleaze. Winner of Berlin’s Teddy Award for Best Documentary.

This urgent, affecting, but never sentimental documentary takes us into Baghdad’s most dangerous neighbourhood, where one determined man has taken it upon himself to rescue several dozen orphans from the war-torn streets.

Much-awarded and widely loved documentary about a 15-year-old hyper-engaging small-town misfit. "A movie about adolescence unlike any other." — LA Times