While New Zealand’s cinema industry didn’t really break out until the 1980s, it has had quite a lot of success worldwide with many notable directors and actors emerging. Many New Zealand films have gone on to be featured at international film festivals and both been nominated and won many awards, such as The Piano (1993), which won three Oscars. These films are quite diverse and deserve to be among the popular films of Hollywood, with directors Jane Campion and more recently Taika Waititi bringing a fresh perspective to the global film industry. That being said, New Zealand films also showcase the country’s beautiful landscape and rich history of the Maori people.
Check out CulturalPulse’s shortlist of the best New Zealand films over the past 70 years below.
