Pirates of the Airwaves

In 1966 a group of determined young men defied the New Zealand government and launched a pirate radio station aboard a ship in the Hauraki Gulf.

Someone Else's Country

Someone Else’s Country looks critically at the radical economic changes implemented by the 1984 Labour Government - where privatisation of state assets was part of a wider agenda that sought to remake New Zealand as a model free market state. The trickle-down ‘Rogernomics’ rhetoric warned of no gain without pain, and here the theory is counterpointed by the social effects (redundant workers, Post Office closures). Made by Alister Barry in 1996 when the effects were raw, the film draws extensively on archive footage and interviews with key “witnesses to history”.

In a Land of Plenty

The story of unemployment in New Zealand and In A Land of Plenty is an exploration of just that; it takes as its starting point the consensus from The Depression onwards that Godzone economic policy should focus on achieving full employment, and explores how this was radically shifted by the 1984 Labour government. Director Alister Barry's perspective is clear, as he trains a humanist lens on ‘Rogernomics' to argue for the policy's negative effects on society, as a new poverty-stricken underclass developed.

Lines

The documentary follows a crew of snowboarders for six weeks in the Chugach mountains, and showcases what it takes to ride these unique Alaskan mountains: the waiting, the stress, the dangers, everything that goes into it and is usually never shown. It also retraces some of the history of this unknown discipline and pays tribute to the pioneers. But the film really focuses on the human aspect and why these people do what they do.

Isenseven: Undermovie

Niue: This Is Your Land

A third generation NZ born Niuean Female surfer, visits her Island of heritage for the first time only to discover there is no surf on Niue. But Mella's visit opens her eyes to the island's other beautiful qualities, the magical water, warm people, and clean unpolluted land. However she also discovers the low population has left the countries future hanging by a thread. This documentary is a record of Mella's journey to regaining her identity and first steps at becoming part of the solution in Niue's restoration of itself.

High Fly Summits

In 2004, the French Soulflyer team of Loic Jean-Albert, Val Montant and Pierre Desmet aimed to fly over many of the planet's emblematic summits. The rides in this film combine snow, mountains and high altitude with BASE jumping, wing suits, skydiving, and skiing – on Mont Blanc on the French-Italian border, and on Mount Fuji in Japan.

The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey

Cumberland, 1348. The plague is spreading in medieval England. The remote village of little Griffin is also threatened. But the 9-year-old boy has a recurring dream that holds the key to a tiny hope of survival: a lake with a coffin floating on it. A white church with an iron cross. A falling glove. A falling silhouette. A torch tumble through a dark shaft into infinity. With his brother he recognizes in it a prophecy to escape the Black Death. So they embark with a few men on a journey to a distant cathedral, where they want to set up an iron cross as an offering to God. Her path leads them through a deep and dark mine shaft into an unknown land and completely outlandish time - into the present-day New Zealand of the 1980s.

TRAVIS RICE || RESETTER

Travis Rice typically makes an annual pilgrimage to the mountains of Alaska. There, he finds and rides ridiculous lines and creates films that terrify and/or inspire the rest of us. Last year, COVID broke that tradition. However, fortunately for Travis, there’s plenty of backcountry right in his backyard in Jackson Hole. All of the sudden, he saw an opportunity to reset and reconnect with his old stomping grounds. Epic snow. Incredible terrain. Fresh air and beautiful solitude. Sometimes, Alaska comes to you.

Bad Taste

A team from the intergalactic fast food chain Crumb's Crunchy Delights descends on Earth, planning to make human flesh the newest taste sensation. After they wipe out the New Zealand town Kaihoro, the country’s Astro-Investigation and Defense Service (AIaDS) is called in to deal with the problem. Things are complicated due to Giles, an aid worker who comes to Kaihoro the same day to collect change from the residents. He is captured by the aliens, and AIaDS stages a rescue mission that quickly becomes an all-out assault on the aliens’ headquarters.

The Eternal Beauty Of Snowboarding

For three years, Jérôme Tanon attached a $250 Sony video camera to his main SLR using a pole and some gaffer tape. As he followed some of the world’s best riders around the world, this little camcorder was continuously rolling, filling up card after card with every journey, every takeoff, every landing, every slam, every kicker-build, every angry outburst, every shared joke, every bit of goofballing, every nature poo, every game of UNO (and there were many games of UNO), every booze-filled night; the list goes on. Tanon condenses this formidable mountain of candid footage into a warts-and-all exposé of professional snowboarding that is in turns brutal, cynical and hilarious. But above all, it is honest.

Ka Whawhai Tonu

Two young teenagers are forced to take control of their own destiny amid the chaos of a pivotal battle in New Zealand’s first land wars in 1864.

Pork Pie

A trio of accidental outlaws travel the length of New Zealand, protesting conformity and chasing lost love, with a posse of cops and a media frenzy in pursuit.

The Short Trilogy of Peace

"The Short Trilogy of Peace" is a collection of three short poetic documentaries made in New Zealand and Slovenia between 2012 and 2016.

River Deep, Mountain High: James Nesbitt in New Zealand

James Nesbitt moved to New Zealand in 2011 when he landed the role of Bofur in Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy, but he says the country remains largely unknown to him. Travelling more than 1,000 miles from the tip of the North Island down to the South, the actor finds out more about the place he has called home, visiting areas of natural beauty and learning about the nation's history and traditions. Along the way, he meets former All Blacks player the late great Jonah Lomu, takes a trip around film star Sam Neill's vineyards in Queenstown, catches up with Peter Jackson and goes Base-jumping from the tallest building in Auckland.

Draw

Catch the Vapors

Standard Films spanned the globe this past winter documenting the best snowboarding in the greatest mountain ranges to catch the vapors. Witness pro snowboarders descend huge mountain peaks, drop endless pillows lines, boost off huge backcountry kickers, hit unique urban features and destroy custom resort parks. Catch the Vapors is the progression of All Terrain, Freestyle, All Mountain and Backcountry Snowboarding!

More

Once again Absinthe Films raises the bar to bring you 'More'. This title marks the beginning of a new era for Absinthe Films as they have broadened their scope to include and properly represent urban riding while still keeping the overall blend fresh and un-repetitive.

Feuer und Eis

Their first meeting is a disaster: he falls off the ski lift, and when she jumps to rescue him he leads her on a Key Stone Cops chase down the mountain. For JOHN EAVES, six-time winner of the Freestyle World Cup and stunt man for James Bond, it's love at first sight. For World Champion Freestyle skier SUZY CHAFFEE, it's a see-ya-later-buddy. But John doesn't give up easily. He decides that if the only way to win her means following her across country, then that's what he'll do. Starting in Manhattan he trudges 3,000 miles, through urban jungle and flatland desert, all the time fantasizing about what they'll do when they're together. Spectacular filming of incredible ski stunts and snow dancing blend with a power-punching soundtrack to make FIRE AND ICE a movie packed with action and adventure. If you don't ski, you will!

Look on the Bright Side

Voleurz’ Look on the Bright Side is arguably the feel good action-sports movie of the year. With their usual blend of happy go lucky snowboarding, skiing and an extensive and technical skateboarding segment, Voleurz’ once again has conquered their quest to do their part in helping break down barriers between action sports with their most unique and entertaining film yet. Highlights include action-packed segments from snowboarders Barry Hartman, Braden Dean, Justin VDP and Shayne Zwickel; a trip to Sweden with Canada’s top freeskiers TJ Schiller, Ian Cosco, and Justin Dorey; skateboard segments from Vancouvers rising talent Tyler Holm and Corey Klim; and a mid-summer heli shoot at the Camp of Champions on the Blackcomb glacier.