Browse documentary movie and series in New Zealand
Dive into the world of documentary movie and series in New Zealand. From timeless classics to trending hits, explore an exciting collection of titles that define the documentary genre.
Explore critically acclaimed blockbusters, hidden gems, and trending new releases that showcase the diversity and creativity of documentary storytelling. Use our filters to find top-rated titles, recent hits, or beloved classics tailored to your taste.
With Popcorn Time, uncover your next favorite movie or TV show and enjoy the best of documentary entertainment. Start browsing now and bring documentary into your watchlist today!
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"The VAN HALEN Story: The Early Years", chronicles the rise of four young musicians from their formative years to their transformation into a worldwide phenomenon. Hear the group's gripping tale told by the people who were there when it all began childhood friends, fellow musicians, roadies, bodyguards, producers, and the band themselves. Rare footage and never-before-seen photos help to further document their remarkable story.
Van Halen: The Van Halen Story (2003 )
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The first effort to send human beings to the Moon coincides during Christmastime on Earth.
Apollo 8: Christmas at the Moon (2002 )
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The remarkable story of The Weather Underground, radical activists of the 1970s, and of radical politics at its best and most disastrous.
The Weather Underground (2002 )
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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.
In a Land of Plenty (2002 )
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The record label Death Row Records has, since its creation in 1993, been synonymous with the American hip-hop climate. Formed by ex-bodyguard Suge Knight, the label has released seminal rap albums from luminaries including Dr. Dre, Snoop Doggy Dogg, and the famous hip-hop martyr Tupac Shakur. WELCOME TO DEATH ROW is a fascinating, well-researched documentary which explores the history of this intriguing and incredibly significant company.
Welcome to Death Row (2001 )
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Vintage newsreels and interviews help re-create the magic of "The Summit," a memorable period in 1960 in which Frank Sinatra and his Rat Pack took over Las Vegas' Sands Hotel during filming of the original Ocean's 11. Highlights include clips from the Rat Pack's nightly performances in the hotel's legendary Copa Room, where they entertained everyone from mafiosos to soon-to-be-president John F. Kennedy.
The Ocean's 11 Story (2001 )
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Come fly with us in OVER ALASKA as we take off on a breathtaking tour of our 49th state. Soar over Mt. McKinley and through the craggy crevasses of electric blue glaciers. Follow the Iditarod and kayakers as they navigate past icebergs. Then touch down to Earth and get as close to bears, whales and wildlife as humanly possible.
Over Alaska (2001 )
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The Hawker Hurricane was the first fighter monoplane to join the Royal Air Force and the first combat aircraft adopted by that arm capable of exceeding 300 mph in level flight. The Hurricane shouldered the lion s share of Britain s defence during the Battle of Britain. This program portrays the history of this legendary aircraft which was to form an immortal partnership during the infamous battle.
The Hawker Hurricane (2001 )
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Members and crew members of the band Pink Floyd tell the story of their band up to their historic performance of The Wall at Earls Court.
Pink Floyd: Behind the Wall (2000 )
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A cinematic portrait of the homeless population who live permanently in the underground tunnels of New York City.
Dark Days (2000 )
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A Six Hour Series for The Discovery Channel that follows 80 candidates of Class 234 and their efforts to become US NAVY SEALS. You WILL feel the pain after watching the physical and mental challenges these candidates are faced with.
Navy SEALS - BUDS Class 234 (2000 )
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Hosted by Christopher Lee, this documentary examines the different actors who have portrayed Dracula over the years.
The Many Faces of Dracula (2000 )
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In this fascinating Oscar-nominated documentary, American guitarist Ry Cooder brings together a group of legendary Cuban folk musicians (some in their 90s) to record a Grammy-winning CD in their native city of Havana. The result is a spectacular compilation of concert footage from the group's gigs in Amsterdam and New York City's famed Carnegie Hall, with director Wim Wenders capturing not only the music -- but also the musicians' life stories.
Buena Vista Social Club (1999 )
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British television series which features unusual and often elaborate architectural homebuilding projects.
Grand Designs (1999 )
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Hosted by Suzanne Whang, the show takes viewers behind the scenes as individuals, couples and families learn what to look for and decide whether or not a home is meant for them. Focusing on the emotional experience of finding and purchasing a new home, each episode follows a prospective buyer and real estate agent through the home-buying process, from start to finish.
House Hunters (1999 )
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Tenor saxophone master Sonny Rollins has long been hailed as one of the most important artists in jazz history, and still, today, he is viewed as the greatest living jazz improviser. In 1986, filmmaker Robert Mugge produced Saxophone Colossus, a feature-length portrait of Rollins, named after one of his most celebrated albums.
Saxophone Colossus (1998 )
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In one of the most tragic face-offs in the history of law enforcement, the deadly debacle at Waco pitted the Branch Davidian sect against the FBI in an all-out war. This documentary makes the most of footage and recordings to examine how the events that led to the tragedy of April 19, 1993, unfolded, and how the FBI's unrelenting approach made what was already a bad situation much worse.
Waco: The Rules of Engagement (1997 )
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The story of the post World War II Jewish refugee situation from liberation to the establishment of the modern state of Israel.
The Long Way Home (1997 )
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Documentary about the lifelong project of Troy Hurtubise, a man who has been obsessed with researching the Canadian grizzly bear up close, ever since surviving an early encounter with such a bear. The film documents Hurtubise's diligent work to improve his homemade "grizzly-proof" suit of armour, his efforts to test its resilience, and his forays into the Rockies to track down the grizzlies he dreams of meeting. The film manages to capture the humor of the project as well as its sincerity.
Project Grizzly (1997 )
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Animal X is an Australian made documentary television series that aired in more than 120 countries. It began in 1997 with its first series of thirteen half-hour episodes. In 2002, Discovery Channel in the U.S. co-produced the 2nd series of 13 half-hour episodes with the creators of the series, Australia's Storyteller Productions, for Animal Planet. At this point Animal X episodes generally had 3 stories, with one exception: "The Skookum Cast". This was a joint expedition between Animal X and the BFRO which discovered the Skookum Cast, said to be an imprint of the body of a bigfoot.
Animal X (1997 )
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Women talk about the circumstances that drove them to seek illegal abortions and the often traumatic result. Interwoven with historical photographs and newsreel footage, the stories expose how the reality of women's lives were counterposed to what was socially and morally expected of them.
Backroom Troubles (1997 )
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This documentary examines the Seattle scene as it became the focus of a merging of punk rock, heavy metal, and innovation. Building from the grass roots, self-promoted and self-recorded until break-out success of bands like Nirvana brought the record industry to the Pacific Northwest, a phenomenon was born.
Hype! (1996 )
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We Remember Marilyn. Marilyn Monroe transforms from Norma Jean, a cuddly teenager, into the most recognizable face and body in the world in these home movies, photos and film clips which span her early bit parts to her most known roles.
We Remember Marilyn (1996 )
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Real crimes, disease outbreaks and accidents around the world are solved by experts using scientific laboratory analysis which helps them find previously undetectable evidence. Brilliant scientific work helps convict the guilty and free the innocent.
Forensic Files (1996 )
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A fascinating inside look behind the scenes of the tight-knit world of the New York diamond business.
Dealers Among Dealers (1995 )
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A rare gem of cinematic storytelling that weaves docudrama, fictional reenactment, and experimental photography into a powerful, reflective work on the early days of German cinema. The film tells the story of the Skladanowsky Brothers, the German-born duo responsible for inventing the "bioskop", an early version of the film projector.
A Trick of the Light (1995 )
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On May 17th. 1943 the Royal Air Force carried out one of the most remarkable bombing raids ever undertaken by a handful of skilled aircrew prepared to risk their lives attacking a seemingly impossible target.
The Dambusters Raid (1994 )
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Rudy Ray Moore tells all as only he can in this all-new retrospective legendary career. From his humble beginnings to his crowning as "King of the Party Records," Rudy Ray guides us through his struggles and triumphs in the film and music industries.
The Legend of Dolemite! Bigger & Badder (1994 )
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Australia was rocked on February 13, 1978, when a bomb placed in a garbage bin outside the Hilton Hotel exploded in a garbage truck killing three people. Many years later, Australia's most significant political crime remains unsolved.
Conspiracy: An Investigation of Sydney’s 1978 Hotel Bombing (1994 )
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This series takes you to the heart of a war that was fought far from the bombs of any battlefront. A game of chess and war amongst code breakers to learn the battle plans of enemy commanders in the field. Revealed here are the remarkable exploits of American and British code breakers and their immense contribution to victory in Europe and the Pacific during WWII.
Decrypting the Codes (1993 )
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In July 1990, a dispute over a proposed golf course to be built on Kanien’kéhaka (Mohawk) lands in Oka, Quebec, sets the stage for a historic confrontation that would grab international headlines and sear itself into the Canadian consciousness.
Kanehsatake, 270 Years of Resistance (1993 )
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To Serve and Protect is a Canadian documentary television series. It is somewhat similar to the American series COPS. The show documents the day-to-day events of police officers in Canadian cities such as Edmonton, Winnipeg, Vancouver as well as several other Royal Canadian Mounted Police detachments in British Columbia. In addition there are some episodes featuring trips to Las Vegas, Hong Kong, and Memphis, Tennessee. The program began in 1993 on KVOS, an American station that primarily targets the Vancouver market.
To Serve and Protect (1993 )