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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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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TV Show
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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TV Show
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 )
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Ten women in Canada talk about being lesbian in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s: discovering the pulp fiction of the day about women in love, their own first affairs, the pain of breaking up, frequenting gay bars, facing police raids, men's responses, and the etiquette of butch and femme roles. Interspersed among the interviews and archival footage are four dramatized chapters from a pulp novel, "Forbidden Love".
Forbidden Love: The Unashamed Stories of Lesbian Lives (1992 )
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Journey back in time to a different age, when the sun never set on the British Empire and her armies were great in number. The Boer War: 1899-1902 was a turning point in British military history and would revolutionize tactics, battlefield strategy, equipment, and training. Well known participants in the Boar Wars include: Harry "Breaker" Morant, Winston Churchill and Mahatma Gandhi.
The Boer War: 1899-1902 (1992 )
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Reyes de España (1991 )
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NASA Apollo astronaut Neil Armstrong adds to his long list of space flight & aviation accomplishments as he takes the controls of a variety of flying machines. Each episode blends historic footage, interviews, and flying. Armstrong takes you on an exhilarating adventure through time.
First Flights with Neil Armstrong (1991 )
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Discover the inside story of the most influential English rock band of the '60s. Inspired by a mix of genres including rhythm and blues, folk and country, their music created a British Invasion around the world. Their third single "You Really Got Me" became an international hit and went straight to the top of the charts in the UK. With seventeen top 20 singles and five top ten albums in the UK, the Kinks had an incredibly successful career spanning over 30 years. Featuring interviews with key members of the group, this is their story.
The Story of the Kinks (1985 )
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This series features interesting crimes stories where forensic science played critical role in solving.
Exhibit A: Secrets of Forensic Science
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A look at how Irish gangsters changed the face of organized crime in the US.
The Irish Mob
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License to Gril is a show hosted by Rob Rainford and can be seen on Food Network Canada, Asian Food Channel and downloaded at MoboVivo. The show is produced by Knight Enterprises. The show was formerly carried in the United States on the Discovery Networks channel Discovery Home, but was dropped from the schedule when the channel was flipped to the ecology-themed Planet Green. The episode "Bike Ride BBQ" was the last one to air in the USA. License to Grill is a series that explores the enjoyment of backyard cooking, entertaining, and the barbecue. Each episode takes place over a day or two, but mainly on Saturdays. The host and chef Rob Rainford prepares a meal for the evening when guests will arrive. The central theme is barbecue and with that, Rainford shows us tips and tricks for cooking on a barbecue. The recipes range from the typical barbecue fare, such as hamburgers, steaks, kebabs, to more ambitious meals such as leg of lamb, hot smoking sides of fish, grilled desserts. Rainford has a philosophy when it comes to the barbecue: "It's pretty simple. Just start with the freshest ingredients you can find and then you've got two choices: long slow cooking over low indirect heat, or red hot and smokin' for fast grilling. If you cook low and slow then you can use all sorts of rubs and smoking agents to infuse the food with a depth of flavour you just can’t get out of an oven. As for high heat grilling, your barbecue puts out way more heat than your stovetop so you can get that wonderful charring and searing, just like in a restaurant."
Licence to Grill
TV Show
Follow renowned explorer and presenter Jesús Calleja in his most ambitious adventure to date: becoming the first Spanish civilian to travel to space.
Calleja en el espacio (2025 )
Movie
This documentary offers a deeply intimate look at extraordinary teenager Billie Eilish. Award-winning filmmaker R.J. Cutler follows her journey on the road, onstage, and at home with her family as the writing and recording of her debut album changes her life.
Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry (2021 )
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After years in the limelight, Selena Gomez achieves unimaginable stardom. But just as she reaches a new peak, an unexpected turn pulls her into darkness. This uniquely raw and intimate documentary spans her six-year journey into a new light.
Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me (2022 )
