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.
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Movie
A Giraffe mother tells the story of three young gazelle fawns who have to experience great adventures on the plains of Africa.
African Bambi (2007 )
Movie
Follow Aisholpan, a 13-year-old girl, as she trains to become the first female in twelve generations of her Kazakh family to become an eagle hunter, and rise to the pinnacle of a tradition that has been typically been handed down from father to son for centuries.
The Eagle Huntress (2016 )
Movie
LOOK AT US NOW, MOTHER! is about the transformation of a highly charged mother/daughter relationship from Mommie Dearest to Dear Mom, from hatred to love, as told through the filmmaker's story. The film is an unflinching look at the complex bond between mother and daughter. It reveals insights into family behaviors, patterns and generational, societal, cultural and individual histories. The film takes the audience on a journey spanning decades and continents, filled with conflict and emotional land mines. Told through biting humor and raw honesty, this is an intimate story about family dysfunctions and forgiveness.
Look at Us Now, Mother! (2016 )
- Free
Movie
To historians, physicist Lise Meitner deserves to be placed on a par with Einstein, Heisenberg and Otto Hahn. In the 1930s on the verge of World War II, she led a small group of scientists who discovered that splitting the atomic nucleus of uranium releases enormous energy. This extraordinary film tells the story of a woman who was far ahead of her time as a scientist and a pioneer of feminism.
Lise Meitner: The Mother of the Atom Bomb (2013 )
Movie
This documentary walks the line between fact and fiction, delving into corruption in the Mexican police through the experiences of two officers.
A Cop Movie (2021 )
Movie
GOOD FORTUNE is the rags to riches tale of conscious capitalism pioneer John Paul DeJoria. Born with nothing, at times homeless on the streets of LA, “JP” spent his early adulthood in and out of motorcycle gangs only to wheel and deal his way to the top of a vast hair and tequila empire. A modern day Robin Hood, JP’s motto is “Success unshared is failure.” The son of immigrants, JP defies the stereotype of 'the 1%' and is the poster boy of the triple bottom line – people, planet and profit. A success story full of ups and downs, GOOD FORTUNE is the portrait of an extraordinary business man.
Good Fortune (2016 )
Movie
“You bet on someone in the beginning of the process and then you wait and see what life does with them.” This is how Czech director Helena Trestikova explains her long-term documentaries. Following on from the European Film Academy Award winning RENE (2008), Trestikova brings us KATKA – 14 years in the life of a drug addict. KATKA is an extraordinarily raw and uncensored character portrait of a troubled young woman living on the edge of human existence, desperately searching for love and salvation. Will she find it in the rehab? Will she find it in the arms of the man she loves? Or in the first cry of her long-desired baby? Tagging along with her through the back streets and squalors of Prague, Trestikova gets deep under the skin of a person most of us would cross the road to avoid, and shows us Katka’s profoundly human face. You might be angry with Katka, or your heart may go out to her. One thing is certain – you will never forget her.
Katka (2010 )
- Free
Movie
At three years old, a chatty, energetic little boy named Owen Suskind ceased to speak, disappearing into autism with apparently no way out. Almost four years passed and the only stimuli that engaged Owen were Disney films. Then one day, his father donned a puppet—Iago, the wisecracking parrot from Aladdin—and asked “what’s it like to be you?” And poof! Owen replied, with dialogue from the movie. Life, Animated tells the remarkable story of how Owen found in Disney animation a pathway to language and a framework for making sense of the world.
Life, Animated (2016 )
Movie
Offbeat documentarian Chris Smith provides a behind-the-scenes look at how Jim Carrey adopted the persona of idiosyncratic comedian Andy Kaufman on the set of Man on the Moon.
Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond (2017 )
Movie
Ethereal post-rock pioneers Sigur Rós play a string of impromptu gigs in their native Iceland after finishing a world tour in 2006. As they travel through the country, the band visits a wide variety of venues, from a large outdoor festival to a coffee shop.
Heima (2007 )
Movie
The trials and tribulations of those who breed exotic birds in the world of competitive poultry; three remarkably rich and diverse personalities who come together to compete in their shared passion to raise the perfect chicken. The film will follow the struggles and triumphs of these characters, along with a wide array of competitors-both human and chicken-from the Ohio National Poultry Show, considered the Westminster of Chickens, to the Dixie Classic in Tennessee.
Chicken People (2016 )
- Free
Movie
Danish soldiers are sent to Afghanistan in 2009 for 6 months, to help stabilize the country against the Taliban. They're stationed on Armadillo military base in Helman province. Unlike other war movies, this is the real deal – no actors.
Armadillo (2010 )
Movie
Twenty years after the modern world's most notorious child murder, the legacy of the crime and its impact are explored.
Casting JonBenet (2017 )
Movie
This historical drama takes us back to one of the great battles in naval history. It took place in 1805 during the great Napoleonic Wars and pitted the British Royal Navy against the combined fleets of Spain and France. In one of the most decisive engagements ever, the Royal Navy lost only one ship while sinking 22 French and Spanish warships. It put an end to Napoleon's plan to invade England.
Trafalgar: The Greatest Naval Battle in History (2007 )
- Free
Movie
Programming prodigy and information activist Aaron Swartz achieved groundbreaking work in social justice and political organizing. His passion for open access ensnared him in a legal nightmare that ended with the taking of his own life at the age of 26.
The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz (2014 )
Movie
"I Have Never Forgotten You" is a comprehensive look at the life and legacy of Simon Wiesenthal, the famed Nazi hunter and humanitarian. Narrated by Academy Award winning actress Nicole Kidman, it features interviews with longtime Wiesenthal associates, government leaders from around the world, friends and family members--many of whom have never discussed the legendary Nazi hunter and humanitarian on camera. Previously unseen archival film and photos also highlight the film. What was the driving force behind his work? What kept him going when for years the odds were against his efforts? What is his legacy today, more than 60 years after the end of World War Two?
I Have Never Forgotten You: The Life & Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal (2007 )
Movie
The senior year of a girls’ high school step team in inner-city Baltimore is documented, as they try to become the first in their families to attend college. The girls strive to make their dancing a success against the backdrop of social unrest in their troubled city.
Step (2017 )
Movie
At a time in the United States when the tech sector outpaces the overall growth of the employment market, CODE asks the important question: Where are all the women?
Code: Debugging the Gender Gap (2016 )
- Free
Movie
Capturing the story of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange with unprecedented access, director Laura Poitras finds herself caught between the motives and contradictions of Assange and his inner circle in a documentary portrait of power, betrayal, truth and sacrifice.
Risk (2017 )
- Free
TV Show
A paranormal investigation team hunt for ghosts in asylums, sanitariums and mental hospitals in this reality series.
Ghost Asylum (2014 )
- Free
Movie
These men are undergoing a crucial stage of self-discovery, but for better or worse - they will not go through it alone. A selection of 6 shorts about the complexities of gay and male sexuality. Includes: Along the Road [Längs vägen] (2011); Drives [Pulsiones] (2009); Frozen Princess [Princesa de hielo] (2017); Naked [Desnudos] (2013); Swimming Pool [Piscina] (2017); Visibles (2018).
Close to His Chest (2019 )
TV Show
A look at some of the world's largest machines.
Colossal Machines (2022 )
Movie
A woman’s Holocaust memoir takes the world by storm, but a fallout with her publisher-turned-detective reveals her story as an audacious deception created to hide a darker truth.
Misha and the Wolves (2021 )
TV Show
A delicious deep dive into Hanwoo explores the rich history and unique traditions of Korean beef, an unrivaled staple loved from head to tail.
Hanwoo Rhapsody (2021 )
Movie
A look at the state of the global environment including visionary and practical solutions for restoring the planet's ecosystems. Featuring ongoing dialogues of experts from all over the world, including former Soviet Prime Minister Mikhail Gorbachev, renowned scientist Stephen Hawking, former head of the CIA R. James Woolse
The 11th Hour (2007 )
TV Show
Supercar Superbuild showcases the passion, artistry and engineering behind some of the fastest and most lust-worthy supercars in the world. Behind each story lies a dedicated team of passionate automotive artists that overcome tremendous obstacles as they dream big and think outside of the box in order to create the ultimate automotive fantasies for car fans across the globe.
Supercar Superbuild (2014 )
- Free
TV Show
Follows Ben and Cristi as they build, design and renovate properties in Colorado.
Building Roots (2022 )
- Free
TV Show
At the world-famous Explorers Club, a gathering place for trailblazers, club member Josh Gates recounts the greatest adventures of all time.
Tales From The Explorers Club (2022 )
- Free
TV Show
Anaplastologist Allison Vest opens the doors to her practice and shares the cases of patients who have missing anatomy due to trauma, cancer or congenital conditions, but have been given a second chance through amazing, realistic prosthetics. Her prosthetics often go undetected thanks to the skillful combination of skin color correction, hair placement, and even delicately painted veins. However, for her patients, there is nothing discreet about the impact these parts have, from a woman who lost her hands after an extreme case of pneumonia to a boy missing both ears after a dog attack. Allison's workshop is a world of wonder, hope, healing and strength.
Body Parts (2022 )
- Free
TV Show
Mykel Hawke is a former Special Forces survival expert. His wife Ruth is a television journalist. Together, they take on some of the most forbidding and remote locations around the world. Dropped into each spot, they must survive as a team for four days and nights, with only a knife and the clothes on their backs. As they test their will and their marriage, the two find common ground standing up to nature as husband and wife in the wildest places on Earth.
Man, Woman, Wild (2010 )
- Free
Movie
Albert Fish, the horrific true story of elderly cannibal, sadomasochist, and serial killer, who lured children to their deaths in Depression-era New York City. Distorting biblical tales, Albert Fish takes the themes of pain, torture, atonement and suffering literally as he preys on victims to torture and sacrifice.
Albert Fish: In Sin He Found Salvation (2007 )
Movie
The true-life story of a Harlem's notorious Nicky Barnes, a junkie turned multimillionaire drug-lord. Follow his life story from his rough childhood to the last days of his life.
Mr. Untouchable (2007 )