Browse documentary movie in New Zealand
Dive into the world of documentary movie 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 film and enjoy the best of documentary entertainment. Start browsing now and bring documentary into your watchlist today!
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When tribal feuds ignite a firestorm of violence, three surgeons unite for peace. Francis grew up with little schooling during the Sudanese Civil War. Ajak is a Lost Boy who has returned to the tribe he fled as a child. Both men are proteges of Glenn, a grizzled, but brilliant American surgeon.
We Are the Ones (2015 )
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Over six years, BURIED ABOVE GROUND tells the stories of three Americans battling the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - an Iraq War veteran; a Hurricane Katrina evacuee; and a child abuse and domestic violence survivor.
Buried Above Ground (2015 )
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Documentary about specific phases of the battle for the Donetsk airport and about the hero-fighters of the Ukrainian Volunteer corps in Pisky. The film presents the war in extreme focus – adrenaline, humor, pain, anguish, and courage are tightly packed into 82 minutes of screen time. It shows scenes of the battle, evacuation of the wounded, the capture of the new airport terminal, and civilians, who live near the fighting’s epicenter. It features death and frontline humor, and a bit of philosophical discussions as well.
The Ukrainians: Battle for Donetsk Airport (2015 )
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A fallen professional wrestling superstar battles his past demons in a struggle to reclaim his life and the family that has given up on him.
The Resurrection of Jake The Snake (2015 )
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Two cricket journalists set off on a journey to the heart of the game they love, only to stumble upon one of the biggest sporting scandals ever. This is a film about passion, greed, power - and standing up for what you care about.
Death of a Gentleman (2015 )
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Taking bribes and making deals is as essential as being a good rider in the Palio, the world’s oldest horse race. Giovanni, a young jockey, is up to the challenge when he faces his former mentor on the track. What ensues is a thrilling battle with the intoxicating drama that is at the center of Italian tradition.
Palio (2015 )
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Peace Officer is a documentary about the increasingly militarized state of American police as told through the story of Dub Lawrence, a former sheriff who established his rural state's first SWAT team only to see that same unit kill his son-in-law in a controversial standoff 30 years later. Driven by an obsessed sense of mission, Dub uses his own investigation skills to uncover the truth in this and other recent officer-involved shootings in his community, while tackling larger questions about the changing face of peace officers nationwide.
Peace Officer (2015 )
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Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving November 2012, four boys in a red SUV pull into a gas station after spending time at the mall buying sneakers and talking to girls. With music blaring, one boy exits the car and enters the store, a quick stop for a soda and a pack of gum. A man and a woman pull up next to the boys in the station, making a stop for a bottle of wine. The woman enters the store and an argument breaks out when the driver of the second car asks the boys to turn the music down. 3½ minutes and ten bullets later, one of the boys is dead. 3½ MINUTES dissects the aftermath of this fatal encounter.
3 ½ Minutes, 10 Bullets (2015 )
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An insight into the origins and stories of Pacific Island rugby teams such as Tonga, Samoa and Fiji. This documentary explores the backgrounds of a wide variety of players, past and present.
Pacific Warriors (2015 )
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"Scrum might technically refer to restarting a play in order to gain control of the ball, but it’s really about a group of guys packing close together in one place—in this case, gay rugby’s 7th Annual Bingham Cup in Sydney, with 1,000 participants from 15 countries. The documentary zeroes in on three determined gay athletes vying for a spot on the elite Sydney Convicts team: Aki, the Japanese outsider who worked tirelessly for two years so he could travel to Sydney; Brennan, a hunky Canadian jock who was built for contact sports but rejected by his former, straight teammates after they discovered he was gay; and Pearse, the Irish backpacker bullied in school, tired of being continually put down." - Brian Bromberger
Scrum (2015 )
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Theory of Obscurity tells the story of the renegade sound and video collective known as The Residents…a story that spans 40 years and is clouded in mystery. Many details surrounding the group are secret, including the identities of its members. They always perform wearing masks and costumes, which is part of their magic. At its heart, this story is about perseverance and chasing your dream. The Residents never caved to convention. They never compromised. They’ve followed their muse for decades and thousands of fans have hung on for the ride. Along the way they’ve also inspired many people to be weird, take chances and find their own voice.
Theory of Obscurity: A Film About the Residents (2015 )
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A winning portrait of Italian-born Auckland concert pianist Flavio Villani as he returns like the prodigal son to Italy for his concert debut, scaling one of the summits of the Romantic repertoire.
Crossing Rachmaninoff (2015 )
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'Forced Perspective' is an intimate portrait of iconic Cleveland artist Derek Hess by filmmaker Nick Cavalier. The film is a journey through Derek's struggle with alcoholism and bipolar and how these demons effect the artwork, presenting a voyeur into Derek's personal life, revealing his process and philosophy. This film showcases the evolution of a celebrated artist, his effect on music and culture while highlighting the link between creativity and mental illness.
Forced Perspective (2015 )
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Janis Joplin's evolution into a star from letters that Joplin wrote over the years to her friends, family, and collaborators.
Janis: Little Girl Blue (2015 )
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In the Mexican state of Michoacán, Dr. Jose Mireles, a small-town physician known as "El Doctor," shepherds a citizen uprising against the Knights Templar, the violent drug cartel that has wreaked havoc on the region for years. Meanwhile, in Arizona's Altar Valley—a narrow, 52-mile-long desert corridor known as Cocaine Alley—Tim "Nailer" Foley, an American veteran, heads a small paramilitary group called Arizona Border Recon, whose goal is to halt Mexico’s drug wars from seeping across our border.
Cartel Land (2015 )
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In 1940 twenty Canadian Beavers were brought to 'Tierra del Fuego' island in southern Patagonia for commercial fur production. However, beavers having no natural predators, quickly spread throughout the island, causing massive destruction of trees threatening the entire Patagonian forests rivers and species. Why wildlife conservationist are convinced that 150.000 beavers must be killed? Why some of the most recognized specialist are convinced that an eradication is not possible? Meanwhile truism is capitalizing on the situation: a man dressed as a beaver passes out flyers promoting a famous sky resort: 'Cerro Castor' - Beaver Hill. Hunters claim for subsidies, scientists are researching, rangers do what they can and restaurants tray to offer beaver meat to tourist.
Beavers: Patagonia invaders (2015 )
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A documentary about the legendary series of nationally televised debates in 1968 between two great public intellectuals, the liberal Gore Vidal and the conservative William F. Buckley Jr. Intended as commentary on the issues of their day, these vitriolic and explosive encounters came to define the modern era of public discourse in the media, marking the big bang moment of our contemporary media landscape when spectacle trumped content and argument replaced substance. Best of Enemies delves into the entangled biographies of these two great thinkers, and luxuriates in the language and the theater of their debates, begging the question, "What has television done to the way we discuss politics in our democracy today?"
Best of Enemies (2015 )
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Film from Andrew Morgan. The True Cost is a documentary film exploring the impact of fashion on people and the planet.
The True Cost (2015 )
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This Internet is under attack. Communications, culture, free speech, innovation, and democracy are all up for grabs. Will the Internet be dominated by a few powerful interests? Or will citizens rise up to protect it?
Killswitch (2015 )
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300 Spartans-The Real Story. Putting aside the myths and legends, this documentary takes a detailed look at the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC Greece leading to the last stand of the 300 Spartans and Spartan King Leonidas. On the 3rd day of the battle, when Leonidas was being surrounded, he sent most of his troops away and covered their retreat with a last stand because Spartans never retreated.
300 Spartans: The Real Story (2015 )
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Dirty Gold War (2015 )
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Go out into the world, they say… see it for yourself! But in an age where any destination is in the palm of your hand- just a click away, what is left to truly explore? Level 1 examines the universal dialect of moving down snow on two feet through a lens of fresh perspective- documenting the outer niches of a sport pushed under the rug by the modern day ski zeitgeist. From the secret valleys of Switzerland, the ancient cities of Estonia, to the rowdy rope-tows of Minnesota- follow us around the globe as we capture skiing in its purest form. It’s a Small World, after all.
Small World (2015 )
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GOING CLEAR intimately profiles eight former members of the Church of Scientology, shining a light on how they attract true believers and the things they do in the name of religion.
Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief (2015 )
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One of the most significant UFO events in history -- Travis Walton's 1975 UFO experience comes alive in this 90-minute documentary. His trauma and transition after a mysterious beam of light strikes him unconscious.
Travis: The True Story of Travis Walton (2015 )
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Beautifully filmed by New Zealand nature photographer Richard Sidey over the past decade around the polar regions, Speechless: The Polar Realm is a visual meditation of light, life, loss and wonder at the ends of the globe. This is the second film in Sidey’s non-verbal trilogy which is comprised of: - Landscapes at the World’s Ends (2010) - Speechless: The Polar Realm (2015) - Elementa (2020)
Speechless: The Polar Realm (2015 )
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During the Great Recession, joblessness exceeds 20 percent east of the Anacostia River in Washington, DC. City of Trees follows the intimate stories of Charles, Michael and James, three long-term unemployed residents struggling to gain employment through 'shovel ready' green projects. When stimulus dollars run out, short term idealism clashes with day-to-day survival in the struggle to find a sense of purpose and place in a recovering economy.
City of Trees (2015 )
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There is an elite group that controls the world. They run governments, companies and religions - This is the story of the world's most powerful secret and sacred order.
One World Agenda: The Illuminati (2015 )
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Locked away from society in an apartment on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, the Angulo brothers learn about the outside world through the films that they watch. Nicknamed ‘The Wolfpack’, the brothers spend their childhood reenacting their favorite films using elaborate home-made props and costumes. Their world is shaken up when one of the brothers escapes and everything changes.
The Wolfpack (2015 )
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Deep Web gives the inside story of one of the most important and riveting digital crime sagas of the century -- the arrest of Ross William Ulbricht, the 30-year-old entrepreneur convicted of being 'Dread Pirate Roberts,' creator and operator of online black market Silk Road. As the only film with exclusive access to the Ulbricht family, Deep Web explores how the brightest minds and thought leaders behind the Deep Web and Bitcoin are now caught in the crosshairs of the battle for control of a future inextricably linked to technology, with our digital rights hanging in the balance.
Deep Web (2015 )
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All odds were stacked against the pit-bulls rescued from quarterback Michael Vick's dogfighting ring. Forced to fight for their lives, they were considered so dangerous many wanted them euthanized. But no one could have predicted how the dogs would change the lives of those who risked everything to save them.
The Champions (2015 )
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The curtain is raised into the seldom seen world that surrounds the wine we drink. How many people understand how wine is produced? How it is grown? What goes on in the cellar? From those questions to how many hands touch a bottle, to why wine costs what it costs, to how certain wines end up on a wine list, this is a never before seen look into the world of wine.
Somm: Into the Bottle (2015 )
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Tom "Putuparri" Lawford is a man caught between two worlds: his past and present in modern society, where he battles with alcoholism and domestic violence; and his future as a leader of his people, reconnecting with his ancestral lands, learning about his traditional culture and shouldering his responsibility to pass this knowledge on to the next generation. Director Nicole Ma spent more than a decade documenting Putuparri's journey, travelling with him and his family on numerous occasions to Kurtal, in the Kimberley's Great Sandy Desert region – traditionally a site of great significance as a place where people ritually make rain – as they fight for their native title claim over the area. Set against the backdrop of this long fight for ownership of traditional lands, the MIFF Premiere Fund-supported Putuparri and the Rainmakers is an emotional, visually breathtaking story of love, hope and the survival of Aboriginal law and culture against all odds.
Putuparri and the Rainmakers (2015 )
