A land of cinema right from the start
From the earliest days of cinema, New Zealand has been a land of the seventh art. On October 13, 1896, Thomas Edison's kinetograph was used to screen the first film in the country's history. A few months earlier, the Englishman Alfred Henry Whitehouse had already imported Edison's kinetoscope to the island, through a traveling exhibition. A shrewd businessman, Whitehouse was to become the father of New Zealand cinema, making the first New Zealand film in 1898. All that remains of these early views is the Departure of the Second Contingent for the Boer War, filmed in 1900 at Newton Park in Wellington. A plunge into a bygone world, which you can discover online on the very rich site of the New Zealand National Film Archive, Ngā Taonga. In 1914, Hinemoa, a production directly inspired by the legendary romance of Hinemoa and Tūtānekai and more or less recognized as the first feature film shot in New Zealand, was released in cinemas. A film considered lost, but whose traces survive in the country's cinematic history. In 1996, the post office reused the film's promotional image on one of its stamps, in honor of New Zealand's film centenary.
As for cinemas, the first buildings dedicated to the cinema appeared in the early 1900s, with the first projection room being set up in Roxburgh as early as 1897. On November 28, 1910, the Kings Theatre opened its doors in Auckland, welcoming nearly 1,800 people per screening silent films several times a week. After being renamed Prince Edward Theatre in 1926 and Playhouse Theatre in 1947, this legendary venue reopened its doors as the Mercury Theatre. A name the cinema has proudly borne since 1968. Currently undergoing renovations, the century-old cinema plans to reopen in 2024.
In the first half of the twentieth century, the New Zealand film industry struggled to expand beyond its national borders. Theaters proliferated, but were mainly devoted to Hollywood and British productions. Filmmakers Rudall Hayward and Hilda Moren, the first power couple in national cinema, made dozens of short comedies between 1920 and 1930, while also offering feature-length silent films at first, with sound from 1936 onwards. Of these, Rewi's Last Stand, made first in 1925 and then in 1939 in a sound remake , is certainly the most interesting. A film narrating the last hopes of Rewi Maniapoto's māory forces at the battle of Ōrākau, one of the most famous episodes of the māory wars. Following in the duo's footsteps, filmmaker John O'Shea would be the other key figure in New Zealand cinema of this period, continuing to produce and direct until the late 1960s. He was responsible for the few feature films of the period, such as Broken Barrier (1952) and Don't Let It Get You (1966), which were not without interest, but did not make it beyond the country's borders.
From the New Zealand Film Commission to Lord of the Rings
Set up in 1978, this state body has supported domestic film production from the outset, both through tax incentives and direct aid to the New Zealand film industry. The results were not long in coming. Sleeping Dogs (1977) was a box-office hit, revealing actor Sam Neill, a native New Zealander. At the same time, production diversified both in front of and behind the camera. In 1984, Melanie Read became the first New Zealand director to release a feature film(Trial Run), while Barry Barclay, of Māori descent, produced and directed Ngati in 1987. At the beginning of 1990, Jane Campion's breakthrough came. Jane Campion won the Oscar for best screenplay for The Piano Lesson in 1993, while Peter Jackson won the Silver Lion in Venice for Heavenly Creatures. A few years later, he began work on New Zealand's biggest film project to date, The Lord of the Rings. A project that not only revealed the beauty of New Zealand's landscapes to the world, but also revolutionized the country's film industry. Since then, dozens of major Hollywood productions have been filmed in New Zealand, or have sought the expertise of special effects or post-production companies, such as James Cameron's Avatar (2009), or Spielberg's The Adventures of Tintin (2011). More recently, New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi has also enjoyed a successful career in Hollywood, following his national debut with Eagle vs Shark (2007) and Boy (2010).
A true paradise for cinephiles
Following in the footsteps of the Fellowship of the Ring, or Bilbo the Hobbit, you can discover the country and its thousand natural treasures. Start by visiting the Hobbiton Movie Set, one of the saga's iconic filming locations, not far from Hamilton. Then head further south to discover the area around Rivendell in Kaitoke Regional Park, or take a stroll through the gardens of Isengard, aka Harcourt Park. For fans, a true pilgrimage is at hand! From the foothills of Mount Sunday, on which the Edoras sets were built, to the village of goldsmith Jens Hansen, responsible for making the rings used during filming. It would take an entire guidebook to list them all. Fortunately, this journey is easy to find on the Internet. Other notable films shot on the island include The Last Samurai (2003), which takes you to the Uruti Valley in the Taranaki region. Or relive some of Narnia 's most glorious moments around the Elephant Rocks, where the lion Aslan sets up camp in the film. Finally, try your hand at a performance or screening in the Auckland Civic Theatre. This legendary venue, built in 1929, is the setting for one of the most memorable moments in Peter Jackson's King Kong (2005). Between this and the country's eighty or so cinemas, you're in a veritable cinema paradise. It'll be hard to leave.
