Film Festival 2015

New Zealanders have been going to the 'flicks' in the local dream palace, flea pit or picture house since the early 1900s.

A collection of stories, interviews and ephemera about movies covered by Radio New Zealand during 2015.

  • The Oscars: live from the red carpet

    23 Feb 2015

    The red carpet has been rolled out and the final countdown is underway to see who is going to take the top prizes at the Oscars. Audio

  • Anthony McCarten: The Theory of Everything

    31 Jan 2015

    New Zealand author, film director and screenwriter who co-produced and wrote the screenplay for The Theory of Everything, based on the 2007 memoir by Jane Hawking, wife of physicist Stephen Hawking. Audio

  • Anthony McCarten wins BAFTA

    9 Feb 2015

    The New Zealand writer Anthony McCarten has won best screenplay at the BAFTAs in London for the Stephen Hawking biopic the Theory of Everything. Audio

  • Dan Slevin reviews 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' and more.

    10 Jul 2014

    Dan reviews 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes', 'Calvary', and the New Zealand International Film Festival, which starts next week. Audio

  • Technical prowess dominates NZ's effort at Oscar nominations

    16 Jan 2015

    New Zealanders are up for three awards in the nominations for the 87th Academy Awards. Audio

  • Weta Digital: Wayne Stables

    23 Nov 2014

    Twenty-five years on, Weta Digital is more than holding its own in a hugely competitive and fast-moving industry. As Weta celebrates its 25th anniversary, Lynn Freeman met long-serving Visual Effects… Audio

  • Citizenfour – A panel discussion

    15 Feb 2015

    The Oscar nominated and BAFTA winning documentary Citizenfour tells the story of Edward Snowden - a former NSA employee turned whistle-blower. Radio New Zealand National held a screening of the film… Audio

  • Filmmaker Laura Poitras on her work with Edward Snowden

    20 Jan 2015

    After journalist and documentary maker Laura Poitras received encrypted emails from someone with information on the US government's massive covert-surveillance programs, she and reporter Glenn… Audio

  • Sniping - History, Legality and Entertainment Value

    8 Feb 2015

    American Sniper is breaking box office records in the United States and around the world. And it has divided the public and critics alike between those who see the biopic's central character Chris… Audio

  • Poi E the movie being shot

    9 Feb 2015

    A chart hit in each of the past three decades, The Patea Maori Club's 1984 smash Poi E is now being turned into a movie. Audio

  • Poi E on screens in August

    3 Feb 2015

    It was a genuine anthem of the times, and now the story of the 1984 song, Poi E, is being turned into a movie. Staring Maaka Pohatu as Dalvanius Prime, 'POI E: 'The Story Behind Our Song' tells of the… Audio

  • Converting Housebound

    15 Feb 2015

    It's always great when a New Zealand film gets a big overseas release - but what happens when a big American studio insists on major tampering? Simon Morris talks to Housebound's writer-director… Audio

  • The Story Of Shep Gordon

    21 Feb 2015

    Shep Gordon managed an eclectic bunch of artists that included Alice Cooper, Anne Murray, Groucho Marx, Teddy Pendergrass and many more. He's also credited with creating the 'celebrity chef'… Audio

  • Angela Boyd

    15 Feb 2015

    Angela Boyd is a specialist archival footage researcher for film and TV makers. After starting out at the TVNZ Archive, Angela has gone freelance to work on films and TV series including Home By… Audio

  • Libby Hakaraia - Maori Film in Berlin

    8 Feb 2015

    Libby Hakaraia is a journalist, filmmaker and the director of the Maoriland Film Festival. She's currently in Berlin at the European Film Market showcasing a collection of Maori short films. Audio

  • Simon Romanos: Bernard Herrmann

    19 Feb 2015

    Simon explores the work of film composer Bernard Herrmann. Audio

New Zealand cinemas - Celluloid Circus

Find more about cinemas in New Zealand at Te Ara

Meteor picture theatre Palmerston North DNZ share

Meteor Picture Theatre, The Square, Palmerston North. Photo by Snapshots Unlimited for ‘From Swamp to City’ by R H Billens and H L Verry from Palmerston North City Library, via DNZ

The Meteor Picture Theatre opened in the era of the 'talkies', in September 1937. It had a capacity of 940 and was considered one of the most up-to-date in the country. The Meteor was closed in 1963.

Former Victoria Theatre Devonport Auckland wiki PD cropped
Former Victoria Theatre, Devonport, Auckland from Historic Places Trust via DNZ.

King s Theatre Hastings By David Williams from MTG Hawke s Bay via DNZ share mod
King's Theatre, Hastings. By David Williams from MTG Hawke's Bay via DNZ.

The photo was taken after the 3 February 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake, while the cinema was being renovated for temporary usage under the name Cosy Theatre.

Lyceum Theatre Feilding DNZ share
Lyceum Theatre, Feilding from Feilding Library via DNZ.

The Lyceum opened on 30th September, 1911. The architect for the building was Mr Hood. In 1914, it had a full orchestra for sound accompaniment of the movies. The Lyceum was renamed the Regent Theatre after being re-modelled in 1947. The building stood next to the Feilding Hotel in Kimbolton Road.

Majestic Theatre by Canterbury Heritage from Te Ara Flickr Pool Ministry for Culture and Heritage via DNZ Share mod
Majestic Theatre by Canterbury Heritage from Te Ara/ Ministry for Culture and Heritage via DNZ.

Promoted as "The Show Place of Christchurch," the city's largest theatre was leased to Christchurch Cinemas Limited... Fitted with sound apparatus for the "talkies," and seat plugs for hearing aids, it opened on the 1st of March, 1930.

Mayfair Cinema Kaikoura by geoftheref via Te Ara
Mayfair Cinema Kaikoura by geoftheref via Te Ara.

Tivoli Theatre by Feilding Library via DNZ share crop

Tivoli Theatre, 1953. From Feilding Library via DNZ.

The Tivoli was built in the mid 1920s. Construction took two or three years owing to a cement shortage. It was destroyed by fire in February 1972.

Plaza Christchurch by Patricia Scott from Kete Christchurch via DNZ CC NC SA crop
Plaza Christchurch, 1940s by Patricia Scott from Kete Christchurch via DNZ CC NC SA 3.0.

Regent Cinema Levin by Kete Horowhenua Mike Walker via DNZ Share Modify crop
Regent 3 Cinema Levin, 2000 by Mike Walker/ Horowhenua Historical Society Inc. via DNZ.

Regent Cinema Masterton Wairarapa by Wairarapa Camera Club via DNZ share crop
Regent Cinema Masterton, Wairarapa by Wairarapa Camera Club via DNZ.

Thames Embassy Cinema Coromandel by Thames Library Staff via DNZ Share Modify
Thames Embassy Cinema Coromandel by Thames Library Staff via DNZ.

The Anzac Theatre Dargaville via Country Life July
The Anzac Theatre, Dargaville. by RNZ. This community cinema featured in Country Life in 2014.

Ticket roll From South Canterbury Museum DNZ Share crop
Ticket roll used at the Majestic Theatre Timaru (pre 1967) From South Canterbury Museum.