An exciting selection of NZ films, as part of their NZ Stories line-up, are now streaming on DocPlay.

You can sign up for a free 30 day trial at www.docplay.com

Check out the brilliant titles below.

 

Old Dog

Trailer

https://www.olddogthefilm.com/

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New Zealand farmer Paul Sorenson has a unique connection with his colleagues — a team of sheep dogs. For 40 years, he's worked to develop smarter and more intuitive training methods for fellow farmers, while grappling with memories of a difficult childhood. Reaching retirement, the veteran dog whisperer passes his knowledge to the next generation of shepherds, and reflects on the sacrifices he's made to pursue his intense passion for dogs.

 

 

Māori Boy Genius

Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsUzryB7H84

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Obama broke the mould. And a teenager in New Zealand is breaking the mould to eventually stand in history with such a leader.

 

MĀORI BOY GENIUS is a coming-of-age film profiling 16 year-old Ngaa Rauuira Pumanawawhiti, railing against his people’s statistics of uneducated youth, prisons, gangs and alarming suicide rates. At 4 he learnt English. At 12 he began his first university degree. At 14 he googled international politics and up came Yale University.

 

What if you could turn back the clock and watch the minds forming of those who would create political zeitgeist shifts in the future? MĀORI BOY GENIUS does just that.

 

 

Land of the Long White Cloud

Trailer

https://www.flicks.com.au/trailer/land-of-the-long-white-cloud/1274/

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Director Florian Habicht returns to his Northland home turf to chronicle the annual Snapper Classic Fishing Contest, in this full-length documentary. First prize is $50,000, but the participants chase the joy of the cast as much as the purse. The solitary figures on the epic sweep of Ninety Mile Beach provide poetic images, as Habicht teases out homespun philosophy while fishing for answers on love, the afterlife and whether fish have feelings. The soundtrack features 50s style instrumentals from Habicht regular Marc Chesterman, plus singalongs on the sand and at the local pub.

 

 

Into the Void

Trailer

https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/into-the-void-2014

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This documentary delves into Christchurch underground band Into the Void. The Black Sabbath-inspired group was formed in the late 80s by art school students Jason Greig, Paul Sutherland, Ronnie van Hout and Mark Whyte. Two decades spawned only two albums; the reputation of “Christchurch’s answer to Spinal Tap” rests on legendary live shows, with noise complaint-worthy riffs splitting ears at former bar Dux de Lux. Director Margaret Gordon assembled archive and interviews with band members and mates to capture the milieu of metal, booze, quakes and art.

 

 

The Chills: Triumph & Tragedy of Martin Phillipps

Trailer

https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/the-chills-triumph-tragedy-of-martin-phillipps-2019

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It's not too big a stretch to say songwriter Martin Phillipps 'is' The Chills, one of the most distinctive pop bands to have come out of New Zealand. This documentary examines the complicated talent behind some iconic pop songs and finds him at a crossroads in his life, facing very real consequences after years of alcohol and drug dependency. Phillipps opens up about his desire to leave a proper legacy, while a selection of ex-band mates lay bare their experience of being a Chill. The film debuted at US festival South by Southwest, where it won the first of many enthusiastic reviews.