All the doomsayers would have us believe the New Zealand film industry is dead, and that even if it wasn’t, there’s been barely a peep since the outstanding success of Lord of the Rings. But Peter Jackson’s success might just have overshadowed the success of subsequent (and previously released) New Zealand movies, or at least left some VERY BIG shoes to fill.

When Statistics New Zealand asked about Kiwis’ film watching habits, they found that just over 800,000 of us had been to the movies in the four weeks prior to the survey. The movie-going habit was split evenly between men and women, but was most popular with those in the 15-24 age group.

How many of these people went to a New Zealand film? My guess: Not many.

But we should be watching homegrown films, not because they’re New Zealand made, but because they’re good. Really good. Here are some of the classics and some of the new in Kiwi movies:

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• Sione’s Wedding: a New Zealand film that’ll make you laugh, with familiar voices from TV’s Bro’Town.
• Eagle vs Shark: and another one that’ll have you laughing out loud, this time from the talented duo, Flight of the Conchords.
• Black Sheep: and a third funny New Zealand film (see, we can do comedy). Get ready for the wrath of 40 million sheep.
• Lord of the Rings: as well as its special effects excellence and intelligent interpretation of an epic tale, this film makes it to the list for the status it achieved and the niche it singlehandedly carved for NZ movies on the international stage.
• Heavenly Creatures: another one from Peter Jackson, exploring the world of fantasy through the true story of two schoolgirls who plot to kill.
• The Piano: not exactly a light ‘n fluffy one, but this atmospheric film has a riveting plot and a stellar cast that shines very bright (Sam Neill, Holly Hunter, Anna Paquin and Harvey Keitel).
• The World’s Fastest Indian: this will inspire you, even if motorbike movies aren’t really your thing. A Kiwi entrepreneur setting and achieving his goals makes for great viewing. Oh, and the talent of Anthony Hopkins helps too.
• Whale Rider: one young girl dared to confront the past, change the present and determine the future. Keisha Castle-Hughes is perfect in this role.
• The Tattooist: a Kiwi thriller telling the tale of American tattoo artist Jake Sawyer who wanders the world exploring ethnic themes in his tattoo designs, until he unwittingly unleashes a powerful evil spirit.

And there are plenty more where these New Zealand movies came from!