New Zealand film

Cinema of New Zealand
The Skycity Village Cinemas next to Aotea Square in Auckland City, New Zealand.
No. of screens	411 (2010)
Produced feature films (2011)
Fictional	19
Animated	1
Documentary	5
Number of admissions (2010)
Total	15,300,000
• Per capita	3.6 (2010)
Gross box office (2012)
Total	$145 million
National films	$3.19 million (2.20%)

New Zealand cinema can refer to films made by New Zealand-based production companies in New Zealand. However, it may also refer to films made about New Zealand by filmmakers from other countries. Due to the comparatively small size of its film industry, New Zealand produces many films that are co-financed by overseas companies.

The history of cinema in New Zealand is almost as long as the medium itself. The first public screening of a motion picture took place in 1896. A documentary made in 1900 is the oldest surviving New Zealand film, while the first feature film made in New Zealand premiered in 1914. A small-scale industry developed between the 1920s and the 1960s, but it wasn't until the 1970s that locally made films began to attract significant audiences.

From the 1990s onward, New Zealand-made films have increasingly found international success, including both those with local funding and themes, and overseas ventures such as the Lord of the Rings trilogy, which was made largely with funding from Hollywood.

In October 1978, the New Zealand Film Commission was formalised by Parliament under the Third National Government.

Under Section 17 of the New Zealand Film Commission Act 1978, the functions of the Commission are to:

With this Act, the New Zealand film industry became more stabilised. Section 18 of the Act, entitled "Content of Films", defines what makes "a New Zealand film". To qualify, a film must have "significant New Zealand content", judged by taking into account the following:

These defining aspects have in recent years caused debate on whether films like The Frighteners and The Lord of the Rings qualify as New Zealand films. The impact of the New Zealand Film Commission upon the industry was significant in getting films made, coming to a definition of NZ Film, and helping establish a Screen Industry in New Zealand.

Most New Zealand films are made by independent filmmakers, often on a low budget and with sponsorship from public funding sources. Few New Zealand-made films have been specifically commissioned for the international market by international film distributors.