Tracking Shots
Close Ups on NZ Film History
Pacific Films
Cinematically, between 1940 and 1970, New Zealand was a barren wilderness. Only three feature films were produced, Broken Barrier (1952), Runaway (1964), Don’t Let it Get You (1966); all of them by Pacific Films.
The Pacific Film Unit was established in 1948 by ex-National Film Unit staff Alun Falconer and Roger Mirams. In 1950 John O’Shea joined and the company changed its name to Pacific Film Productions Ltd. Tony Williams in the late 1950s, “it was a time when New Zealanders who worked in films were considered mad, batty or just weird backyard celluloid tinkers with screwdrivers.”
Pacific Films survived by representing Australia’s Movietone News in New Zealand, covering sports events and by making the occasional sponsored documentary and road safety film. The introduction of television raised hopes and though it did provide some work, notably the Survey and Tangata Whenua series, most production opportunities came from commercials.
An upturn in the New Zealand film industry in the 1980s saw Pacific Films return to feature film production and the films Sons for the Return Home (1979), Pictures (1981), Among the Cinders (1984), Leave all Fair (1985), Ngati (1987) and Te Rua (1991) were all released.
Read more about Pacific Films in this Tribute to John O'Shea.
- Cowboys of Culture (1,800kb)
- Runaway (1,100kb)
- Cookery Nook (2,600kb)
- Don't Let It Get You [Trailer] (1,600kb)
Please note: These videos are in the QuickTime format. You will need to have the QuickTime player installed in order to view these files.
