Flicks For Free

While Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings put New Zealand on the international film map, the country already had a significant film tradition before the hobbits journeyed to Tongariro National Park. Anyone interested in the moving image, social history, or who simply wants to view a free feature film, should head to the New Zealand Film Archive, one of the country’s hidden cultural treasures.

Built in 1994, the archive is housed in three floors of a converted commercial building. Downstairs, the film library provides free viewings of over 20,000 videos and DVDs. The collection ranges from mainstream New Zealand features like Jane Campion’s The Piano (1994), to rare treasures like the video art of Philip Dadson and film art of Len Lye, to newsreels, documentaries, and historic personal home movies. Upstairs, the media gallery displays contemporary art using video and computer technology.

The 120-seat media theater has screenings Wednesday through Saturday nights, ranging from international documentaries and rarely seen Kiwi feature films to experimental videos.

The Film Archive, 84 Taranaki St., Wellington (www.filmarchive.org.nz). Open daily noon-6pm. W screenings by donation; other nights $8. Library and gallery free.