Documentary

One of the notable elements in this year's International Film Festival is the strong representation of Indigenous films and film-makers. One of them is an Australian documentary called Firestarter. In… Audio

John Ruthven's book, The Whale in the Living Room tells of his expeditions and adventures during decades of documentary making about the mysteries of the ocean. John has worked on the BBC's Blue… Video, Audio, Gallery

The relationship between mothers and daughters has been a central theme of much of the work by Asian-American writer Amy Tan. The best-selling author, whose books include The Joy Luck Club, The… Audio

A new documentary, Heaven and Hell - The Centrepoint Story - airs tonight. It's a gruelling but powerful watch - mainly from the perspective of some of the former children of the commune, including… Audio

Egyptian director Mayye Zayed spent four years immersed in the world of Alexandria's competitive female weight-lifting scene for her new documentary, Lift Like A Girl. The film follows Zebiba (which… Video, Audio

Documentary filmmaker Peter Young discusses his biggest project to date - the battle to save Aotearoa's native species from an army of predators. Every year, introduced predators devour the eggs and… Video, Audio

Filmmaker Florian Habicht joins Kim for a chat and to play his favourite music on the day of the world premiere of his new documentary, James & Isey. Florian Habicht has worked with musicians Jarvis… Video, Audio

In his new documentary, Francesco, openly-gay, non-Catholic filmmaker Evgeny Afineevsky had unprecedented access to Pope Francis and was allowed to tackle many pressing issues. He joins the show to… Audio

Women activists were protesting against all forms of oppression in 1984 when Auckland university lecturer and playwright Mervyn Thompson was kidnapped, beaten and chained to a tree by six women who… Audio

Britney Spears remains stuck in a court-sanctioned conservatorship, unable to control her fortune. The New York Times documentary, Framing Britney Spears follows the pop star's court battle with her… Audio

A decade on from Gerard Smyth's When A City Falls comes the sequel, When A City Rises - The People's Story, which screens tonight on TVNZ 1. The award-winning filmmaker joins the show to discuss the… Audio

Dawn Raid, a new feature length documentary film, tells the story of the rise and fall (and eventual rebirth) of the influential New Zealand record label. Founders Andy Murane and Tanielu Leaosavai'i… Video, Audio

Cinematographer and director Kirsten Johnson was afraid of losing her father to dementia, so she got in first, killing him off in imaginative and comical ways in her new film Dick Johnson is Dead. Video, Audio

Renowned polar photographer, director and cameraman Max Quinn covers a 50-year career spent working in the world's coldest places in his book A Life of Extremes. Quinn learned his trade as an NZBC… Video, Audio, Gallery

Mick Fanning will forever be known as the man who fought off a great white shark while competing on live TV at Jeffreys Bay in 2015. Now, the Australian sporting icon is conquering his fear of sharks… Audio

Auckland music and film maker, Kim Hegan tells the story of his extraordinarily influential Buddhist teacher, Kangyur Rinpoche who he met back in the 1970's. He recently returned to India, where they… Audio

In a new documentary, we meet a young Muslim man who became a spokesperson for his people after the Christchurch Mosque Attack. In One year on, he talks candidly about his reluctance to step back into… Audio, Gallery

The life and achievements of waka maker, sailor, and voyager Ema Siope have been honoured in a documentary tracing her final journey to Samoa. Ema Siope was known and respected in the Samoan waka… Audio, Gallery

In the new documentary The Girl on The Bridge, suicide survivor Jazz Thornton confronts New Zealand's youth mental health crisis head-on. The film documents not only Jazz's extraordinary activism but… Video, Audio