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Story: Documentary film

Snows of Aorangi, 1955

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The first New Zealand film to be nominated for an Academy Award was the 20-minute documentary Snows of Aorangi. It follows an international group of three skiers down Aoraki/Mt Cook, also known as Aorangi. The director, camera operator and editor was a young photographer named Brian Brake, who was then working for the National Film Unit. He later became an internationally renowned stills photographer with the Magnum photo agency. This clip shows the skiers as they reach the lower slopes of the mountain.

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Archives New Zealand - Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga

Reference: Snows of Aorangi. National Film Unit, 1955

Permission of Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga must be obtained before any re-use of this material.

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How to cite this page

Helen Martin, Documentary film – Educating the public – 1940 to 1960, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/video/43585/snows-of-aorangi-1955 (accessed 27 June 2026).

Story by Helen Martin, published 6 December 2013.