Deep Dive: Prime Minister (2025)
Film Lens
Prime Minister is a 2025 documentary film that chronicles Jacinda Ardern's time as the prime minister of New Zealand from 2017 to 2023. Directed by Lindsay Utz and Michelle Walshe, the film runs for 102 minutes and incorporates audio recordings from the Political Diaries project at the Alexander Turnbull Library, alongside personal home videos filmed by Ardern's husband, Clarke Gayford. It covers significant events during Ardern's tenure, including the Christchurch mosque shootings, the 2019 Whakaari / White Island eruption, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Following Ardern's resignation in 2023, Dark Doris Entertainment sought her permission to create the documentary, which she granted despite expressing some reluctance. The film was publicly announced in June 2024 and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2025, where it won the Audience Award for World Cinema Documentary. It received positive reviews, with a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 69 on Metacritic, indicating generally favorable reviews.
Why Watch
- •See Jacinda Ardern's personal home videos.
- •Find out about the Christchurch mosque shootings.
- •Meet the filmmakers behind the documentary.
Did You Know
•Jacinda Ardern served as New Zealand's prime minister from 2017 to 2023.
•The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2025.
•It won the Audience Award for World Cinema Documentary at Sundance.
•The documentary includes home videos recorded by Ardern's husband, Clarke Gayford.
Perfect For
Political documentary fansNew Zealand history enthusiastsJacinda Ardern supporters