Jacinda Ardern documentary Prime Minister featuring never-before-seen home videos premieres at Sundance Film Festival

A documentary about former New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern's time in office has premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.

Prime Minister explores the world leader's delicate balance of running a country while having her first child and features "incredibly intimate" and previously unseen home videos shot by Ardern's now husband Clarke Gayford, who served as a producer on the film.

The 44-year-old who was bestowed with a damehood by Prince William last year attended the documentary's premiere and said she hoped it would shed a light on the idea of women "having it all".

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"You often hear about this idea of woman doing it all, I don't think there should be that expectation," Ardern told organisers.

"Nor do I think women should have to make trade-offs between, you know, having a fulfilling career and having a family.

"So I hope what the film shows is that I was never alone when I was doing that."

Ardern echoed a similar sentiment when speaking to Hollywood press, hoping the documentary serves as an acknowledgement of Gayford's efforts behind-the-scenes.

"When you are in public office, there's not always a lot of light shone on the people who are supporting you, in the village that's around you … I didn't do the job alone and I didn't raise my daughter on my own," she told Deadline at Sundance.

Ardern was elected PM at the age of 37 - the world's youngest-ever female leader at the time - and went on to become only the second head of state in the world to give birth while in office (the other being the late Benazir Bhutto, a former PM of Pakistan).

For Australian-born filmmaker Michelle Walshe, it was Ardern's "unapologetic" view on life as a working mum that captivated her.

"She was brave enough to bring a baby into office, when Neve was just six weeks old, and what was so extraordinary to me is she brought her in unapologetically," the co-director said at the premiere.

"There was no sense of, 'Oh, I'm sorry I have a baby, I'm feeding', it was like, 'This is who I am. This is where I am now in my life, and that is with a baby' and that was so inspiring to me, personally. I've never seen a woman do that in that way."

Co-director Lindsay Utz said as a mother-of-two herself, she found "the breastfeeding story in particular" very "visceral".

"I think for women who have struggled with that, having their careers and also needing to tend to their young children, we don't see enough portraits of that struggle," Utz said at the premiere of the 102-minute film.

"And so it was really important to us to show this in all of its complexity."

Prime Minister is competing at the famed Utah festival in the World Cinema Documentary Competition.

Ardern stepped down from her role as PM and party leader in a shock announcement in January 2023.

Since then, she's focused on family and philanthropy, including working with Prince William on his environmentally focused Earthshot Prize.

Recently, the former politician announced her first book - a "deeply personal and inspiring memoir" titled A Different Kind of Power - would be released on June 3.

"Ardern's unfiltered journey, from tenacious girl in small-town New Zealand to a trailblazing world leader who became the world's youngest female head of government, and only the second in history to give birth while in office," publishers Crown, a division of Penguin Random House, said in a statement.

"Ardern changed the world's expectations of what a global leader can be. With remarkable candour, she shares the pivotal moments that defined her leadership and — for the first time — the details behind her decision to step down during her sixth year as prime minister."

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