MAHANA | Trailer (click CC for captions)

Mahana
New Zealand 103 mins

“Plays like a classic Western as it proudly expands the … canon of essential films about New Zealand’s tribal people.” – Variety

In 1960s rural New Zealand, two sheep-shearing families, the Mahanas and the Poatas, have been enemies for generations.

Tamihana (Once Were Warriors’ Temuera Morrison) is the Mahana clan’s proud, taciturn patriarch, who rules with an iron fist. When teenaged Simeon stands up to his tyrannical grandfather, it leads him to investigate the true cause of the Mahana-Poata rivalry.

Once Were Warriors director Lee Tamahori returns home to direct this emotive and picturesque family drama based on a novel by Witi Ihimaera, the author of Whale Rider. With majestic locations and a stirring soundtrack, it’s particularly anchored by a standout performance from newcomer Akuhata Keefe as Simeon.