It's the 1870s; Te Wheke, a charismatic Māori leader is fed up by brutal land grabs. He takes up arms and leads a bloody rebellion against the colonial NZ Government. In the process, he provokes everyone affected by his actions - threatened frontiersmen, disgruntled natives, lusty wahine, bible-bashing priests, and kupapa amongst them - to consider the nature and meaning of ‘utu’ (retribution). Geoff Murphy’s ambitious, energetic film takes the shotgun approach in its attempt to be the great New Zealand (colonial) epic.
Utu Productions
Included in the Top 5 NZ Feature Films collection.
If there was a renaissance, or ‘new wave' of NZ film making, then Geoff Murphy was riding it, and ride it he did, tall in the saddle with this vastly ambitious, but sometimes vexing ...
Available on DVD from ScreenLine and at Aro Video.
Best Entertainment Website
Finalist – Website design
Qantas Media Awards 2009
NZ ON SCREEN 2010
This website has been made with funding from NZ ON AIR ›
The synopsis and credits are included
