Julian Arahanga

Julian Arahanga shot into the public eye in 1994's Once Were Warriors, playing the son who becomes a gang member. He followed it with a starring role in cross-cultural romance Broken English. Since then Arahanga has continued a prolific career working in front of, and increasingly behind the camera — including as producer and director on Māori Television series Songs from the Inside and Behind the Brush.

I had a ball working in Otara and seeing all the children so interested in what was going on. That was quite a good moment for me, to actually realise this film was real, it’s not make believe, it’s actually happening. Julian Arahanga, on filming Once Were Warriors