Skip to main content
Sign in

RobSarkies

  • Director
  • Writer
Rob-Sarkies-Key-Profile.jpg

Rob Sarkies made his first film at age 10. His feature debut was 1999 hit Scarfies, followed by Out of the Blue, an acclaimed dramatisation of the Aramoana murders. Sarkies followed it with TV's This is Not My Life and black comedy Two Little Boys, based on a novel by his brother Duncan. Since then he has directed Moa-nominated TV movie Consent - The Louise Nicholas Story, and multi award-winning Jean Batten biopic Jean.

Screenography

Pike River
2025 Director, Executive Producer Film
One Lane Bridge
2020 - 2022 Director Series
The Gulf
2019 - 2021 Director Series
Jean
2016 Director Television
Wanted
2016 - 2018 Director Series

Biography

Although he's a good deal younger than the first wave of directors who emerged during the ‘Kiwi renaissance' of the 1970s, Rob Sarkies shares a good deal of the same pioneer spirit. Clues to the pragmatic yet visionary approach of this filmmaker can be seen in his childhood attempts to procure the means of production.

Awards

2017 New Zealand Television Awards
Best Director - Drama: for Jean
Best Feature Drama: Jean

2017 Rialto Channel New Zealand Film Awards (The Moas)
Nominated for Best Television Feature: Jean

“Follow your instincts, because it's all you've got. If you follow your own instincts, your own sensibilities, you'll create original work that reflects who you are.”

— Rob Sarkies in Filmmaker magazine, 19 October 2007

Related images

Scarfies_gallery.jpg
Behind the scenes on Scarfies: (left) cinematographer Stephen Downes and (holding the camera) director Rob Sarkies.
Kindly provided by Rob Sarkies
Scarfies_gallery_3.jpg
Filming a bar scene with actor Taika Waititi, during the making of Scarfies.
Kindly provided by Robert Sarkies.
Scarfies_gallery_2.jpg
The core cast of Scarfies. Back row, standing left to right: Neill Rea as Scott and Taika Waititi as Alex. Seated, left to right: Willa O'Neill as Emma, Charlie Bleakley as Graham and Ashleigh Seagar as Nicole.
Kindly provided by Rob Sarkies
Scarfies_gallery_1.jpg
The Scarfies cast pose outside the legendary student flat where much of the film is set. From left: Taika Waititi as Alex, Charlie Bleakley (Graham), Willa O'Neill (Emma), Ashleigh Seagar (Nicole) and (standing) Neill Rea as Scott.
Kindly supplied by Rob Sarkies
Out-of-the-Blue-Gallery-2.jpg
The poster for Out of the Blue.
Photo courtesy of the NZ Film Commission  
Jean-thumb.jpg
Kate Elliott as aviator Jean Batten, in multi award-winning TV movie Jean, directed by Rob Sarkies. 
SRS.1.jpeg
Nigel Harbrow (as Bob Schollum), Rob Kipa-Williams (Clint Rickards) and Murray Keane (Brad Shipton); a photo taken for TV movie Consent: the Louise Nicholas Story.
Photo by Matt Grace
Out-of-the-Blue-Gallery-6.jpg
Darren Gibbs (Michael Whalley, by car door) and Constable Russell Anderson (Vaughan Slinn) in Out of the Blue.
Photo appears courtesy of the NZ Film Commission