Against the Lights
1978 Television
- Adaptation
- Drama
Based on Witi Ihimaera short story 'The Truth of the Matter', this drama explores racial stereotypes. An assault on a Pākehā taxi driver by his Māori passengers lies at the core of a narrative that takes aim at prejudice in Aotearoa. Each of the four characters offers a different perspective on what happened. In one account, the driver (Gliding On's Ross Jolly) tells his passengers "don’t slam the door Hori!", evoking a time when this popular derogatory term for Māori was about to fall from favour. Sam Pillsbury directed it for an unrealised series on race relations; it was shelved for 18 months, then screened on Kaleidoscope.
Key Cast & Crew
HRR
Hemi Rua Rapata
As: First defendant
PB
Peter Brunt
As: Second defendant













