Muru: Te Urewera raids-inspired Kiwi action-thriller set for Toronto Film Festival & More Latest News Here – Up Jobs

The Toronto International Film Festival’s longstanding love affair with Kiwi movies has continued with this morning’s (Thursday) announcement that Muru has been selected for the Contemporary World Cinema Section.

Tearepa Kahi’s action-thriller, inspired by the real-life 2007 raid by New Zealand Government’s elite Special Tactics Group on a remote Māori township in Te Urewera in the Hawke’s Bay, focuses in on Cliff Curtis’ Tūhoe Police Sergeant “Taffy” Tawharau, as he finds himself caught between loyalty to his whānau and dedication to his badge.

Also starring Jay Ryan, Manu Bennett, Simone Kessell, Troy Kingi and Tame Iti, Muru recently had its World Premiere as part of the New Zealand International Film Festival and is scheduled to hit cinemas nationwide from September 1.

It will make its bow in Toronto just 10 days later, with Australia-New Zealand co-production We Are Still Here and the lower North Island-shot horror Pearl (a prequel to Ti West’s X) also featuring in the 11-day cinematic celebration’s line-up.

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One of the most prestigious film festivals in the world, Toronto is seen as an important testing ground and bellwether for the following awards season.

Movies with Kiwi connections have claimed the festival’s top prize – an Audience Award – twice – in 2002 with Whale Rider and Jojo Rabbit in 2019.

Other New Zealand films to screen at Toronto in recent years include Waru, Human Traces, 25 April, The Dark Horse, The World’s Fastest Indian and The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls.

Stuff to Watch had the opportunity to talk to an excited writer-director Kahi earlier this week.

You’ve been at pains to point out that this is not a recreation of the events of 2007, but rather an artistic response. How did you decide that was the best way to tackle this story?

It didn’t come naturally. I had written a draft which sort of encapsulated faithfully the events of a single day. When Tame [Iti] and I presented to Tūhoe down in Rūātoki at the end of 2018, seeking their endorsement and blessing, a lady who spoke there during the wharenui said: “Is this just about one day?” I confidently said, “yes – and I think we’ve done a great job here”. And she said, “well, I don’t agree. Because the government has been doing this to us for 100 years”.

I sort of stopped and gulped and everyone gathered nodded with her.

She then asked: “Is this for New Zealand, or is this for the world? Are you taking it to the world?”

And I went, “well, I don’t actually control the festivals Auntie, but I can say that we’ll do our best”. And it kind of grew from there. I thought, “how are we going to get a century’s worth of events into this? How can we understand the full context? And what’s the problem with the faithful script?”

In many ways, it just completely missed the point in terms of [the] systematic targeting [of Tūhoe] and then we were able to take it slowly forward with Tame and Cliff and our team into what I hope is a much bigger story, but with allegorical scope.

In terms of the storytelling, this feels like an evolution of similarly themed and toned Kiwi movies grounded in truth, like Bad Blood and Out of the Blue? Were they inspirations for you?

Out of the Blue is a very special film and also part of the reason I reached out to (that film’s) Tim White to come on as an executive producer. He was invaluable, with the wisdom and experience that he was able to bring to our little, crack, old-school location unit.

I was also hoping this would be new age Utu and I drew more recent inspiration from (American Indian Reservation-set murder mystery) Wind River.

How important was it for you to shoot this in Te Urewera?

In many ways, it was the most important factor. Not because that’s where the events took place, but also because you’re then inviting everyone from within there to contribute to the visceral texture of the film.

There was possibly a version that was shot out in Kumeū and Helensville, but that was never part of our vision. We always wanted to have Tūhoe people in the Tūhoe world.

Have they seen the finished film yet?

We put on a special screening with Tame and rangatira from Tūhoe – and that was an incredible experience. And then, after it played at the Civic (in Auckland) last month, we then did a bigger screening for all the whānau down there on the following Saturday.

I had the normal amount of trepidation – knowing that it was literally going to hit close to home – but it was also a celebration of everyone’s efforts. I wanted them to understand what we had achieved together.

One of the big responses from the rangatira was how clearly they saw 1916 (when an early raid took place), as well as 2007 (in it). It was powerful – powerful for us – and powerful for them.

And what sort of reception have you had from audiences at the New Zealand Film Festival?

It’s been a pretty interesting ride. It was pretty raucous up at the Civic. The Embassy (in Wellington) was a slightly different crowd, but the same response – real vocal and a lot of clapping and applause.

Christchurch, my home town, it surprised the audience I think, and Dunedin was pretty funny.

One older lady came up to me and said: “If I’d known it was going to be that violent, I wouldn’t have come. But it was a great film – and I loved it”.

And another dude said, “gee, I was expecting a festival film, but I saw a blockbuster”.

So now, just like that Auntie hoped, you’re taking it to the world stage next month. What do you hope Toronto audiences take away from Muru?

I hope they get to see a beautifully connected, multi-generational valley and see the closeness and the depth of relationships they have, the richness of the language and understand how unnecessary this (the raid) was – (there were) so many alternative pathways that could have been taken back then.

After advanced previews in select cinemas from August 26, Muru will screen in cinemas nationwide from September 1. The 2022 edition of Toronto Film Festival is scheduled to run from September 8 to 18.

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