CROOKED EARTH International Competition

CROOKED EARTH stars Temuera Morrison (ONCE WERE WARRIORS) and Lawrence Makoare (WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKEN HEARTED?) in a brother against brother contemporary Western showdown. The forces of tradition, government authority and tribal pride collide in an action-packed saga of love, honor, loyalty and betrayal.

After 20 years in the government’s army, Captain Will Bastion (Morrison) is forced to resign. He returns to Raukura, New Zealand, to bury his father, the tribe’s chief-a leader whose mantle, by Maori tradition, Will must inherit. Estranged from his roots, Will is reluctant to fulfill this right. Will’s younger, radical brother, Kahu (Makoare}, has either seduced or intimidated the rest of the village into following him. Mounted on a white stallion, Kahu charges directly into the funeral ceremony, unleashing a chain of events which will change the tribe’s destiny forever.

Raukura, New Zealand, homeland to the Maori people, holds a harsh beauty. Director Sam Pillsbury and cinematographer David Gribble have incorporated this amazing landscape into the film, palpable as a fierce supporting character. The looming presence of this powerful land and the fight for its dominion serve as the backdrop in a film alive with enchantment and vision.