Ka Whawhai Tonu

Name: New Zealand Film Commission
Price range: $

New Zealand Production

Feature 2024 Te Reo Māori, Drama 114.00 minutes

Set in Aotearoa New Zealand in 1864, Ka Whawhai Tonu tells the story of a pivotal battle in the first New Zealand land wars in the Waikato region. A battle fought with impossible odds between Māori and the Colonial forces. This heroic conflict is told through the eyes of two young teenagers forced to take control of their own destiny amidst the chaos of the battle and their escape.

2024 Sydney Film Festival – In Competition

First Nations Award

Toronto International Film Festival – Centrepiece

Hawai'i International Film Festival

Wairoa Māori Film Festival – Movies at the Marae

Aronui Indigenous Arts Festival

Hollywood Music in Media Awards – Nominated Best Song – Independent Film (Hold on to the Dream, written by Arli Liberman and Tiki Taane, performed by Arli Liberman, Tiki Taane, and Louis Baker), Nominated Best Score – Independent Film, Foreign Language (Arli Liberman, Tiki Taane)

2025: Okinawa Pan-Pacific International Film Festival

Birrarangga Film Festival

Seattle International Film Festival

imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival

Présence Autochtone Montreal International First People’s Festival

2025 Septimius Awards – Nominated: Best Oceanian Actor (Paku Fernandez), Best Oceanian Actress (Hinerangi Harawira-Nicholas), Best Soundtrack, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling