''Crooked Earth'' is a 2001

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

film directed by

Sam Pillsbury Sam Pillsbury is an American film director, producer, and winemaker. Massachusetts-raised Sam Pillsbury emigrated to New Zealand at the age of 14. At age 23 he began working for the government-owned National Film Unit of New Zealand, joining a ...

and starring

Temuera Morrison Temuera Derek Morrison (born 26 December 1960) is a New Zealand actor and Singer who first gained recognition for his role as Dr. Hone Ropata on the soap opera ''Shortland Street''. He gained critical acclaim for his starring role as Jake "The ...

. The film opened to negative reviews and performed poorly at the box office.

Plot

The film follows Will Bastion (Morrison) as he returns home from the army after 20 years to bury his father. Upon returning home, tradition dictates that Will must take the tribal chief position. Due to his disinterest in the role, his brother Kahu (Makoare) takes charge as he appoints himself with the position. Faced with Kahu's drug-dealing and radical views, Bastion must decide if he should act.

Cast

as Will Bastion *

Lawrence Makoare Lawrence Makoare (born 20 March 1968) is a New Zealand Māori actor. He is most known for his roles in ''The Lord of the Rings'' film series as several prominent antagonists, including Lurtz the Uruk-Hai and the Witch King of Angmar. Career Ma ...

as Kahu Bastion *

Jaime Passier-Armstrong Jaime Rachel Renee Passier-Armstrong (born August 24, 1981) is a New Zealand actress. She is known for her role of Jay Copeland in the New Zealand's soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or televis ...

as Ripeka Bastion * Quinton Hita as Api * Nancy Brunning as Marama * Sydney Jackson as Pettigrew *

George Henare George Winiata Henare (born 11 September 1945) is a New Zealand actor with a career spanning over 50 years. Early life Born in Gisborne on 11 September 1945, the third youngest in a family of ten children, Henare affiliates to the Māori trib ...

as Tipene *

Calvin Tuteao Calvin Tuteao is a New Zealand actor who has appeared in ''Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'', ''Once Were Warriors'' and '' Xena: Warrior Princess''. Tuteao is renowned for his role on ''Shortland Street'' as Dr. Victor Kahu. He and his niece ...

as Sergeant Ropiha * Stan Wolfgramm as Timo

References

External links

Crooked Earth at NZVideos.org
*
NZ On Screen page
2001 films 2001 drama films New Zealand drama films Films about Māori people Films directed by Sam Pillsbury {{NewZealand-film-stub