Lee Tamahori

Warren Lee Tamahori (22 April 1950 – 7 November 2025) was a New Zealand film director. His feature directorial debut, Once Were Warriors (1994), was a widespread critical and commercial success. It is considered one of the greatest New Zealand films ever made. Quotes This is Beth’s film ... and I knew that Rena had the power in her acting to carry it off. Her scenes are just so extraordinary. She’s not from the "pretend" school of acting and sometimes she hovered in a knife-edge between reality and illusion. By the end of the picture you’re absolutely with her. Katherine Findlay, Once Were Warriors, Now Are Movie Stars, MovieMaker, April 1, 1995 Once Were Warriors presskit (1994) Once Were Warriors presskit, 1994 Once Were Warriors was a huge challenge because it was about a subject that nobody wanted us to make a film about and it was being made from a book by the most controversial author in New Zealand. This film slotted into the genre I wanted – a tough, gritty, urban-based drama. I've always wanted to do films that challenge me and challenge the audience. ... It's very hard but it does address problems that we have as a nation and if it opens up a debate about those problems, then it's done a good thing. Casting was a vital element of the film and I always believed the performances would be the key to the film's success. We did the most exhaustive casting process and the people who were delivered to us were phenomenal – I'm very proud of them all. The look of the film was another key factor. I definitely wanted a very hard, almost treeless urban experience that not many people in New Zealand would ever have been aware of or seen. So it's a concrete jungle film really. People live in these situations, they live right next to motorways, they live under power pylons.But Once Were Warriors has hope and a 1994 feel. There's a vibrancy amongst all the kids, everyone from the age of 25 down is seething with their urban lifestyle. If you're that age and you go and see the movie, there are people in there who are like you and speak the language you speak. I saw this story had potential and a lot of elements that were of interest to me about New Zealand – social politics, high drama and very interesting characters. Once Were Warriors film director Lee Tamahori thought movie would be a flop (2019) Keogh, Brittany (8 June, 2019), Once Were Warriors film director Lee Tamahori thought movie would be a flop, stuff.co.nz I read it and I said, "this is a terrible movie, this is the worst movie you could ever f....ing imagine – it's [got] death, suicide, drugs, alienation, alcoholism, brute force, domination", ... I said, "look, I think it's a terrible idea. I think it's doomed to failure". I said, "nobody will go and see a film like this, nobody goes and sees New Zealand films anyway". I said, "I admire your zeal, but this is not going to succeed and so thanks for asking me but no, I'm going to look for another project". ... women stay with abusive men because, a) they love them and b) most of all because they think they can change them, turn them around, if they stay in the relationship long enough the man will come around. Well, they never do of course. It goes on and on. I thought, "I have a successful life making TV commercials, if I make this film and it fails, as I know that it will, then it will quietly disappear and I will have made my film and I can quietly go back to making commercials and nobody will never know I've made this dud of a picture that a few people saw at the Auckland Film Festival". For the first time ever really, Māori were going to see a New Zealand film. ... It was able to unlock a dialogue between women of this country, both Māori, Pasifika and Pākehā, about what we were becoming as a nation. Certain people, mostly Māori academics in particular, were dead against this film. Some of them hated it with a passion. They hated the book with a passion.Mostly I think, I can't speak for them, [but] I think that they saw it as being derogatory and denigrated what they wanted to do – affect Pākehā New Zealand and change their views about Māori. This book came along and sank it like a torpedo in a ship, from their point-of-view, so they disliked the film intensely. My father came to Wellington in the post-war era and he was part of the first wave of urban Māori leaving the land and coming to the cities. And I was a child of that. I grew up watching [it] at close range. To my mind, it was about Māori losing touch with their roots and their culture. I didn't want to make a regional story. I wanted to make a story about our biggest city, which is Auckland. I think that what I knew, and what we knew as a nation, was that most of the problems were coming out of our cities. I said, "I don't think I can show this [Grace's rape] to the audience. It's quite progressive and in the film it won't stop and you get quite uncomfortable watching it", ... [My editor] said, "the audience needs to see it, they need to know". It's not about us saying, "to hell with the audience" and dragging their noses through it. It's about putting them in a situation and forcing them to watch. People still meet me in places and go, "I saw your film 20 years ago and I've seen it recently and it still affects me". It's still very flattering. For a while, we changed things, ... I know that sounds lofty and a bit bulls... – films don't really change anyone's life – but we do know that that film in that country did affect people's lives. ... Another generation comes along and repeats the mistakes of their parents and on it goes. Now, we have a methamphetamine epidemic. Before it was alcohol. Someone should do a film about white, male Westies. Someone should make a film about white nationalists in Christchurch. We've got things we need to examine. It's time. It's been 25 years. External links Category:1950 births Category:2025 deaths Category:Directors from New Zealand