To mark the 40th anniversary of the New Zealand Film Commission, NZ On Screen brings us the stories behind some of our most notable local films.
Set in colonial New Zealand, Utu was an epic production, following a Māori leader on his bloody path to seek 'utu' (retribution) during the1870s land wars.
As well as enjoying local box office success, Utu was the second Kiwi film officially invited to Cannes.
During a 2016 visit to Auckland, Quentin Tarantino dubbed it "hands down the best New Zealand movie of all time".
Here director Geoff Murphy recalls the challenges of shooting a scene with 1000 extras (and only 40 acceptable costumes) in pre-CGI times, and creating a cavalry out of "girls from pony clubs".
