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The Power of Music (Te Kaha o Te Waiata)
Short Film (Full Length) – 1988
Auckland band Herbs could have released their new album in the comfortable confines of an Auckland nightclub. Instead, they travelled to Ruatoria — a troubled and divided East Coast town where turmoil surrounding a Rastafarian sect had resulted in assaults, kidnappings and firebombed churches. Lee Tamahori and John Day's documentary captures an emotional experience for band and locals as they meet at Mangahanea Marae, in an attempt to shift the focus from disunity to harmony. This footage also yielded the award-winning Sensitive to a Smile music video.
I experienced aroha, I experienced people living together. There was a timelessness about being down there. It could have been 1863.– Hugh Lynn (Herbs’ manager)
Key Cast & Crew
See all 8 credits
Produced by
Matte Box Films
Acknowledgements
NZ Film Commission Short Film Fund
Categories
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Herbs - Songs of Freedom
Trailer for a feature-length documentary about Herbs
Sensitive to a Smile
Music video made alongside this documentary
Keskidee Aroha
Another heartland reggae journey
Ngāti Porou East Coast 2001 - True Colours
Ruatoria also features in this documentary
Long Ago
Another Herbs music video
Dave Dobbyn - One Night in Matatā
Musicians visit another town in the news
He Tohunga Whakairo
Film about Ruatoria master carver Paki Harrison
Once Were Warriors
Features 'making of' interviews with Lee Tamahori
Boy
Feature film set on the East Coast
E Tipu e Rea
TV drama directed by Lee Tamahori
Weekly Review No. 324 - Māori School
An earlier visit to Ruatōria
The Pā Boys
A fictional East Coast musical journey
Pulp: A Film about Life, Death & Supermarkets
Another concert film with a distinct sense of place
Marae DIY - Manutuke Marae (Series Three Episode)
Another East Coast marae: Manutuke
Ka Haku Au - A Poet's Lament
Film on Māori composer Kohine Whakarua Ponika
Te Marae - A Journey of Discovery
The history and preservation of marae
Electric Dream
Another musical trip to the East Coast
People like Us - Apirana Mahuika
Another East Coast screen excursion
Hip Hop-eration
More inspiring music
Radio with Pictures - 1985 reggae special
Herbs in concert
Dread
Documentary about Rastafarians in Ruatōria