Sam Peacocke

Sam Peacocke won attention for his work on a slate of distinctive music videos, for everyone from King Kapisi (Lollipop) to The Mint Chicks (Vodafone award-winner Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No!). Peacocke's dramatic debut — short film Manurewa — reimagines events surrounding a high profile 2008 liquor store shooting. At the 2011 Berlin Film Festival, it won the Crystal Bear for best short film in its section. Peacocke has also won awards for a number of his commercials — and for 2012's Beautiful Machine, a feature-length documentary on Kiwi rock band Shihad.

Among the hundreds of short film scripts I had read, this one really stood out. It was different and bold, going into uncharted territory. To use an old cliché, it had a voice. Producer Kristian Eek on Sam Peacocke's script for Manurewa, Onfilm, February 2010