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Making Utu
Television (Full Length) – 1982
Director Gaylene Preston captures the making of Utu — Geoff Murphy's epic Western set during the 1870s land wars. "...it’s like football innit? You set up the event and cover it…" says Murphy, while shooting a battle scene. Making Utu shows it's far more complicated than that: from building sets in isolated locales, to explosions and extras in cardboard hats, to the cultural sensitivities of recreating a tangi. Casting director Merata Mita argues the time is right for an honest look at New Zealand's history, while actor Martyn Sanderson waxes lyrical about his fake head. Read more about the documentary here, and about the movie here.
The thing I like about filmmaking is that it gives you the opportunity to do things like blow up sheds and throw pianos off balconies.– Director Geoff Murphy, on location during the piano destruction scene
Key Cast & Crew
See all 34 credits
Produced by
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Scrubbs & Co
Acknowledgements
Presented with thanks to the Aotearoa/ New Zealand Film Heritage Trust – Te Puna Ataata
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