New Zealand director Lee Tamahori, best known for his award-winning 1994 directing debut Once Were Warriors, has died aged 75.
In a statement to local brodacaster RNZ, his family said Tamahori, who had been suffering from Parkinson’s disease, died peacefully at his home.
It said: “His legacy endures with his whānau, his mokopuna, every filmmaker he inspired, every boundary he broke, and every story he told with his genius eye and honest heart. A charismatic leader and fierce creative spirit, Lee championed Māori talent both on and off screen. He ultimately returned home to tell stories grounded in whakapapa and identity, with Mahana and his latest film The Convert, reaffirming his deep connection to Aotearoa. We’ve lost an immense creative spirit.”
Once Were Warriors, a dark drama about a Māori family in South Auckland, won numerous awards and was named ’New Zealand’s best ever film’ in a 2014 poll.
Tamahori’s other films included Mulholland Falls, The Edge, Along Came A Spider, James Bond film Die Another Day, XXX: State Of The Union and most recently The Convert with Guy Pearce.
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