Turei, a talented young musician, dreams of his band winning the audition to be the support act for Bob Marley’s 1979 concert in Auckland. Part of a Māori family of contract potato pickers in Pukekohe, Turei’s desperate ambition clashes with his whanau’s traditional values, leading to an emotional showdown and powerful change.
Acting
Temuera Morrison's stoic patriarch will wreck you.
Score
Original roots reggae that actually slaps.
Production
Painstaking 1970s Pukekohe recreation, potato fields and all.
Director
Tearepa Kahi
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The 1979 Bob Marley concert was real, and Māori reggae bands did compete for the slot — but the film fictionalizes which one won.
Director Tearepa Kahi cast actual musicians including Troy Kingi and Stan Walker, whose real singing voices blur with their characters' — the audition scenes required zero dubbing.
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