Muru Awarded As The Highest Grossing New Zealand Film Proudly Distributed By NZ-owned Rialto Distribution

Announced at the New Zealand Motion Picture Industry Council (NZMPIC) conference today, the action-thriller Muru has been unveiled as the highest grossing New Zealand Film in NZ in 2022.

From award-winning writer and director Tearepa Kahi (Poi E: The Story of our Song, Mt. Zion), world renowned actor Cliff Curtis and artist Tāme Iti, this film is a response to the 2007 Tūhoe raids. Muru is a Māori concept for reconciliation and forgiveness. The film opened the Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival in 2022 and screened in cinemas nationwide from September 1, 2022 on the widest ever release for a NZ film.

Writer and director Tearepa Kahi says, “I’m so pleased Aotearoa was ready to open ourselves up to a film like Muru. Working alongside our incredible cast, this is a shared dream we’ve been working on for a long time.”

Muru today sits at number 19 in the top kiwi films of all time after an A-List festival run, winning the UNESCO Award at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) and was Aotearoa’s official submission for Best International Feature Film Academy Award 2023. Over 2022, the total New Zealand box office came to NZ$1,523,369, and the film has been sold all over the world including a lucrative deal with US streaming giant Tubi.

“Rialto Distribution is proud to have helped Muru become one of the biggest cinema success stories in a generation, and our massive campaign across cinemas in Aotearoa paid huge dividends. The box office shows the need for compelling local films, and that they get results,” says Kevin Gordon, General Manager, Rialto Distribution, Australia/New Zealand.

Filmed in Te Urewera and Rūātoki, Muru stars Cliff Curtis (The Dark Horse, Avatar 2), Jay Ryan (IT Chapter Two, The Furnace), Manu Bennett (The Hobbit trilogy) and Simone Kessell (Obi-Wan Kenobi). Support cast includes Ria Te Uira Paki (The Dead Lands), Roimata Fox (Waru), Poroaki Merritt-McDonald (Savage) and Tāme Iti as himself.

Kahi worked with cinematographer Fred Renata (Poi E: The Story of our Song, Mt. Zion), Academy Award winning editor John Gilbert (Hacksaw Ridge, The Lord of the Rings) and composer Mahuia Bridgman-Cooper (Shadow in the Cloud) to bring Muru to life. Reikura Kahi is the lead producer, alongside producers Selina Joe and Tāme Iti.

Muru is the first feature film to be funded under Te Tumu Whakaata Taonga - New Zealand Film Commission’s He Pounamu Te Reo Māori Feature Film Fund. The film was made with additional investment from Arclight Films International, Te Māngai Pāho, NZ On Air/Irirangi Te Motu, Three Warner Bros. Discovery, Imagezone and Images & Sound. Muru is being distributed in New Zealand and Australia by Rialto Distribution, with Arclight Films International handling rest of world sales.

Rialto Distribution is locally owned by founding directors David Ross and Kelly Rogers. Over the course of the last 25 years, Rialto has been a champion of New Zealand films having distributed over 50 local films, working with many amazingly talented local writers, directors, and producers. Muru adds to Rialto Distribution’s incredible array of New Zealand film successes, including: SCARFIES (which took $1.3m at the local box office back in 1999); TOPP TWINS: UNTOUCHABLE GIRLS ($2.0m NZ box office, and second highest grossing NZ documentary of all time); BEYOND THE EDGE (just under $1.0m NZ box office, the incredible 3D biopic of Sir Edmund Hillary); and MAHANA (over $1.0m NZ box office, directed by Lee Tamahori, written by Witi Ihimaera). Other incredible Māori and Pasifika features include: HERBS: SONGS OF FREEDOM (directed by Tearepa Kahi); MERATA: HOW MUM DECOLONISED THE SCREEN (directed by Hepi Mita); FOR MY FATHER’S KINGDOM (directed by Vea Mafile’o); and WE ARE STILL HERE (ensemble directors).

Upcoming local films to be released by Rialto Distribution include: BOOKWORM, a family adventure/comedy starring Elijah Wood (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy). THE CONVERT, an action epic directed by Lee Tamahori. UPROAR, a feel-good comedy/drama starring Rhys Darby, Julian Dennison, James Rolleston, and Minnie Driver. ALIEN WEAPONRY, documenting the massive success of NZ’s biggest selling heavy metal band ever. THE LIE, an extraordinary documentary understanding the Grace Millane tragedy. TROLGAR AND ME, a family feature in partnership with Wētā Workshop. And THE RULE OF JENNY PEN, a thriller starring Geoffrey Rush and John Lithgow.

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