Rebecca Whittet

'Amiri & Aroha' began as a Maori version of Romeo & Juliet and evolved into a poignant love story, set against a background of gang rivalry and tribal hostility, filmed on the beautiful East Cape of New Zealand. Aroha, the daughter of a notorious gang leader, finds her life dominated by a childhood ceremony which pledged her to her cousin Hunapo. This union was arranged by her whanau (family) to heal a deep gangland feud. When Aroha subsequently meets her true soul mate, Amiri, the gang threaten reprisals if she marries Amiri, accusing her of bigamy. The film is Aroha's right of passage as she struggles to make sense of her past and its impact on her future.

Rere's Children is the stunning conclusion to the Amiri & Aroha trilogy. As Arapeta fights for survival in the aftermath of the power station explosion, his arch rival Koriata faces his own demons as he tries to escape being a puppet of the gang. Miriama appears destined to reach the top, until a cruel reversal of fortunes makes her live to regret her contempt for Arapeta's plight. Amiri is a man on the run with a reluctant Aroha, in hiding from his enemies and the authorities, as the story reaches its remarkable climax at the Rere falls.