Geoff Murphy
Geoff Murphy was a leading figure in the new wave of Kiwi filmmakers that emerged in the 1970s. Geoff Murphy arguably helped usher in a new age of appreciation for New Zealand cinema, when he consecutively directed three classics of the Kiwi film renaissance. Murphy styled himself as a straight-talking rebel, Murphy’s gifts for action and comedy won him a wide audience, and ensured a run of work in Hollywood. He showed a keen eye for capturing Kiwi culture on screen. His movie Goodbye Pork Pie became the first blockbuster of the local film renaissance. He completed an unsurpassed triple punch with Utu and sci-fi classic The Quiet Earth. Noted for his skill at action, knockabout comedy, and melding genres, Murphy spent a decade in Hollywood before returning home. In 2013 he was also honoured as one of New Zealand’s 20 greatest living artists, as an Arts Foundation Arts Icon — the same month a restored, shortened version of his ’80s classic Utu won acclaim when it debuted at the NZ Film Festival. Geoff Murphy passed away on 3 December 2018.
(Biography courtesy of New Zealand On Screen.)
