Sawt Falasteen - New Zealand 'Once Were Warriors' director Tamahori dies

Famed for directing the box office hit "Once Were Warriors", Tamahori went on to forge a career in Hollywood and is regarded as among the most influential Maori figures in the entertainment industry.

Other films directed by Tamahori included the 2001 thriller "Along Came a Spider" and a James Bond film the following year -- "Die Another Day".

A family statement said Tamahori died peacefully at his home on Friday.

Tamahori made a sensational feature film debut in 1994 with "Once Were Warriors".

The adaptation of a novel by author Alan Duff, it told a powerful and confronting story of an urban Maori family and their problems with poverty and violence.

The film remains among the highest-grossing New Zealand movies and won international accolades.

Actor Temuera Morrison, who played the film's central figure "Jake", said Tamahori had an eye for movie making that set him apart.

"He's probably the best director that we've produced," Morrison told Radio New Zealand on Saturday.

"I don't think anyone surpasses his knowledge right throughout all facets of film-making. A classy and very clever director.

"And then just seeing the amount of Maori that went into the industry, the amount of Maori people he could cast now through his auditions. He was just an amazing man."

C.Hamad--SF-PST