Manurewa (2010)

The last light of a cold winter’s day sees Isaac, a 17-year old boy, traversing the vacuum of industrial wasteland and empty suburbia. Meanwhile a young mother worships in the warm sphere of a Sikh Gurdwara; her husband Navraj stuck working at the local liquor store. Two young police officers kill time driving the beat, an ambulance glides into the twilight past a group of young girls who wander in search of alcohol and something to do. The descent into darkness brings these disparate characters together when Isaac shoots Navraj during a violent hold-up. Tragically, they are both connected on parallel journeys towards equally dark fates.

Manurewa won the Crystal Bear at the 2011 Berlin Film Festival.