Lee Tamahori (Director)
For a movie series that prides itself on bringing in the best from all areas of the film industry, Eon Productions could have done little better than to put Lee Tamahori at the helm of the landmark twentieth James Bond movie, Die Another Day.
Tamahori is a director’s director. Born in New Zealand, he stayed true to his native industry, and started out as a boom operator in the 1970’s, before progressing to assistant director and then director in the 1980’s.
Gaining acclaim first for award winning commercials, Tamahori came to the world’s attention with his powerful 1994 film, Once Were Warriors. In this highly personal film, he tells the story of the New Zealand aboriginal Maori tribe, and their disassociation from the culture of modern New Zealand. The film won international critical acclaim, including the Anicaflash Prize at the Venice Film Festival in 1994, and the Critics' Award – Special Mention at Portugal’s Fantasporto Awards in 1995.
The gritty, moving, and powerful realism that made Once Were Warriors an international award winner, promises to make Die Another Day a cornerstone of the Bond canon.
Works Consulted
IMDb Listing
Guardian Unlimited Article
Last Updated: June 30, 2002
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