Trailer Released For Kiwi Feature Film SGT. HAANE

• New Film Honours Legendary 28th Māori Battalion Hero Haane Manahi
• From Director Tearepa Kahi: Muru, Mt. Zion And Poi E: The Story Of Our Song
• SGT. HAANE Will Be Released Nationwide In Cinemas On April 23

The trailer and poster for the never-been-told true WWII story Sgt. Haane has today been unveiled ahead of its nationwide general release on April 23rd – in time for Anzac Day 2026. From international award-winning writer and director Tearepa Kahi (Muru, Poi E: The Story of Our Song, Mt. Zion), Sgt. Haane tells the story of L. Sgt. Haane Manahi DCM (Te Arawa, Ngāti Raukawa) of B Company, 28th Māori Battalion (28 September 1913 – 29 March 1986), a soldier of extraordinary courage whose bravery was described by Lieutenant General Sir Brian Horrocks as "the most gallant feat of arms I witnessed in the course of the war" – culminating in the 1943 attack on the heavily fortified pinnacle of Takrouna, Tunisia.

At five minutes to midnight, 19 April 1943, Haane Manahi led a small group of B Company soldiers – all cousins – in an attack up the near-vertical limestone pinnacle of Takrouna, Tunisia, defended by over 300 enemy troops. By morning, after severe casualties and the collapse of the chain of command, Haane Manahi took charge, repelling repeated counterattacks through hand-to-hand combat to secure this critical strategic position for the Allies.

The film stars Alex Tarrant (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, NCIS: Hawaii, DMV) as Haane Manahi – with Niwa Whatuira (The Dark Horse, A Mistake, M3GAN 2.0), Vinnie Bennett (Whina, F9: The Fast Saga, Human Traces), Matuera Ngaropo (Whina) and Poroaki Merritt-McDonald (Muru, The Gone) as the soldiers who fought alongside Haane. Their performances are woven together with the voices of Māori Battalion descendants – Dr. Donna Morrison, Kīngi Biddle, Colin Bennett, Raimona Inia, and Anaru Grant Jr.

Sgt. Haane is not a conventional war film. Through the storytelling lens of Tearepa Kahi, it weaves between the memories of direct descendants and dramatic depictions of their ancestors across a single canvas. This new form of narrative allows for discovery and unexpected connections, which ripple through generations and territories. Kahi opens his film in present-day Ōhinemutu, Rotorua – B Company's homeland, where Haane Manahi’s descendants are inspired by his memory on the eve of Anzac Day, 2025. From there, the story moves into the drama of the events leading up to the battle for Takrouna. Kahi carefully crafts and repurposes archival footage, and intimate testimony from stories handed down from one family member to another, including the discovery of Nizar Chhoubi, the last remaining resident of Takrouna, whose family was sheltered and protected on Manahi's orders in the midst of fighting.

Recommended for the Victoria Cross by three generals and a Field Marshal, Manahi was denied the award by an unnamed member of the British War Office – a decision that was never explained, and never reversed.

Storyteller Tearepa Kahi describes his mission as a filmmaker in bringing the story of Manahi to the big screen: “For years, Manahi’s name has been surrounded by the controversy of his VC downgrade. I was even tempted for a brief moment to tell an Errol Morris type documentary that explored the anatomy of his downgrade. But after visiting his grave, I opted for something else - why explore controversy when there was an opportunity to discover what Haane Manahi actually did, as well as those who he did it alongside.”

Tearepa Kahi visited Takrouna in March 2025, where he met Nizar Chhoubi and gained a greater grasp of the battle, beyond the military records. “When I visited Ōhinemutu, and spent time with Dr. Donna Morrison and the kuia of Haane’s marae, it became clear that every soldier in every photo frame and every cousin that left the meeting house of Tama Te Kapua to take up arms, remains clear in their collective memory. When I visited Takrouna, the same thing occurred - Nizar’s lucid memory could see into the past, the position of every cannon and the footprints of every soldier. We chose to tell a story about cousins who went above and beyond, that hopefully eclipses any notion of controversy, and brings a much deeper understanding to Haane Manahi and his people of Ngāti Whakaue, because this is not a story of loss and sacrifice, it is a story of connection and memory.”

Producer Dr. Donna Morrison, Haane Manahi's niece, says the injustice remains unresolved. "I didn't know too much about Uncle Haane in terms of the military – but I do remember him vividly as my swimming coach. That's how I learnt how to survive. Not really how to swim, but how to survive."

Alex Tarrant, who portrays Haane Manahi, says stepping into the role carried real responsibility: "To play a real-life figure of this significance, particularly someone so respected within Ngāti Whakaue and the 28th Māori Battalion, has been a privilege. It's important that these stories are told with care and integrity – and that is exactly what Tearepa brings to this film."

Rialto Distribution Founder and CEO Kelly Rogers adds: “Tearepa has created a powerful and moving film of a true story that absolutely needs to be shared, providing illuminating stories, pacy visuals and graphic WW2 action sequences for a wide and discerning audience"

Sgt. Haane is produced by Reikura Kahi, Selina Joe and Dr. Donna Morrison of Penny Diver Pictures, and made with investment from NZ On Air, Te Māngai Pāho, the New Zealand Film Commission and Kiwibank. Rialto Distribution International will distribute the film in New Zealand and Australia.

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