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The official trailer for Aotearoa’s brand-new action-comedy The Legend of Baron To’a has today been released ahead of its nationwide theatrical release on 20th February 2020.

The film features an all-star Pacific and Māori cast, including Uli Latukefu (Alien: Covenant), Nathaniel Lees (The Matrix Reloaded), Jay Laga’aia (Star Wars), John Tui (Hobbs & Shaw), Shortland Street alumni Shavaughn Ruakere and Fasitua Amosa (Fresh Eggs), Xavier Horan (Westside) and upcoming stars Duane Evans Jr (Avatar sequels) and Lotima Pome’e (General Fyah).

The Legend of Baron To’a tells the story of a Tongan entrepreneur who returns to his old neighbourhood and inadvertently causes the theft of his late father’s valued pro wrestling title belt by some ruthless gangsters. When negotiation and diplomacy fail to get it back, he is forced to embrace his father’s legacy to reclaim the title.

Directed by Kiel McNaughton and produced by Kerry Warkia under the Brown Sugar Apple Grunt banner, husband and wife duo Warkia and McNaughton’s credits include the critically acclaimed films Waru and Vai and TV series, Auckland Daze, Darryl: An Outward Bound Story and Find Me A Māori Bride.

Funded by the New Zealand Film Commission, ‘The Legend of Baron To’a’ will be distributed by Madman Entertainment (Hunt for the Wilderpeople) in NZ and Australia and represented in North America by XYZ Films (The Dead Lands).