1. Geoffrey Peter Murphy was a New Zealand filmmaker, producer, director, and screenwriter best known for his work during the renaissance of New Zealand cinema that began in the second half of the 1970s.
12 Facts About Geoff Murphy
1. 2.
Geoff Murphy was a scriptwriter, special effects technician, schoolteacher and trumpet player at different times.
3.
Geoff Murphy was married to Merata Mita, a film director, actress, writer.
4.
Geoff Murphy grew up in the Wellington suburb of Highbury, and attended St Vincent de Paul School in Kelburn and St Patrick's College, Wellington, before training and working as a schoolteacher.
5.
Geoff Murphy was a founding member of the hippy musical and theatrical co-operative Blerta, which toured New Zealand and Australia performing multi-media shows in the early 1970s.
6.
Several Blerta members would work on Geoff Murphy's films, including drummer and Blerta founder Bruno Lawrence, who had starring roles in Utu and The Quiet Earth.
7.
Geoff Murphy made his name with road movie Goodbye Pork Pie, the first New Zealand film to attract large-scale audiences in its home country.
8.
Geoff Murphy directed the film and co-produced it with Nigel Hutchinson.
9.
Geoff Murphy next directed the Maori Western Utu and the last-man-on-Earth piece The Quiet Earth.
10.
Geoff Murphy returned to New Zealand and assisted Peter Jackson on The Lord of the Rings films; made a documentary film chronicling the Blerta phenomenon; and directed the thriller Spooked, featuring Cliff Curtis.
11.
In 2013 Geoff Murphy was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2013 Rialto Channel New Zealand Film Awards.
12.
Geoff Murphy was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to film, in the 2014 New Year Honours.