With over 30 years of experience in the film industry, Cliff Curtis has established himself as one of New Zealand’s most successful actors and producers.
Curtis made his feature film debut in a small role in The Piano (1993), before exploring a wide range of genres in NZ films including Desperate Remedies, Jubilee and River Queen. But it was Once Were Warriors (1994), Whale Rider (2002) and The Dark Horse (2014) that brought him to a wider audience.
Curtis gained early recognition in the US collaborating with directors David O Russell, Martin Scorsese and Michael Mann. Notable TV roles include series such as Gang Related, Body of Proof, Trauma, Missing and Fear the Walking Dead. He recently starred in Hobbs & Shaw alongside Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and with his Hobbs & Shaw co-star Jason Statham in the action film sequel The Meg 2. In 2022, Curtis appeared in Netflix’s True Spirit with Anna Paquin and in the NZ feature Muru. He also joined the ensemble cast of James Cameron’s Avatar sequels as Tonowari. Upcoming projects include roles in the Netflix series Kaos with Jeff Goldblum and the Apple TV series Chief of War starring Jason Momoa.
As a producer, Curtis formed Māori film production company Whenua Films in 2004 with cousin Ainsley Gardiner. The pair produced Taika Waititi’s WWII short film Tama Tu (2005), debut feature geek comedy Eagle vs Shark (2007), and Boy (2010), the feature inspired by Waititi’s Oscar-nominated short Two Cars, One Night.
In 2013, Curtis established Arama Pictures, dedicated to indigenous storytelling, inspired by mentors Merata Mita, Don Selwyn and Barry Barclay. The company has produced notable works like The Dark Horse and the documentary Merata – How Mum Decolonised the Screen, which premiered at Sundance (2018). Arama Pictures also executive produced Muru in 2022. In 2023, Arama executive produced season one of Swift Street in Melbourne, premiered at CanneSeries in 2024, with a confirmed second season.
Curtis has worked steadily internationally, taking a pragmatic approach to his Hollywood career to strengthen his craft and enhance his passion for producing.
The Asia Pacific Screen Academy expresses its respect for and acknowledgement of the South East Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. We pay our respects to the Traditional Owners of country, including the custodial communities on whose land works are created and celebrated by the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. We acknowledge the continuing connection to land, waters and communities. We also pay our respects to Elders, past and present. We recognise the integral role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and First Nations peoples continue to play in storytelling and celebration spaces.
