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Singer Stan Walker makes his acting debut playing the lead role in feature film Mt Zion, which started shooting on Monday March 12 in the Pukekohe area.

Walker stars as Turei, a talented young musician with a dream – for his band to win the audition to be the support act for Bob Marley’s 1979 concert in Auckland.

Singer Stan Walker makes his acting debut playing the lead role in feature film Mt Zion, which started shooting on Monday March 12 in the Pukekohe area.

Walker stars as Turei, a talented young musician with a dream – for his band to win the audition to be the support act for Bob Marley’s 1979 concert in Auckland.

Set amongst a Maori family of contract potato pickers in Pukekohe, Mt Zion is a family- oriented story in which Turei’s desperate ambition clashes with traditional whanau values, leading to an emotional showdown and powerful change.

Temuera Morrison (Once Were Warriors), plays Turei’s father, the hard-working head contractor who has some lost ambitions of his own. The film also stars Miriama Smith (We’re Here to Help).

Mt Zion is written and directed by Tearepa Kahi, who made the international award-winning short film Taua. It is produced by Taua producer Quinton Hita of Kura Productions through production company Small Axe Films. Funding is from the New Zealand Film Commission, NZ On Air, Maori Television and Te Mangai Paho. The New Zealand distributor is Sony Pictures NZ. NZ Film, the sales arm of the NZFC, is handling world sales of the film.

Kahi, of Ngati Paoa and Ngati Hine descent, has iwi affiliations and family history in the potato farming area of Pukekohe, just south of Auckland, and the inspiration for the story of Mt Zion is from his background.

Born in Melbourne of Tuhoe and Ngati Ranginui descent, Stan Walker won the 2009 Australian Idol singing contest and is now signed to Sony Music as a recording artist and EMI publishing as song writer. His debut single, Black Box hit no 2 in Australia and no 1 on New Zealand singles charts.. He has released three albums, won five NZ Music Awards and had four Aria nominations. His song Stand Up featured on the Australasian release of the movie The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. His new single, Music Won’t Break Your Heart, which he co-wrote with DNA, is available now.

Walker says of Mt Zion, “The script is so good – it’s definitely the main reason I wanted to get involved.”

Andrew Cornwell, General Manager, Sony Pictures NZ, says: “We look forward to continuing our association with great New Zealand stories and talent. In the past year we have been involved in the release of Billy T: Te Movie and Sione’s 2: Unfinished Business. We wish the talented cast and crew of Mt Zion all the best and look forward to bringing the project to cinemas in the first part of 2013.”

Media release: NZ Film Commission