Heart Of The Sun

A “Planet B” FILM
WRITTEN BY Ben Wood

HEART OF THE SUN
Two cultures. One legend.
New Zealand, 1864. Across this primordial land rages a war between the native Maori people and the British crown, as two cultures collide in armed conflict tearing apart the country. Against the backdrop of this struggle, a remote village untouched by the world continues to follow its traditions, fulfilling its task as the protector of an ancient and sacred treasure; a gold Incan statue that grants unusual powers. Brought to their ancestors over 200 years ago by emissaries from the Chinese Empire, the statue was entrusted to the tribe in exchange for secret knowledge and a bargain was struck between them that it should be protected until such time that it was needed.
As a direct descendant of the chief entrusted with the safe keeping of this treasure, Kahurangi has been raised from birth to follow in his father's footsteps leading his people as a warrior sage. In their remote forest village, the changes that have swept the country have past the people by, leaving their way of life largely unchanged.

But an ancient plot is unravelling with the treasure at its centre. A strange entourage arrives at the village, Chinese monks that speak Maori and bearing a greenstone club carved with the moko design of the village elders. This retinue has come to fulfil the other half of the ancient bargain, passed down through their own lineage. The time approaches for its powers to be harnessed. But as these two groups prepare peacefully for the coming confluence, they are unaware that others have eyes set on the treasure. Under a false pretext of Native aggression, Morecomb (a rogue British officer) guided by a mysterious Persian man leads his small band of soldiers in an attack on the village.
Kahurangi and Shu (a young monk) are away from the village enjoying testing their martial skills and philosophy on each other. Hearing the sound of gunfire they return to find the village destroyed, its people massacred and the treasure gone. Knowing that they must retrieve the holy relic before it can be transported away, the warriors pursue the soldiers in a race to the coast. Joined by a drunken farmer whose homestead the thieves raided for supplies, they must work together with all their abilities in a fight to save the treasure and fulfil their ancient duty.
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New Zealand has never been seen like this before as the beauty of this country provides a cinematic backdrop for a film of gritty high adventure and martial arts in the spirit of Hong Kong Cinema, Fantasy and Cowboy Westerns. With a hero that displays the Maori martial prowess in a way that has never been depicted before; forget grass skirts and ceremony; Kahurangi unleashes the full force of taiaha (spear), mere (club) and magic in action sequences that will blow audiences away, in a sweeping story that brings a legend from across three continents halfway around the globe. This is a New Zealand you have never seen before...