Synopsis
The rise, fall and spiritual rebirth of the most iconic and influential music label in Pacific history, Dawn Raid Entertainment.
Dawn Raid
2021 Directed by Oscar Kightley
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A cool, heart warming and heart breaking tale of the unique Dawn Raid Entertainment; South Auckland music and music adjacent business empire of the 2000s! The camera loves everyone, and no one wastes a word. I’d like to believe I’m in at least one of the crowd shots. It was such an epic time in NZ hip hop.
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Because our politicians & scientists sorted out Covid, I walked that red carpet to a real movie premiere at the mall where I spent my teens.
And because the doc is the wild tale of NZ’s most influential hip hop label, there was a *lot* of unscripted audience commentary and “chee-hooo!”s and THAT’S why cinema.
Stellar work from Oscar Kightley in his debut directorial feature. It hangs on the “performances” of label-heads Brotha D and YDNA and they deliver, because they are OG hustler-showmen. The connection between director and talent bodes well for any narrative feature that Os might direct.
“You pay the IRD before you pay God.”
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Dawn Raid is a relentlessly entertaining feature length documentary about the rise, fall and re-birth of Dawn Raid Entertainment, New Zealand’s first and, by far, most influential hip-hop label. Anchored by interviews with Dawn Raid founders Danny "Brotha D" Leaosavai'i and Andy Murnane, and featuring almost all of the label’s most important artists including Savage, Mareko, Deceptikonz, Adeaze and Aaradhna, the film has multiple moments of sheer fist-pumping joy.
Dawn Raid was always more than a label; it was a South Auckland cultural force, and the film is about culture and community as much as it is about music. But boy, the music is good; if nothing else, Dawn Raid may open your eyes to a whole area and era… -
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Along the lines of the exhilarating THE DEFIANT ONES (a Netflix series I've gorged twice so far, and could probably go again), the story of South Auckland's Dawn Raid Entertainment is super fun in its telling. We're sold two delightfully engaging central characters, plenty of juicy gossip and fascinating backstories of significant Kiwi acts whose careers were launched, or at least illuminated, by these plucky young fellas just following their dream.
Those more in the know than I about the NZ music industry may take exception to Kightly's directorial softness, as the picture painted is unrelentingly supportive and veers far from provocative. But if you're none the wiser, as I was, this doco counts as a universally recommendable good time.
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In the hands of long-time writer and actor and first-time feature director Oscar Kightley, it becomes a powerful, emotional and incredibly entertaining film.
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A cool, heart warming and heart breaking tale of the unique Dawn Raid Entertainment; South Auckland music and music adjacent business empire of the 2000s! The camera loves everyone, and no one wastes a word. I’d like to believe I’m in at least one of the crowd shots. It was such an epic time in NZ hip hop.
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Our own voice.
The trials and tribulations of discovering talent, and running with it - albeit without finishing business school!
Awesome pair of entrepreneurs winging it and putting New Zealand rap & hip hop on the world stage.
A great watch - Kightley obviously has a the confidence of the stars on screen - and keeps the film careering along at an excellent clip, but I felt it could have dug a bit deeper as the film heads past the tricky waters - would have liked to know a lot more about the relationships post the consequences - Scribe, dad, the more about their relationships once things dropped.
Needed a hip hop Music mixer on the Final Mix stage - could have rocked the Embassy a lot more. -
"None of this stuff should be happening for us, but guess what, it happened"
Dawn Raid is a story of near mythical proportions originating in south Auckland with two friends who strived to make greatness out of the life they were given, to bring pride to their community, and to help others showcase their talent to the rest of the world. Dawn Raid is this constant rollercoaster of fun, with its cast of characters who really help to tell this legendary story. The film is well edited and I always found myself engaged with the story being told to me. My only problem is the ending, where it seemed that they wanted to try and wrap up everyone's story as…
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A fascinating and inspiring story with some great soundbites and archival footage. Essential viewing for any New Zealander.
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A story that is well overdue, and told with heart and humour by Oscar Kightley. Twist in the tail that I did not know about. One for the dreamers and the cynics simultaneously. Should be mandatory viewing in Kiwi schools.
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