Story of South Auckland record label Dawn Raid heads to the big screen

The Ōtara record label was the launching pad for many Pasifika talent.

The South Auckland suburb of Ōtara, a longtime grassroots launching pad for much Pasifika talent, is about to be put on the map on the big screen.

A documentary feature about the rise and fall of Dawn Raid Entertainment and the music careers they took to the world is already making waves.

Dawn Raid founders Danny "Brotha D" Leaosavai'i and Andy Murnane started their journey in a garage, but it was at the market where they sold their T-shirts to generate capital.

Film director Oscar Kightley recalls first meeting the pair at the markets: "Andy and Brotha D had a stall here, a table, they were just like everyone else."

And from there they took their music label with Pacific hip hop artists to the world.

It's this story, charting their success and revealing crushing failures, that's being released this month.

Kightley says there's a depth of honesty that's raw and sometimes painful to watch.

"It's the rise and fall but the legacy," he told 1 NEWS.

Moving to directing was a natural move for Kightley, who has spent decades as a playwright, writer, producer and actor, staying true to what drives him – telling his people's stories..

Being asked to direct Dawn Raid, a film about his friends, meant something special to him.

"I was just like 'of course I want to direct it', I'd be upset if anyone else did ... it's that thing for Pacific, the individual is less important than the group and so I knew how important they were to us."

Dawn Raid is in cinemas from January 21.

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