The Dark Horse (2014)
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- R
- 2h 4min
- Biography, Drama
- 20 Nov 2014 (Australia)
- Movie
A brilliant but troubled New Zealand chess champion finds purpose by teaching underprivileged children about the rules of chess and life.
Director:
Writer:
Awards:
- 26 wins & 16 nominations.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Cast
| Cliff Curtis | ... |
Genesis
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| James Rolleston | ... |
Mana
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| Kirk Torrance | ... |
Noble
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| Miriama McDowell | ... |
Sandy
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Barry Te Hira | ... |
Mutt
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| Xavier Horan | ... |
Jedi
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| Wayne Hapi | ... |
Ariki
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Lyel Timu | ... |
Rangimarie
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| Te Ahorangi Retimana-Martin | ... |
Rusty
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Calae Hignett-Morgan | ... |
Piripi
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Te Rua Rehu-Martin | ... |
Murray
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| Niwa Whatuira | ... |
Michael
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Lionel Wellington | ... |
Rip
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Wesley Broadfoot | ... |
Nathan
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Tuhoe Isaac | ... |
Blood
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Sia Trokenheim | ... |
Nurse
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Andrew Grainger | ... |
Clive
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Shaden Te Huna | ... |
Young Genesis
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Dante Nathuran | ... |
Young Ariki
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Pat Napier | ... |
Registration Lady
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Kuli Tonga | ... |
Truck
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| Quade Roiri | ... |
Rangi
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| John Leigh | ... |
Gift Shop Owner
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| Shane Rangi | ... |
Police Officer #1
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Thomas Kiwi | ... |
Police Officer #2
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Jim Marbrook | ... |
Red Faced Man
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| Jon Brazier | ... |
Dr. Andrews
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Karlos Wrennall | ... |
Liquor Store Owner
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| Rachel House | ... |
Vagrant Woman
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Patricia Wichman | ... |
Rip's Mother
(as Patricia Vichmann)
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Shane Dawson | ... |
Rip's Dad
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John Robertson | ... |
Chess Coach #1
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Shane 'Jedi' Fitzgerald | ... |
Mark
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| James Napier Robertson | ... |
Dave
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| Andrew Stehlin | ... |
Vagrant Heavy
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Marietta Apulu | ... |
Marietta
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Christopher Kessell | ... |
Tom Michaels
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Jacob Yetton | ... |
Jacob
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
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Monty Sansom | ... |
Chess Tournament Player
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| Roseanne Liang | ... |
Nurse (uncredited)
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Joseph Oliveira | ... |
Store Clerk (uncredited)
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Directed by
| James Napier Robertson | ||
Written by
| James Napier Robertson | ... | (writer) |
Produced by
| Cliff Curtis | ... | executive producer |
| Tom Hern | ... | producer |
| Jim Marbrook | ... | co-producer |
| James Napier Robertson | ... | co-producer |
| Judith Trye | ... | line producer |
| Timothy White | ... | executive producer |
| Sasha Wood | ... | associate producer |
| Tim Wood | ... | associate producer |
Music by
| Dana Lund | ||
Cinematography by
| Denson Baker | ... | director of photography |
Editing by
| Peter Roberts | ||
Editorial Department
| Emma Bartlett | ... | post producer |
| Alexander Borgers | ... | post-production assistant |
| Clare Burlinson | ... | digital intermediate colourist |
| Nicolas Chaudeurge | ... | additional editor |
| Victoria Chu | ... | deliverables mastering supervisor: Park Road Post Production |
| Annie Collins | ... | additional editing / assembly editor |
| Francisco Cubas | ... | on-line editor |
| Gareth Evans | ... | mastering and deliverables |
| Frédéric Geffroy | ... | assistant digital intermediate colorist: Park Road Post Production |
| Michael Harris | ... | digital mastering |
| Brough Johnson | ... | assistant editor |
| Wattana Moeung | ... | data wrangler: Park Road Post Production |
| James Napier Robertson | ... | additional editor |
| Shailesh Prajapati | ... | assistant editor |
| Michael Urban | ... | assistant editor (as Mike Urban) |
| Nimai Vandenbos | ... | assistant editor |
| Matthew Wear | ... | mastering and deliverables |
| Tim Willis | ... | on-line editor |
Casting By
| Matt Dwyer | ||
| Mike Dwyer | ||
| Yvette Reid | ||
Production Design by
| Kim Sinclair | ||
Art Direction by
| Jill Cormack | ||
Set Decoration by
| Daniel Birt | ||
Costume Design by
| Kristin Seth | ||
Makeup Department
| Vinnie Ashton | ... | key makeup artist |
| Kendal Ferguson | ... | assistant makeup artist |
| Natasha Lees | ... | makeup artist |
| Jacqui Leung | ... | makeup artist (as Jacqueline Leung) |
| Roger Murray | ... | makeup effects fabricator |
| Jane O'Kane | ... | makeup: hair & prosthetics designer |
| Claire Rutledge | ... | makeup artist (as Claire Wolburg) |
Production Management
| Ben Dun | ... | unit assistant |
| Amanda Heatley | ... | Sound Post Producer |
| Victor Moyers | ... | head of production: Broad Green Pictures |
| Dominic Stones | ... | unit manager |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Rachael Boggs | ... | third assistant director (as Rachel Boggs) |
| Sophie Calver | ... | second assistant director |
| Ant Davies | ... | third assistant director |
| Tom Hern | ... | splinter unit director |
| Luke Robinson | ... | first assistant director |
| Tref Turner | ... | additional assistant director |
Art Department
| Daniel Birt | ... | props buyer |
| Christiaan Ercolano | ... | graphic artist |
| Joseph Leary | ... | set dresser |
| Mel Moors | ... | scenic artist |
| Sam Storey | ... | stand-by props |
| Troy Stephens | ... | scenic artist (uncredited) |
Sound Department
| Nick Buckton | ... | sound designer / sound effects editor |
| Vanessa Carr | ... | foley recordist |
| Jim Carroll | ... | foley artist (as James Carroll) |
| Tim Chaproniere | ... | re-recording mixer |
| Emile de la Rey | ... | dialogue editor |
| Fred Enholmer | ... | sound mixer |
| Alexis Feodoroff | ... | mix technician |
| Sam Good | ... | boom operator |
| Amanda Heatley | ... | sound post producer |
| Greg Junovich | ... | adr recordist |
| Matthew Lambourn | ... | sound effects editor |
| Toby Lloyd | ... | adr recordist |
| Adrian Medhurst | ... | sound recordist |
| Brendon Morrow | ... | adr recordist / sound editor |
| Craig O'Reilly | ... | casual |
| Tom Scott-Toft | ... | assistant dialogue editor / foley editor |
| Pete Smith | ... | re-recording mixer (as Peter D. Smith) |
| Ryan Squires | ... | assistant foley editor |
| Chris Todd | ... | supervising sound editor |
| Sandy Wakefield | ... | second boom operator |
Special Effects by
| George Buckleton | ... | special effects technician |
| Quentin Carmichael | ... | special effects assistant |
| Brendan Durey | ... | special effects |
| Sven Harens | ... | special effects (as Sven Harrens) |
| Raani Ratahi | ... | special effects assistant |
| Roy Ratahi | ... | special effects assistant |
| John Towe | ... | special effects |
Visual Effects by
| Mike Robinson | ... | visual effects |
| Amy Shand | ... | digital lab and vfx manager |
Stunts
| Matt Bennett | ... | stunt performer |
| Shane Dawson | ... | stunt coordinator |
| Clint Elvy | ... | stunt coordinator |
| Stephen Grey | ... | stunt performer |
| Thomas Kiwi | ... | stunt performer |
| Tori Marsh | ... | stunt performer |
| Andrew Stehlin | ... | stunt performer (as Andrew B. Stehlin) |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Denson Baker | ... | camera operator: "a" camera |
| Lee Clafferty | ... | lighting assistant |
| Jackson Cullen | ... | lighting technician |
| Jack Gow | ... | lighting assistant |
| Kirsty Griffin | ... | still photographer |
| Sam Jellie | ... | best boy |
| Manon Laffitte | ... | video split |
| Thad Lawrence | ... | gaffer |
| Rob Marsh | ... | camera operator (as Rob 'Swampy' Marsh) |
| Nick Pretcherer | ... | lighting assistant |
| Jennifer Raoult | ... | still photographer |
| Gareth Robinson | ... | key grip: Gisborne |
| Ben Rowsell | ... | first assistant camera: "a" camera |
| D.J. Stipsen | ... | camera operator |
| Kim Thomas | ... | second assistant camera |
| Michael Urban | ... | digital image technician |
| Henry West | ... | first assistant camera: b camera |
| Merlin Wilford | ... | generator operator |
| Daimon Wright | ... | key grip |
Casting Department
| Yvette Reid | ... | casting |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
| Ciara Dickens | ... | costume buyer |
| Amber Hanly Rhodes | ... | assistant costume designer (as Amber Rhodes) |
| Jenny Rushton | ... | key set costumer |
| Danielle Soepnel | ... | costume assistant |
Location Management
| Meredith Brown | ... | location assistant |
| Ryan Freeman | ... | key location assistant |
| Jesse Halbert | ... | location assistant |
| Merlin Scott-Smith | ... | location assistant |
| Jordi Scott Smith | ... | location manager |
| Aleisha Thorne | ... | locations coordinator (as Aleisha McLardy) |
| Reuben Whitehead | ... | location assistant |
Music Department
| Nick Buckton | ... | composer: additional music |
| Murray Fisher | ... | music editor |
Script and Continuity Department
| Claire Dobbin | ... | script consultants |
| Toa Fraser | ... | script consultants |
| Graeme Tetley | ... | script consultants |
| Kathleen Thomas | ... | script supervisor (as Kath Thomas) |
Transportation Department
| Mike Tripp | ... | transportation coordinator |
Additional Crew
| Chris Drake | ... | production runner |
| Phillip Gore | ... | production accountant (as Phil Gore) |
| Rachel House | ... | acting coach |
| Brian S. Johnston | ... | VP Physical Production: Broad Green Pictures |
| Michelle Leaity | ... | production coordinator |
| Bryce Pearce | ... | safety supervisor |
| Tim Riley | ... | business & legal affairs |
| Amanda Sullivan | ... | production secretary |
| Christopher Tricarico | ... | Evp: Business And Legal Affairs- Broad Green |
Thanks
| Andrew Adamson | ... | special thanks |
| John Barnett | ... | special thanks |
| James Cameron | ... | very special thanks |
| Jane Campion | ... | special thanks |
| Ed Clarke | ... | special thanks |
| Pana Hema Taylor | ... | special thanks |
| Annick Mahnert | ... | special thanks |
| Christina Milligan | ... | special thanks |
| Hengameh Panahi | ... | special thanks |
| Robin Scholes | ... | special thanks |
Production Companies
- Four Knights Film
- Southern Light Films (in association with)
Distributors
- Broad Green Pictures (2015) (United States) (theatrical)
- Imagine Films Distribution (2015) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
- Koch Media (2016) (Germany) (theatrical)
- Microkosmos (2015) (Greece) (theatrical)
- KVH Media Group (2015) (World-wide) (Ships)
- KVH Media Group (2016) (World-wide) (Ships)
- Koch Media (2016) (Germany) (DVD) (and Blu-ray)
- Koch Media (2015) (United Kingdom)
- NITV (2025) (Australia) (tv)
- Seville International (2014) (World-wide) (except Australia and New Zealand)
- Shout! Factory (2021) (United States) (tv) (VOD)
- Transmission Films (2013) (New Zealand)
- Transmission Films (2014) (Australia)
- Vrijzinnig Protestantse Radio Omroep (VPRO) (2017) (Netherlands) (tv) (NPO2)
- Yleisradio (YLE) (2019) (Finland) (tv)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- Imagezone (camera equipment provided by)
- Lifeguard & Safety (safety services)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
The true story of New Zealand chess champion Genesis Potini (Curtis), a man who, despite having to face challenges on his own, finds purpose teaching chess to the children in his community in the hope of helping them avoid a life of crime and violence. |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | When a king falters, it can take a community to help him stand... See more » |
| Genres | |
| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
| Certification |
Additional Details
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Box Office
| Budget | NZD3,500,000 (estimated) |
| Cumulative Worldwide Gross | $3,256,000, 16 Jun 2020 |
Did You Know?
| Trivia | Actor Wayne Hapi who played "Ariki" had no previous acting experience before his debut in 'The Dark Horse', however as an ex gang-member he did have direct experience with the film's content. Wayne applied for an audition via email after Casting Director Yvette Reid placed a job listing at WINZ "seeking Maori Men aged 50-65yrs, tattoos and criminal records welcome!". Wayne was honoured with a nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the 2014 New Zealand Film awards. See more » |
| Goofs | In a chess lesson, Genesis identifies the square c4 as "the Spanish square" and b5 as "the Italian square." These are the squares to which white moves the king's bishop on the third move of the Giuoco Piano, or Italian Game, and the Ruy Lopez, or Spanish Game, respectively; he's got them backward. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Referenced in Fear the Walking Dead (2015). See more » |
| Quotes |
Genesis:
Burn the school down! See more » |