On this day in 1943, the actions of young 28th Māori battalion solider, Lance Sergeant Haane Manahi, changed the course of World War II in North Africa.

Just before midnight, Manahi led a group of soldiers up a vertical cliff to capture the Tunisian town of Takrouna from Axis powers - he took hundreds of prisoners, carried injured comrades down the mountain and protected locals from danger. 

Up until now, Haane’s story has largely been kept alive through his descendants but it’s now been turned into a film.

Sgt. Haane was directed by Tearepa Kahi and stars Alex Tarrant - and the pair are committed to bringing this story to life. 

"I knew there were things about his story that were familiar, and when you're a storyteller, you want to get off the beaten track and into the unknown world. So it was sort of sitting down with what was unknown, what remained - what stones remained unturned." 

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