A powerful and haunting film based on the Aramoana massacre of 1990 where local recluse David Gray, following an argument with his neighbour, shot 13 people dead before going into hiding on the outskirts of the small New Zealand seaside village. As he stalked his victims, the terrified and confused residents were trapped in the village for 24 hours while a handful of under-resourced and under-armed local policemen risked their lives trying to find him and save the survivors.
Directed by Robert Sarkies (This Is Not My Life), Out of the Blue cleaned up at the inaugural Film and Television Awards – an amalgamation of the NZ Screen Awards and the NZ Television Awards – taking out best picture with a budget over $1 million, best screenplay and best lead actor.
The film first premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2006 and will air on SBS this Thursday, September 2 at 10pm.