Film-maker Sumner Burstyn says her documentary on a Maori family growing up in rural New Zealand is succeeding because it encourages audiences to examine their own lives.
This Way of Life won the best director and best arts feature documentary sections at the Qantas film and television awards last weekend.
As well as screening for 16 weeks in New Zealand, This Way of Life has been shown in theatres in Los Angeles and New York.
Burstyn told Waatea News the accolades should got to Peter and Colleen Karena, who raised their six children against the backdrop of the Ruahine ranges and Waimarama Beach in Hawke's Bay.
