Nancy Brunning starred as matriarch Ramona Mahana in the 2016 film, 'Mahana'.

More than twenty-years on from the ground-breaking Once Were Warriors, Kiwi director Lee Tamahori is making his mark with home-grown films once again.

Mahana, starring Temuera Morrison as Tamihana Mahana, set in a 1960s East Coast shearing community, will make its debut at the Berlin Film Festival.

The film was backed by the New Zealand Film Commission, New Zealand On Air, Maori Television, Entertainment One and Wild Bunch, as well as some crowd-funding.

Supplied Mahana will hit cinemas on March 3 2016.

Mahana, promoted internationally as The Patriarch, marks Tamahori's first use of home-grown subject matter since the iconic Once Were Warriors in 1994.

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"I wanted to do a film about the East Coast from this era and Witi is the person who has been telling these stories," Tamahori said.

Mahana is the latest film adaptation of Witi Ihimaera's writing.

The 2002 film adaptation of Ihimaera's Whale Rider, directed by Niki Caro, gained wide-spread international acclaim and saw Kiwi up-and-comer Keisha Castle-Hughes became the youngest nominee for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

Mahana is scheduled for New Zealand release on March 3, 2016.