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Gavin worked on films including ‘Gandhi’ and ‘Whale Rider’.

Bill Gavin, a former executive at the UK’s Goldcrest Films who worked on films including Gandhi and Whale Rider, has died aged 83 at his home in Auckland, New Zealand after a short illness.

The industry veteran worked on several award-winning features throughout his career as an independent sales agent, distributor, exhibitor and producer.

Born in Wellington, New Zealand, Gavin began his career as a motor racing journalist and moved to the UK in the early 1960s after securing a contract to report on successful Kiwi Formula One drivers competing overseas.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- The first New Zealand feature to secure local private investment in four years has started shooting on the eve of the New Zealand government unveiling measures to help the domestic film industry. Silverscreen Films' Spooked goes before the cameras this week. The Geoff Murphy-directed conspiracy thriller stars Cliff Curtis (Whale Rider) and is the first independent New Zealand film since What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?, the sequel to Once Were Warriors, to be privately backed.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- Writer-director Niki Caro's drama Whale Rider has become the second-highest-grossing New Zealand release at the domestic boxoffice. After 4 1/2 weeks, the film has grossed NZ$3.3 million ($1.86 million) to overtake 1999's What Becomes of the Broken Hearted? The only domestic film to gross more is Once Were Warriors (1994), which took in NZ$6.7 million ($3.75 million).