Maori film success celebrated in build-up to Matariki

The small northern Hawke’s Bay settlement of Wairoa is to get its biggest ever tourism boost.

During the week of 2 to 6 June, the first ever Maori Film Festival will be staged in the township, marking the commencement of Matariki, the Maori New Year.

The goal is to make this annual event the ‘Maori Sundance’ that transforms the small town into a centre of Maori cultural creativity in the 21st century.

The theme of the inaugural festival is Mana Wairoa - The World Through a Maori Lens.

Festival director Leo Koziol says this is something very positive for the community, allowing the locals as well as visitors to celebrate New Zealand’s unique culture and its achievements within the film industry.

“We are hoping for the Maori Film Festival to be a premiere event on the Aotearoa arts calendar,” says Leo.

“The recent confirmation of the National Geographic Society as the festival’s international partner means it will be a showcase for both the best in film-making and international indigenous filmmaking.”

Witi Ihimaera, one of the festival’s patrons

The programme will include categories in Maori dramatic short films, Maori short-form documentaries, Maori long-form documentaries, and international film production.

Patrons of the Wairoa Film Festival include Dame Georgina Kirby, Lee Tamahori, Rena Owen, Merata Mita, Cliff Curtis, Derek Fox, Mika, Chris Sidney, Witi Ihimaera, Don Selwyn, Barry Everand, Te Arohanoa Taiapa, and Mayor Bob Harvey of Waitakere City.

An award for lifetime achievement will also be made to an individual Maori Film-maker/ and or actor, who has made an outstanding contribution to the film industry over his or her lifetime.

Indigenous film-makers from around North America will be in attendance at the festival, invited as part of the National Geographic’s All Roads Film Project programme.

Tangata Whai Rawa o Weniti - The Maori Merchant of Venice

The All Roads Film Project is a new initiative of the society which was formed in 1888 and is now one of the world’s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organisations.

National Geographic’s All Roads Film Project aims to provide a platform for indigenous and under-represented minority culture film-makers from around the world. The project is designed to highlight the talents and cultures of these dynamic filmmakers to a broader audience.

Wairoa has been selected as the most appropriate venue for the new event because, at 59 per cent, it has the highest proportion of Maori in its population of any centre in New Zealand.

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Full festival programme and information on transport and accommodation to Wairoa can be obtained from manawairoa.com