SMART THINKING
New and established talent will shine during the largest Indigenous film fest in the Southern Hemisphere.
Talent abounds at Māoriland, the largest Indigenous Film Festival in the Southern Hemisphere.
Move over Wellywood: we’re travelling to Ōtaki for the eighth Māoriland Film Festival – the largest Indigenous film festival in the Southern Hemisphere and the pride of a coastal community once dubbed “The Los Angeles of New Zealand’s Motion Picture Industry” due to its scenery and cinematic light.
Launched in 2014 to celebrate and uplift Indigenous voices and storytelling in film, the five-day festival is the highlight of the Māoriland Hub annual calendar, which throughout the year features regular events and workshops designed to upskill Indigenous creatives in film, video, digital and interactive media, with a particular focus on rangatahi (young people) and their whānau.
Featuring 120 films and 50 events from emerging and established filmmakers representing 80 Indigenous nations, this year’s festival kicks off on 24 March with the red carpet premiere of Cousins, Ainsley Gardiner’s and Briar Grace-Smith’s much-anticipated adaptation of the beloved Patricia Grace novel.
The film follows the lives of three cousins – Mata, Missy and Makareta – and their familial bond that traverses time and circumstance. maorilandfilm.co.nz