Me Reretau - Be In Balance. From the Festival Director

Me Reretau - Be In Balance

Raurangatira mā, kei ngā kanohi ora o rātou mā, kei ngā manuwhiri tūārangi, tēnā koutou katoa. Tēnei mātou te mihi maioha atu nei mō koutou kua tahuri kē mai koutou ki tā tātou ahurei ā tau. E whaimana anō ai a Māoriland, otirā ia, tātou katoa tonu o Ōtaki i tā koutou ekenga mai. Mauriora! Welcome to Ōtaki and our 7th Māoriland Film Festival.

Whether you are discovering Māoriland for the first time or you have been with us since the beginning we bid you all a very warm welcome to this showcase of Indigenous cinema. Our theme for MFF2020 is Me Reretau – Be in Balance - to offer stories that seek harmony in an increasingly discordant world. Indigenous stories help us make sense of our world, of our connections and our shared humanity. Access to technology has enabled Indigenous people around the world to tell our own stories. In this environment, Indigenous cinema continues to grow enabling us to hear the voices of those who have an unbroken connection with their lands.

MFF2020 is a powerful programme of over 120 films and includes World and Southern Hemisphere premieres. We open the festival with the first festival screening of The Legend of Baron To’a directed by Māori filmmaker Kiel McNaughton. Kiel and producer Kerry Warkia are the team behind last year’s opening night film Vai and also Waru. There is the multi award-winning Turtle Island documentary Nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up - with both the filmmaker Dr Tasha Hubbard and the whānau featured in this very important film, in attendance. We also have the much acclaimed environmental doco from Indigenous Peru, Sembradoras de Vida. For those who love Zombie movies we have the First Nations’ thriller Blood Quantum by Jeff Barnaby, while Blackhorse Lowe is back with his doom Rom-Com Fukry. Rounding off the Southern Hemisphere feature film premieres we have Sámi filmmaker Amanda Kernell’s Charter which has just premiered at Sundance Film Festival to strong reviews.

For the first time, we will also screen films from Indigenous Taiwan including Long Time No Sea, Wawa No Cidal, Virtual Reality Experience; A Song Within Us, and a series of brand new shorts made in January as part of Through Our Lens. There are some stunning short film programmes and we look forward to hosting award-winning filmmakers from around the world including those taking part in the fifth year of the NATIVE Slam, Māoriland’s 72 hour Indigenous International collaboration challenge. Special events include the Māoriland Keynote address at Rangiātea Church and our free whānau outdoor screening of Frozen 2. For those looking to further expand their horizons there are the provocative Māoriland NATIVE Minds sessions as well as Virtual Reality in our Māoriland Tech Creative Hub – M.A.T.C.H. Industry events include the Māoriland Pitch as well as panel discussions featuring local and international filmmakers. With our focus on providing a platform for Indigenous artists; Toi Matarau, Māoriland’s visual arts gallery includes Aotearoa’s top Māori artists with tāmoko, carvers and weavers working in and around the Māoriland Hub.

The input of Ngā Pakiaka, our young Māori filmmakers from across Aotearoa, is another way we find balance. Ngā Pakiaka are the roots of everything we do at Māoriland. They have programmed the Māoriland Rangatahi Film Festival and will show short films made this January during Through Our Lens workshops in Taiwan and Sápmi. Our Māoriland Film Festival 2020 Red Carpet will be another brilliant night to wrap up our 5th festival. Dress up to dazzle on the red carpet! There will be performances from guest artists and DJs. We extend our aroha to all our filmmakers and supporters of Indigenous film. With your support and enthusiasm this will be another magic week of Indigenous Cinema. Nau mai. Piki mai. Kake mai rā e hoa mā.

Libby Hakaraia

Te Tumu Whakarae - Festival Director