Festival Programme Now Online

Festival Programme Now Online

Wairoa Aotearoa New Zealand Wednesday April 8th 2009

The Wairoa Maori Film Festival is proud to announce the release of its festival programme for 2009. “Since 2005, we have been presenting a showcase of New Zealand Maori themed film works, including dramatic features, short films and documentaries” says Festival Director Leo Koziol.

“ Indigenous film makers have also travelled from around the world to present their works and participate in the unique energy that is the Wairoa Maori Film Festival,” says Mr. Koziol. “This year, our international selection includes films from Canada, USA, Australia and Bolivia. On the feature film front, we are proud to host the World Premiere of the new digital feature “Rua”, directed by Garth Wateneh.”

“The new NZ Film Commission-funded short films are also a highlight of our programme, with new works by Maori directors Nancy Brunning, Ainsley Gardiner and brothers Meihana and Pere Durie,” says Mr. Koziol. “We are hoping to have some of these film-makers in attendance at the festival this year, as we celebrate our fourth festival of Maori film.”

This year’s festival theme is “Kia Tau Te Rangimarie” – “Peace in our Time”, and this theme is represented in a special Peace-themed selection of archival films presented by the NZ Film Archive, and by the astonishing and prophetic “8th Fire” from the Anishnabe people of North America. The Anishnabe believe that 2011 is a unique year of change in the calendar of time, as is also prophesised by other native people’s across the American continents.

This year’s programme is different to those prior because for the first time the festival is bein g presented as one sequential programme, with no competition across the four festival venues. For the first time, festival organisers are also holding a special “pre-night” screening at the Kahungunu Marae in Nuhaka, with archival films focused on the community of Festival Director Leo Koziol’s home village and its hinterlands. Films to screen include footage from the original opening of Kahungunu Marae in 1949.

“The new approach will enable our guest film-makers to maximize their wananga potential between each other, and for guests to take in fully the menu of great film works on offer,” says Mr. Koziol.

The programme of the Wairoa Maori Film Festival is online now at: www.manawairoa.com.

Some further elements of the festival are still to be confirmed for inclusion, including a “first film-makers” short films wananga, an NZ On Screen wananga, and a korero session with Nga Aho Whakaari Maori in Film & Television.

This year’s festival is supported by Creative NZ Te Waka Toi and the NZ Film Commission.

ends

© Scoop Media