Official Trailer Released For Mārama

A NEW MĀORI GOTHIC FROM WRITER/DIRECTOR TARATOA STAPPARD

IN CINEMAS ACROSS NEW ZEALAND FROM THURSDAY 12 FEBRUARY, 2026

The official trailer for Taratoa Stappard’s striking directorial debut MĀRAMAhas been released today, ahead of the film’s New Zealand theatrical release in early 2026.

After premiering at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in the 2025 Discovery programme - celebrated for spotlighting bold new cinematic voices, MĀRAMA has continued its global festival run, screening at Fantastic Fest, the Zurich Film Festival, and Sitges. Later this month, it joins the line-ups of the Hawai‘i International Film Festival and the American Film Institute’s AFI Fest, further cementing its reputation as a standout new voice in Māori Gothic cinema.

“Sharing my first feature with international audiences has been a tremendous honour. MĀRAMA is my Māori gothic love letter to our whenua, our tīpuna, and the stories that dwell in the shadows. To now return the film to Aotearoa, to the very place where it was born, makes this journey all the more meaningful,” says Stappard.

Set in the moody world of Victorian era North Yorkshire, MĀRAMA follows a young Māori woman’s battle to reclaim her identity and reconnect with her Indigenous culture in a foreign land.

Writer-director Taratoa Stappard (Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Tūwharetoa) helms a cast led by Māori actor Ariāna Osborne (Ngāti Mutunga, Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi - Tangata Pai, Madam) in a breakout role, starring alongside British actor Toby Stephens (Black Sails, Die Another Day, Percy Jackson and the Olympians).

The ensemble also features Umi Myers (Bob Marley: One Love, Dope Girls) and New Zealanders Erroll Shand (The Twelve, Savage, The Luminaries) and Jordan Mooney (Pike River, The Bluff).

Produced for The Sweetshop by Sharlene George (Ngāti Paerangi o Ngāmaru, Ngāti Māoate e Ngāti Tamarua), Rickylee Russell-Waipuka (Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Mutunga), and Rouzie Hassanova, in association with the New Zealand Film Commission, NZ On Air, Whakaata Māori and Images & Sound.

Vendetta Films will distribute the film in Australia and New Zealand and MPI International will manage global rights sales.

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