Māoriland Indigenous Co-Lab Announces Participants for Groundbreaking Feature Film Development Program

Māoriland is proud to announce the participants for the inaugural Māoriland Indigenous Co-Lab, a groundbreaking Indigenous feature film development initiative.

This unique program, supported by Te Tumu Whakaata Taonga (NZFC) and international Indigenous screen partners, will mentor and cultivate Māori creatives as they develop their feature film projects in preparation for production and financing.

The Māoriland Indigenous Co-Lab is structured around four pou (pillars):

Pou Tuatahi: Māoriland Indigenous Script Accelerator – a full-time paid residency for experienced Māori screenwriters.
Pou Tuarua: Producers and directors join the writers to form key creative teams.
Pou Tuatoru: Teams prepare their projects for international markets.
Pou Tuawhā: Participants receive market training and support as they present their work at international markets and festivals.

The following writers have been selected from a national call for applications:

Paula Whetu Jones with Sins of the Mother
Sins of the Mother is a powerful, character-driven family drama exploring the generational impact of trauma, guilt, and the bond between mothers and daughters.

Paula Whetu Jones, of Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, Whakatōhea, and Ngāti Porou descent, began her career producing documentaries on social issues such as women in gangs and truancy. Her notable works include co-writing and directing Waru (2017) and the biopic Whina (2022).

Recently, she created and directed the comedy series Spinal Destination for SKY TV/Neon. She is also the director of Whitiora Productions Ltd

Aroha Awarau with Hidden
Hidden is a tense, emotionally charged crime thriller following Pere, a rural Māori cop, and Lupe, a determined Sāmoan mother, as they search for their missing gay relatives.

Aroha Awarau is an award-winning journalist, playwright, and filmmaker whose short films Home and Disrupt have garnered international acclaim.

Aroha has a background in journalism, having written for National Geographic, the NZ Herald, and New Zealand Woman’s Weekly, and served as a producer for Whakaata Māori’s Native Affairs.

Kirk Torrance with Don Te Haute
Don Te Haute is a darkly humorous yet heartfelt story of redemption, centering on a man struggling with his mental health. When his estranged daughter is deported to his address, he devises a wild plan to help her return to her kids in Australia and hopes to make up for a lifetime of absence.

Kirk Torrance is a distinguished actor and playwright, known most recently for starring in Testify and Under the Vines. His experience as a writer and actor enriches this touching story of a father’s quest for redemption.

Tainui Tukiwaho with Hemo is Home
Hemo is Home is a darkly comedic fantasy that follows 9-year-old Hemo, raised by the ghosts of his ancestors in an ancient urupā. Tainui Tukiwaho is an award-winning playwright and director with a 20-year career in the performing arts.

He has directed numerous stage productions and his acclaimed play Hemo is Home earned the Playmarket Adam Award for Playwrights. Tainui is now further exploring screenwriting, bringing his diverse expertise to film.

Rafer Rautjoki with The Jade Stars
The Jade Stars is a vibrant exploration of ambition, cultural identity, and family dynamics set in 1960s New Zealand. Rafer Rautjoki began his filmmaking journey inspired by his mother, pioneering Māori filmmaker Merata Mita.

He has written and directed several short films, including Reunion and The Brylcreem Boys, which have screened internationally at festivals like ImagineNative and the Māoriland Film Festival.

A Kāhui of global Indigenous screen representatives was engaged to support this initiative, including award-winning and Oscar-nominated Greenlandic producer Emile Peronard, imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival Director Kahstarohkwanoron Lindsay Monture, and Sundance Institute’s Indigenous Program Associate Director Adam Piron, Māoriland’s Kaiurungi Tainui Stephens (Te Rarawa) and Kaitiaki Pūrakau Libby Hakaraia (Ngāti Kapu, Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga).

The Kāhui has also invited Bronson Price to participate as a teina. Bronson (also known as hip hop artist Melodownz) is a dynamic artist known for blending genres in his music, and now he’s venturing into screenwriting. His project, Pressure, is a visually powerful drama exploring the societal and familial expectations placed on three Auckland teenagers.

The Māoriland Indigenous Co-Lab blends mentorship, collaboration, and tikanga Māori, creating a unique environment for filmmakers.

Libby Hakaraia, Māoriland’s Kaitiaki Pūrakau, explains, “This is not just about making films. It’s about building a future for Indigenous storytelling, reimagining stories and filmmaking methods, with wellbeing and being Māori at the core.”

Fellow tuakana Kath Akuhata Brown adds, “Our role is to support these filmmakers as they take creative risks, reminding them they are part of a wider community.”

Disco Kuini (Libby Hakaraia) is an energetic, vibrant coming-of-age story set in 1980s New Zealand, following two spirited Māori teenage girls, Miriama and Kararaina, navigating the complexities of race, culture, and identity through their love of disco.

The Ugliest Woman in the World (Kath Akuhata Brown) is a poignant exploration of self-worth, identity, and societal expectations wrapped in a comedic and dramatic narrative. The story follows Adi, a Māori widow who is thrust into a bizarre legal battle following the death of her wealthy husband, Joseph.

The Māoriland Indigenous Co-Lab marks the next step in Māoriland’s long-term vision to celebrate Māori and Indigenous storytellers, providing a platform for them to thrive creatively and professionally.

With the backing of Te Tumu Whakaata Taonga (NZFC) and international partners, this initiative aims to reshape Māori cinema and propel these filmmakers onto the world stage.

Expressions of interest for directors and producers to join the projects will be issued on the 9th of October, 2024.