Submissions now open for MFF2021

Each March the Indigenous world comes together in Ōtaki, Aotearoa (New Zealand) to celebrate Indigenous screen storytelling at Māoriland Film Festival, the largest Indigenous film festival in the Southern Hemisphere.

Located on New Zealand’s Kāpiti Coast, Ōtaki is a vibrant seaside town where Māori culture and language thrives. 

Submissions are now open for MFF2021. We accept submissions from Indigenous filmmakers from wherever you be in the world. 

Submissions are free until October 30. 

Submit your film now

Only complete, online submissions will be considered. 

Artistic Policy

Māoriland exists to uplift the perspectives and stories of Indigenous peoples.

Māoriland invites film, video, digital and interactive media work and artwork (all mediums) made by Indigenous creatives.

To be eligible for Māoriland an Indigenous creative must be credited in a key role such as director, producer or screenwriter.

The Indigenous creative must self-identify with and be recognised as an Indigenous person. Indigenous peoples are also known as Tangata Whenua, Aboriginal, Native, First Peoples or Tribal Peoples who belong to; or who have had an uninterrupted relationship with their land. This is distinct from those people who have arrived from another place to live in a country.

While a key creative involved in the project must be Indigenous, the issue or content of the film may be non-Indigenous. This recognises the diverse experiences, identities and perspectives of Indigenous people(s), worldwide.

Where the eligibility of a submitter is unclear, Māoriland will follow up with the submitter to clarify eligibility.

Māoriland prioritises work that:

  • Innovates to present unique and new Indigenous perspectives
  • Provides a portal to the Indigenous world for ALL peoples.
  • Upholds the mana (respect for) and inspiration of our storytellers – guided by our elders and taught by our children.
  • Respects our audience
  • Relevance of work in regards to emerging themes and issues that shape our wider Indigenous experience.

Programmers may consider a limited number of works at its discretion where a work has been created with genuine and mutual participation from an Indigenous person or group of peoples. References and further background will be requested for works submitted under this category.