Submissions open for Māoriland Film Festival 2024

Māoriland invites film, video, digital and interactive media work and artwork (all mediums) made by Indigenous creatives to submit their projects for Māoriland Film Festival 2024.

Māoriland Film Festival was founded in 2014 to celebrate Indigenous voices and storytelling in film. 

The MFF has grown to be the largest presenter of Indigenous storytelling in the Southern Hemisphere with year-round screen and arts programmes that include; industry events, rangatahi filmmaking, creative technology (animation/VR/AR/XR), the NATIVE Minds lecture series,  performing arts, music and theatre performances, a full visual arts programme at its art gallery Toi Matarau at the Māoriland Hub. 

Māoriland Film Festival and the Māoriland Hub is based in Ōtaki, Aotearoa. Both are  owned  by the Māoriland Charitable Trust (NZ Charities Commission: CC53677) 

The 11th Māoriland FIlm Festival – MFF24 will take place from March 20 – 24, 2024

Key Submisson Dates

Submissions for MFF2024 open: SEPTEMBER 1 2023

Submissions close: OCTOBER 31 2023

Late Submissions ($25NZD fee) close: NOVEMBER 30 2023

Notification Date: All filmmakers will be notified by JANUARY 30 2024

Artistic Policy

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

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

To be eligible for your work to be presented or displayed by Māoriland, an Indigenous creative must be credited in a key role such as director, producer or screenwriter. Artworks must be created by an Indigenous individual.

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. The festival cannot advise an individual if they are Indigenous or not.

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 may follow up with the submitter to clarify eligibility, or the work will be deemed to be ineligible.

CLICK HERE TO READ FULL RULES AND TERMS FOR SUBMISSIONS

Submission Categories:

• Māoriland Film Festival (general screening programme)
• Māoriland Rangatahi Film Festival (youth-targeted screening programme)
• M.A.T.C.H (creative technology exhibition – VR, gaming & new technology)
• Installations & Light Artworks

During the festival Toi Matarau gallery presents its annual exhibition of Māori & Indigenous art. For inclusion in this programme please contact Toi Matarau directly – [email protected]

Awards & Prizes:

Films programmed at the Māoriland Film Festival and Māoriland Rangatahi Film Festival are eligible for Audience Choice awards. The following categories will be awarded at the Māoriland Red Carpet Party on Sunday 24 March. 

• People’s Choice – Drama (Feature) 
• People’s Choice –  Documentary (Feature) 
• People’s Choice – Short Drama
• People’s Choice – Short Documentary
• Rangatahi Choice