Thursday, 18 August 2011

Maori Television has a great line up of feature films and documentaries over the next few months.

As we count down to Maori Television’s free-to-air Rugby World Cup coverage, there are some treats in store.

The two major coups are the free-to-air exclusive screening of the Taika Waititi-directed and critically acclaimed Boy on 1 October and the international free-to-air premiere of the Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto, claimed by some to be one of the best indigenous films made, on 7 October.

People around the world will recognise “Ka Mate” as the All Black haka, but few know the real story about the composition by Ngati Toa ancestor Te Rauparaha. On 1 October at 8pm, Ka Mate: The Haka The Legend explores the true legend and the history behind one of New Zealand’s greatest national haka, as told by Ngati Toa.

Next Saturday’s feature at 9.30pm is Scarfies: The Director’s Cut, also featuring the Boy director, about a group of Otago University students who find a marijuana plantation in there flat. And on Sunday 28 August, is a premiere screening of The Hollow Men at 8.30pm. This is the feature documentary based on Nicky Hager’s controversial book which exposed the dodgy dealings of the Don Brash-led National Party.

Beneath Clouds (3 September, 9.30pm) is a critically acclaimed Australian film about the light-skinned daughter of an Aboriginal mother and Irish father, and a Murri boy doing prison time. The teenagers are thrown together on a challenging journey of self-discovery as they experience brief happiness together. Beneath Clouds won the PREMIERE First Movie Award at the 2002 Berlin International Film Festival and also earned a Best New Talent Award for emerging actress Danielle Hall.

Another indigenous Australian story is Contact (25 September, 8.30pm) which shows the historic 1964 first encounter between a group of indigenous Martu people and the West. They are subsequently removed from their land when patrol officers try to clear their area for a series of space rocket tests.

The Pipe (4 September, 8.30pm) is a documentary following a coastal Ireland village as they fight back against oil company Shell who are attempting to build a gas pipe through their community.

Filmed in Afrikaans with English subtitles, Getroud met Rugby: Die Onverteld Storie on 18 September at 8.30pm keeps with the rugby theme as it tells the tale of two broken people, both rugby players, whose paths cross in order to find themselves. Another rugby film with a South African setting is The 16th Man (2 October, 8.30pm). Narrated and produced by Morgan Freeman, The 16th Man is the real Invictus documentary about former South African president Nelson Mandela as he led his country out of apartheid.

Rounding out the sports-related programmes is When We Were Kings (14 October, 9pm), the documentary about boxing great Muhammad Ali and Hoop Dreams (23 September, 7.30pm), the 1994 documentary which follows the lives of two African American boys from inner city Chicago who struggle to become college basketball players on the road to going professional.

Tune into Maori Television from September, the free-to-air home of Rugby World Cup 2011 and a great range of movies and documentaries.

ENDS

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