Maori Television International Documentaries

PUBLICITY RELEASE
TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 11 2007

Maori Television International Documentaries: Oct 9-Nov 27 2007

Maori Television's International Documentary slot, Pakipumeka o te Ao, screens every Tuesday at 8.30 PM. Upcoming documentaries include:

THAMANYA: A HOPE FOR BURMA - Tuesday October 9 at 8.30 PM: Thamanya Sayadaw became a Buddhist monk at the age of 67 and from his hilltop retreat, his Buddhist principles have created a utopian communal settlement. The Thamanya community offers a uniquely religious lifestyle.

THE LEGACY OF A REVOLUTION - Tuesday October 16 at 8.30 PM: It's been 27 years since Nicaragua's Sandinista revolution. This documentary.looks at the changes made after that 1979 revolt. In one year, Nicaraguans went from being ruled by a strict right-wing dictatorship to being controlled by left wing, idealistic revolutionaries. Which was the lesser of the two evils? Which, if any, was good for the nation and people of Nicaragua? The characters telling their stories have no name or role and alternate personal recollections with political reflections on the present and future of Nicaragua and on the changes which that period brought about in Central America.

THE LAST KNIGHTS - Tuesday October 23 at 8.30 PM: In the Strait of Messina, off the Sicilian coast, the sword fish hunters pursue their prey with techniques dating back to Phoenicians times. The 'human' protagonists in this documentary are two crews pitted against each other: the first coming from Sicily and the second from Calabria. Will the Sicilians manage to hunt the most fish and keep their families fed, or will their cockiness prove their undoing?

THE MAGIC TOUCH - Tuesday October 30 at 8.30 PM: The fairytale image of the Cirque du Soleil has reached audiences around the world but the public knows very little about the person who has created many of its fabulous costumes: Dominique Lemieux. Shot over two years in Montreal, Las Vegas, Brussels, Milan, Chartres (France), Fukuoka (Japan) and Benares (India), this documentary offers a unique insight into the imagination of this flamboyant artist.

DRIVING TOWARDS A FUTURE: RAROTONGA - Tuesday November 6 at 8.30 PM: What do people on Rarotonga, the main island of the Cooks, fear most? The fear of being injured in a road crash. The number of reported Rarotongan motor vehicle crashes has jumped almost 500 per cent in four years - the rate is 3.5 times higher than that experienced in New Zealand. The Cook Islands Road Safety Council enlisted the help of New Zealand entertainer Billy TK Jnr to do a local version of his successful New Zealand road safety roadshow. This documentary was made during that trip.

ACT OF WAR - Tuesday November 13 at 8.30 PM: A provocative look at an historical event of which few people are aware. In mid-January 1893, armed troops from the U.S.S. Boston landed at Honolulu in support of a coup d'etat against the constitutional sovereign of the Hawaiian Kingdom, Queen Lili'uokalani. The event was described by US President Grover Cleveland as 'an act of war'. Stylized re-enactments, archival photos and film, political cartoons, historic quotes and presentations tell this slice of Hawaiian history through Hawaiian eyes.

EYES WIDE OPEN - Tuesday November 20 at 8.30 PM: Catherine Phiri was a 40-year-old mother and nurse from Malawi who discovered she was HIV-positive following the death of her husband. Risking isolation and even violence, Catherine decided to speak about her condition in public and to use her experience and her voice to break the silence surrounding AIDS. She became a respected leader and a source of inspiration for many people. As her illness was progressing, Catherine continued her own battle till the very last day, with the same determination and courage which characterized her life.

CROSSING THE LINES - Tuesday November 27 at 8.30 PM: Follows the journeys of two young medical students, Amy and Paul, who leave their safe middle class homes and university behind to be thrust into the harsh reality of everyday life on Queensland's Mornington Island. Like most Australians, they have never been exposed to life in a remote indigenous community. Throughout their eight-week placement, Amy and Paul move beyond their professional roles to make personal connections with some of the locals. There is an ongoing tension between their personal experience with the community and the professional distance they are told they need to maintain in order to practice professionally.

Maori Television's International Documentary slot, Pakipumeka o te Ao, screens every Tuesday at 8.30 PM.

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