Wairoa Maori Film Festival 2009

Wairoa Maori Film Festival 2009

Monday 22 June 2009, Wairoa, New Zealand

FILM MAKERS AND THE WAIROA COMMUNITY gathered last night for the closing screening double feature of Vincent Ward's "In Spring One Plants Alone" and "Rain of the Children" at Taihoa Marae, Wairoa. Another successful Wairoa Maori Film Festival has made its presence felt in Wairoa and in the indigenous film world.

Vincent Ward's feature docu-drama "Rain of the Children" received the Festival Prize at the Festival Dinner on Saturday night. Vincent's documentary was a "sequel" to his 1978 film "In Spring One Plants Alone" about the life of Puhi, Tuhoe kuia and former wife of the son of Maungapohatu Prophet Rua Kenana.

Other award recipients on the evening were "Warbrick" by brothers Pere Durie and Meihana Durie, which received the Aotearoa short film audience award, "Tnorala Baby Falling" by Aboriginal film-maker Warwick Thornton that received international indigenous entry prize, and "Taking the Waewae Express" by Andrea Bosshard and Shane Loader, which won Aotearoa feature drama/documentary prize.

Brothers Pere Durie and Meihana Durie were present at their film's screening on Friday night, where they acknowledged the support of the Wairoa Maori Film Festival in 2005 via the festival's scholarship programme The brothers mentioned how the funding from this scholarship went into the development of the film "Warbrick" which had now become a reality.

Festival Chairperson Huia Koziol confirmed the success of the ongoing project that is the Wairoa Maori Film Festival, and that the date of the next festival is Queen's Birthday Weekend 2010, June 3rd to 7th 2010, venues Kahungunu Marae, Taihoa Marae and Wairoa War Memorial Hall.

Festival organisers in the coming year are also planning to assist film-makers to develop their film projects, supporting emerging Maori Directors in their vision, and helping local film-makers tell local stories. "A Producers Pod has been established," says Festival Director Leo Koziol, "with agreement by independent Waikato film-maker Garth Watene as the first participant in this programme." There is also the concept of a Wairoa Music Video project on the drawing board, building on the huge ongoing success of Wairoa College students at Pacifica Beats.

The theme of the 2010 festival will be "Waka," and it is hoped to have waka on the Wairoa River as part of the festival celebration next year.

ENDS

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