Coveted festival selection for Ngāi Tahu Artists web series

MEDIA RELEASE

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2018

Coveted festival selection for Ngāi Tahu Artists web series

Ngā Ringa Toi o Tahu, the eight-episode web series exploring the practice and success of a group of talented Ngāi Tahu artists, has been selected to screen at two coveted film festivals – Māoriland 2018 and the Vancouver Web Fest.

The series, created and produced by Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu and funded by Te Māngai Pāho, was launched in June 2017 and captures a moment in time in the careers of some of New Zealand’s most celebrated contemporary artists. It has been nominated for Best Documentary at the Vancouver Web Fest to be held from19 to 21 April, and selected to screen at the Māoriland Film Festival, New Zealand’s international indigenous film festival from 21 to 25 March in Ōtaki on New Zealand’s Kāpiti Coast.

“We’re extremely honoured and humbled to hear that Ngā Ringa Toi o Tahu has been selected to screen at Māoriland 2018 and the Vancouver Web Fest,” says Executive Producer and Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu Chief Operating Officer Julian Wilcox. “The series features stories that celebrate the diversity and depth of artistic talent in Aotearoa, and provide a glimpse into the lives of the creators – we’re really excited that these stories are reaching a wide audience in New Zealand and internationally,” Mr Wilcox says.

Ngāi Tahu artists featuring in the series include landscapes artist Simon Kaan, master carver Fayne Robinson, jeweller Areta Wilkinson, sculptor Ross Hemera, multi-media artist Lonnie Hutchinson, photographer Fiona Pardington, video installation artist Nathan Pohio and weavers Reihana Parata and Morehu Flutey-Henare.

Ngā Ringa Toi o Tahu has already achieved national and international acclaim since it was launched in June last year. It was screened at the Docs Without Borders Film Festival, the UK Web Fest, Rio Webfest and the Equality International Film Festival 2018, and was selected as a finalist in the New Zealand Web Fest and The Monthly Film Festival. Ngā Ringa Toi o Tahu also received an Award of Merit in the IndieFEST Film Awards, and was selected by Air New Zealand to screen as part of its inflight entertainment onboard international flights.

Ngā Ringa Toi o Tahu follows on the heels of Ngāi Tahu Mahinga Kai, a twelve-part web series that showcased the traditional food gathering practices of the iwi. Released in September 2015, this series generated an extremely positive response and in November 2016 was awarded Best Web Show at the New Zealand Web Fest Awards.

The Ngā Ringa Toi o Tahu series can be viewed here on the Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu website: http://ngaitahu.iwi.nz/culture/ngai-tahu-toi/

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