Wairoa Māori Film Festival Returns

After a hiatus of over two years, the longest-running Indigenous film festival in Aotearoa New Zealand returns with Wairoa Māori Film Festival: Movies at the Marae at Kahungunu Marae, Nūhaka, this Labour weekend (October 25 to 27). Festival Director Leo Koziol (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Rakaipaaka) is bringing the festival to his home marae and home village, with over 50 short films and five features over three days.

When the Wairoa Star newspaper shut down earlier this year, Leo Koziol wondered whether time was up for the Wairoa Māori Film Festival as well. "When an institution over a hundred years old disappears in a day, I thought how even though the film festival has been here for twenty of those years, if a newspaper can disappear so can a film festival," says Mr. Koziol.

Both the film festival and the newspaper were adversely affected by the impacts of both Covid-19 and Cyclone Gabrielle. "Fortunately our funders came to us with Covid-relief funding during the pandemic years, so we were able to keep going," says Mr. Koziol. "But the flood meant Wairoa was completely cut-off, making the town inaccessible to guests and affecting the mood in the community for months."

Then the resilience of the community came through with Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa coming to the rescue of the newspaper and the film festival has partnered with Kahungunu Marae in Nūhaka to receive some flood relief events support. "We are putting on a 'puha-and-popcorn' weekend of Māori films for our community, as well as inviting all of our old film festival friends back to watch movies in the marae."

There are quite a few films to catch up on after two years. "I think the 2020s will be looked at as a landmark decade for Māori film," says Mr. Koziol. "Ka Whawhai Tonu and Uproar are but two examples of new Māori-made feature films drawing great box office across the country, including at our local Gaiety cinema."

Some parts of the festival are scaled back compared to past years. There is no awards programme this year, as festival organisers see all filmmakers as winners, getting their films made and screened in festivals in Wairoa and around the world. All of the screenings this year are at Kahungunu Marae, so the vibe is a relaxed marae hui and wananga for the weekend.

Movies at the Marae is a festival of Māori, Pasifika and Indigenous moving image art works, in partnership with Wairoa Māori Film Festival celebrating the Kahungunu Marae 75th Anniversary.

This year's event is tinged with sadness, at the recent passing of Kahungunu Marae chairman Terry Hickling. Terry Hickling is a local farmer who has been a Kahungunu Marae trustee for decades, his vision and drive has seen recent upgrades to the marae and commencement of a whakairo restoration programme. Moe mai rā, e te Rangatira, moe mai rā.

All screenings: entry by Koha, funds go to Kahungunu Marae whakairo restoration.

All pre-bookings and enquiries to: kahungunumarae@gmail.com

Website www.maorimovies.com

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