Wairoa Maori Film Festival 2010

Press Release: Nuhaka, Wairoa District, Aotearoa New Zealand, Tuesday
June 8th 2010

THE WAIROA MAORI FILM FESTIVAL honoured the native people of Hawai’i
yesterday with the awarding of a new award category at the event. The
MANA WAIROA AWARD is a new category that recognises films that
contribute to the advancement of the human rights of indigenous
peoples all around the world. The Award is to tautoko (support) and
motivate the recipient community in its efforts to advance their goals
of realising the potentialities inherent in their values and belief
systems that spring from their unique whenua (land), moana (sea) and
ranginui (sky) context on Planet Earth.

The inaugural MANA WAIROA AWARD was presented to HAWAII A VOICE FOR
SOVEREIGNTY by Catherine Bauknight and the Native Hawaiian people. The
Award was presented over LIVE SKYPE VIDEO from the newly anointed
DIGITAL MARAE at Kahungunu Marae, Nuhaka.

Festival Director Leo Koziol (who is of Rakaipaaka tribal descent) and
Festival Chairperson Huia Koziol (who is a Trustee of the marae) spoke
by video with Director Catherine Bauknight, and also via live phone
connection with representatives from the Hawaiian indigenous movement
who are profiled in the film. Also present at this special event –
and participating in the SKYPE VIDEO — were kaumatua and Trustees of
the marae, guest Maori film makers present at the festival, and
members of the general public who had just had the privilege of
watching the New Zealand premiere of the film.

One of the goals of “Hawaii A Voice For Sovereignty” by filmmaker
Catherine Bauknight and the Native Hawaiian people, is to enlighten
the world of the truth of Hawai’i Nei. It was one year ago June 4th,
that the film was released at a private screening at the Capitol
Building in Washington, DC. On June 21st 2009 it had its public
premiere at the Maui Film Festival, and was awarded the Audience
Award, Best Hawai’i Film. “Hawaii A Voice For Sovereignty” has also
screened at venues in Hawaii, NY City, Canada, Los Angeles, and Santa
Cruz, CA. These screenings have contributed to achieving the
important goal of enlightening the world about the truth of Hawai’i
Nei.

The links below and the stories that follow contain some of the
significant developments since the release of the film.

Trailer of Film/Pasadena Cultural Event/Panel Discussion
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRJ-WO51xn4

KPFK radio interview
http://www.ukespot.com/

Spokesperson Kiowa Gordon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tEwTtktm_U&feature=related

Hawaii Public Radio
http://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/hpr/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4093&Itemid=99999999

LA Talk Radio
http://www.latalkradio.com/images/Grand-051310.mp3

The MANA WAIROA AWARD was launched at the fifth annual Wairoa Maori
Film Festival (website address is www.manawairoa.com) just prior to
the Poroporoaki after which film makers from across the country
returned home. It is hoped to hold screenings of HAWAII A VOICE FOR
SOVEREIGNTY at other locations around the country, including Murupara,
Auckland, Levin, Masterton and Wellington.

Authorised by: Te Roopu Whakaata Maori I Te Wairoa Inc.
YouTube – Videos from this email

MANA WAIROA FILM AWARDS 2010
Press Release: Nuhaka Wairoa District Aotearoa Sunday 6 June 2010

Last night the Awards Dinner of the Wairoa Maori Film Festival were held at Kahungunu Marae, Nuhaka.

For the first time, awards were presented for Acting roles, with the goal of recognising Acting talent in the Maori community:

Best Male Actor (Short Film) Aotearoa:Tuhoe Isaac in DAY TRIP
Best Female Actor (Short Film) Aotearoa: Shannon Claire in URU
Best Male Actor (Feature Film) Aotearoa: James Rolleston in BOY
Best Female Actor (Feature Film) Aotearoa: Helen Pearse-Otene in NO PETROL NO DIESEL

Independent film Director Stefen Harris (NO PETROL NO DIESEL) was present to accept the award of behalf of Helen Pearse-Otene.

As a result of the breadth of dramatic portrayal in non-human roles, a special award was presented as follows:

Best Non-Human Actor Aotearoa: Leaf in BOY

Mayor Meng Foon of Gisborne accepted the award on behalf of Leaf and Nanny Goats everywhere.

In the film Directing categories the following awards were presented:

Best International Indigenous Entry: REEL INJUN by Neil Diamond
Best Aotearoa Feature Drama: STRENGTH OF WATER by Armagan Ballantyne & Briar Grace-Smith
Best Aotearoa Documentary: THIS WAY OF LIFE by the Karena Family

Maori Land Court Judge Caren Fox accepted the award for THIS WAY OF LIFE on behalf of the Karena whanau. The film was Directed by Tom Burstyn and Barbara Sumner Burstyn.

In the Audience Award category the following award was presented:

Aotearoa Short Dramatic Film – Audience Award: URU by Hiona Henare

Each year, the Wairoa Maori Film Festival presents a FESTIVAL PRIZE for the most outstanding and groundbreaking film of the festival. The FESTIVAL PRIZE was presented by Festival Chairperson Huia Koziol, who is also a Trustee of the Kahungunu Community Marae Committee. The FESTIVAL PRIZE was awarded to:

BOY by Taika Waititi

Festival Director Leo Koziol acknowledge the role of Merata Mita as Executive Producer of BOY, as well as numerous short films played throughout the festival weekend.

The Festival Awards are selected by the Festival Executive Committee, with the assistance of mentors in the Maori film industry.

The audience award is selected by audiences at the film festival.

Authorised by: Te Roopu Whakaata Maori I Te Wairoa Inc.
Contact: Leo Koziol Festival Director 0211434113 email: maorimovies@gmail.com

Festival Marks Passing of Merata Mita (1942-2010)

WAIROA MAORI FILM FESTIVAL MARKS PASSING OF MERATA MITA

Press Release: Nuhaka Wairoa District Aotearoa Sunday 6 June 2010

This year’s Wairoa Maori Film Festival, currently underway at Kahungunu Marae in Nuhaka, has marked the passing of indigenous film Rangatira Merata Mita.

“I wish to state that we are all deeply saddened by the passing of Mana Wahine Merata Mita this week,” said Festival Director Leo Koziol. “Merata was an early and staunch supporter of the Wairoa Maori Film Festival, and attended the festival in 2005 where she presented her film works PATU and DAY 507. Merata was instrumental in bringing support of other film makers and National Geographic to our first festival, and had gone on to form her own film festival Aotearoa Film Festival with Te Wananga O Aotearoa. This news was sudden and has shocked us all, and our heartfelt condelences go out to her whanau and many many many friends.”

The Wairoa Maori Film Festival marked the passing of Merata Mita by delaying the formal proceedings of the festival until Saturday morning. A delegation of film makers who had attended the Tangi were welcomed as manuhiri with a Powhiri on the Saturday. Katie Wolfe, who had been supported in her film development process for short film REDEMPTION by Merata Mita, spoke of how Merata had told her it is important for our stories to be told on screen, and of how she was encouraged to strive to complete her work.

It was a fitting tribute to Merata that the audience award for Best Short Film Aotearoa was presented to Hiona Henare for URU. “We received over fourteen short film entries to our film festival, and only two of them were from women, URU by Hiona Henare and REDEMPTION by Katie Wolfe,” says Mr. Koziol, “So it is only fitting that the audience award went to an emerging Maori wahine film maker.”

Hiona Henare’s story URU is based on a speech made by a Kahungunu wahine leader in 1895 at a founding Maori Women’s Welfare League Conference. The audience award is selected by the audience at the festival, which once again comprised a mix of local community kuia and kaumatua, guests from near and afar, and numerous film makers attending to present their film works.

The Board and Patrons of the Wairoa Maori Film Festival share the sentiments of Nga Aho Whakaari Chairman Tearepa Kahi, “The truth: Merata Mita is a towering giant whose body of work stirs, ignites and guides our emotional and cultural understanding of our country and our people. She was a fierce advocate, a cultural revolutionary, an intellectual and artistic practitioner and mentor, a beautiful mother, a youthful grandmother and a dear friend. The future: Merata Mita challenges us all to continue the pursuit of ‘decolonizing the screen’ in order to better understand ourselves.”

Aue! Aue!
E Moe E Te Tuahine E Te Rangatira Merata,
I Roto I Te Aroha O Te Atua,
Waiho Matau E Tangi Nei.

On behalf of the Festival Board Roopu Whakaata Maori I Te Wairoa

Leo Koziol (Rakaipaaka, Kahungunu)
Tumuaki / Festival Director