1960s, East Coast of New Zealand. Two Māori sheep-shearing families, the Mahanas and the Poatas, are longstanding enemies and commercial rivals. 14-year-old Simeon Mahana, the youngest son of the youngest son is in conflict with his traditionalist grandfather, Tamihana. As Simeon unravels the...
The story of Dame Whina Cooper, the beloved Māori matriarch who worked tirelessly to improve the rights of her people, especially women. Flawed yet resilient, Whina tells the story of a woman formed by tradition, compelled by innovation, and guided by an instinct for equality and justice whose...
One-time Maori speed-chess champ, Genesis Potini, lives with a bi-polar disorder and must overcome prejudice and violence in the battle to save his struggling chess club, his family and ultimately, himself.
A matriarch organizes a feast with her family, in which she will name her successor. The heart has gone out of Nanna Maria's family. There are no parties — they don't even fight anymore...
This docudrama follows an imaginary news reporter who travels back in time to cover the days leading up to the Treaty of Waitangi's signing on 6 February 1840. Dropping the usual solemnity surrounding Aotearoa's founding document, it uses humour and asides to camera to evoke the chaos and motives...
Based on a true story, STOLEN is an emotional thriller about every parent's greatest fear. Kahu Durie - the adopted baby daughter of Maori High Court Judge, Justice Eddie Durie and prominent lawyer, Donna Hall - is snatched at gunpoint as Donna pushes the pram in the street. Nine tense days follow...
Two first-time single mothers - on a girl racer, the other a pianist and gardener - share a post-natal ward room after the birth of their babies and develop a precarious friendship. As they face the challenges of new motherhood, they must confront their pasts and face the truth about their babies'...
Eight Māori female directors have each contributed a sequence to this powerful and challenging feature which unfolds around the tangi of a small boy who died at the hands of his caregiver.
One summer’s day, Jayde and Wiremu tag along with their older siblings on a trip to a local swimming hole; young passions ignite by the Rotorua hot pool. Later, tragedy occurs and Jayde faces lost innocence and the ritual of tangi while bearing a secret.
"The universe can teach if you are willing to learn. Desperation and lack of any contingency creates delusion and false hope. Sacrifice deserves certainty – words like hope and potential are fairytales."
