He Waiora: Rangatahi Film Showcase - Hamilton

Māoriland is excited to welcome you to this special screening of He Waiora - the Ngā Pakiaka Incubator Programme.

He Waiora is a collection of 8 short films made by a new generation of emerging young Māori filmmakers, developed and produced by Māoriland Film Festival (MFF)’s rangatahi (youth) development programme - the Ngā Pakiaka Incubator Programme (NPIP).

Created during the first COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 and supported by the Sundance Institute’s Reinstitute and Reimagine Plan and Te Tumu Whakaata Taonga - New Zealand Film Commission’s Rangatahi fund. Production of the films was supported by over 700 Boosted supporters.

‘He Waiora’ meaning a reflection of life is the theme of this collection of films. Each story is ambitious and a celebration of the types of stories that can be explored when young people are given the freedom and support to create.

Total length: 1:40min
Rating: M
This programme is recommended for mature audiences, it includes depictions of drug use and references to suicide.

Manu Masters
Dir. Te Waiarangi Ratana

Manu Masters is a coming-of-age comedy inspired by films like The Last Dragon and the original Karate Kid. Manu Masters must learn how to bomb from Matua Pai to save both his reputation and his self-esteem.

The Retrieval
Dir. Aree Kapa

If it's already yours, it's not stealing, right? A young man is faced with the decision of whether to risk the most important thing in his life to fulfil a promise to his elders.

The Voyager’s Legacy
Dir. Bailey Poching

Set during the time of the Dawn Raids, The Voyagers Legacy follows the three youngest children of a Samoan family, as they reimagine their bustling Ponsonby home as a magical, whimsical fairytale world of swords and sorcery.

Ngā Riwha a Tama
Dir. Keeti Ngatai-Melbourne

Uncle Brown is your classic East Coast Māori man. He is idolised by his 9-year-old nephew Tama. When Tama goes on his first-ever hunt with his uncle he follows and imitates his every move. But beneath his staunch exterior, Uncle Brown is hurting. Ngā Riwha a Tama is about the intergenerational cycle of depression and toxic masculinity amongst Māori men.

E Rangi Rā
Dir. Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne

He ao hou tenei ao e hurihuri nei. Set in the early 1800s following Ngapuhi's attack on Te Whānau a Hinerupe. Armed with European muskets this attack had a devastating long-lasting impact on Te Whānau a Hinerupe and their descendants.

In the midst of brutal inter-tribal warfare, a young girl, Rangi is separated from her mother. In her journey to safety, she befriends Hiwa, a young man who has also been separated from his whanau.

The Politics of Toheroa Soup
Dir. Tiana Trego Hall

The Politics of Toheroa Soup is Tiana Trego Hall's personal story of her whānau and their traditional kai, the protected giant surf clam, toheroa. Once a plentiful food source for iwi across New Zealand toheroa were gathered to near collapse after word of their deliciousness spread around the world.

Street Lights
Dir. Te Mahara Tamehana

Kawiti, 17 is trying to find a way out of his difficult home life. He deals drugs and takes risks on the streets of Kaitaia in the Far North. One night he is faced with a decision that will determine the rest of his life.

Ruarangi
Dir. Oriwa Hakaraia

Ruarangi is a thriller set in the early 1800s. It begins with a young and mischievous Māori man, Ruarangi who flees his father's anger and soon finds himself a captive on a tall-ship heading to England. On arrival, he is sold to an earl to be part of his collection of Indigenous exotica.

Ruarangi is the debut feature film by 18-year-old filmmaker, Oriwa Hakaraia. As part of NPIP, Oriwa filmed the opening scene of Ruarangi as a stand alone short film in December 2021.

Ticket Prices
$15 General Admission

The proceeds from this screening will support the filmmakers to travel to international film festivals with their films.

Visit maorilandfilm.co.nz/npip for screening details