View the full Māoriland Film Festival programme and film details online at mff.maorilandfilm.co.nz

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Her Name Is Nanny Nellie
4:30 PM, Thu  21 Mar 
Nga Purapura 
2023 | 79 mins | Daniel King | Ngarigo, Yuin, Worimi | English

A trio of nameless statues buried in the archives of the Australian Museum trigger a granddaughter’s journey to rewrite how Aboriginal people are represented in Australia’s public history.

Twice Colonized
2023 | 92 mins | Lin Alluna | Greenland | English
6:00 PM, Thu  21 Mar 
Civic Theatre 

Renowned Inuit lawyer Aaju Peter has led a lifelong fight for the rights of her people. When her son suddenly dies, Aaju embarks on a journey to reclaim her language and culture after a lifetime of whitewashing and forced assimilation. But is it possible to change the world and mend your own wounds at the same time?
 

The Beautiful Scars of Tom Wilson
6:00 PM, Fri  22 Mar 
Nga Purapura 
2021 | 86 mins | Shane Belcourt | Mohawk, Metis | English

The Beautiful Scars of Tom Wilson will tell the remarkable point-of-view story of a rock star who, after a lifetime of searching, finally discovers his true identity. From his mysterious upbringing, self-destructive music career, to his current quest to explore his true identity as a Mohawk man.
 

Kindred
5:45 PM, Fri  22 Mar 
Civic Theatre 
2023 | 92 mins | Gillian Moody ,  Adrian Russell Wills | Wodi Wodi and Wonnarua Nations | English

When Gill Moody and Adrian Wills met making their first short film together little did they know that twenty one years later they would be best friends relying on each other to navigate the emotional rollercoaster of being Aboriginal and adopted into white families. This story explores the importance of discovering your place in the world and in realising that home and love truly can be found in the people and places that your heart connects to.
 

Waapake
1:00 PM, Sat  23 Mar 
Nga Purapura 
2023 | 80 mins | Jules Arita Koostachin | Attawapiskat | English 

For generations, the suffering of residential school Survivors has radiated outward, impacting Indigenous families and communities. Dr. Jules Arita Koostachin’s deeply personal documentary WaaPaKe (Tomorrow) moves beyond intergenerational trauma, with an invitation to unravel the tangled threads of silence and unite in collective freedom and power.
 

Máhccan - Homecoming
1:00 PM, Sun  24 Mar 
Nga Purapura 
2023 | 77 mins | Anssi Kömi, Suvi West | Sámi | Finnish & Sami with English subtitles

Co-directors Suvi West and Anssi Kömi share a personal and insightful story about the return of Sámi artifacts — long held in a museum — to their homeland in this deep and profound documentary.

Sámi (and countless other Indigenous nations’) relics are housed in museums worldwide, many of which were seized or claimed over the centuries as curios for trade or as part of the aggressive Christianisation that demonised Sámi culture. In addition to everyday items such as clothing and tools, these collections also include spiritually powerful drums and, human remains.

West powerfully illustrates how emotional trauma experienced by the Sámi in their fight to get back their stolen ancestral heritage.
 

You Can Go Now
2:45 PM, Sun  24 Mar 
Nga Purapura 
2022 | 82 mins | Larissa Behrendt | Eualeyai & Gamillaroi | English

First Nations artist Richard Bell proclaims himself to be an ‘activist masquerading as an artist.’ His confrontational work and attitudes have stirred the Australian art world while being lauded internationally, taking him from a childhood in a rural Queensland shack to the lofty halls of the Tate Modern.

Schooled in the rough and tumble politics of Redfern and the Canberra Tent Embassy, his work challenges the institutions of colonisation in Australia and asserts the rights of First Nations people around the world.

Through this collaboration with Emory Douglas, a Black Panther known as the ‘Revolutionary Artist’ Bell’s work links the fight for rights in Australia and the U.S. He has profoundly challenged the Australian art world with his scorching manifesto, Bell’s Theorem, that labeled the Aboriginal Art industry as ‘a white thing’ defined by colonial power structures that profit most from it.

At a time when Australia is contemplating voice, truth, and treaty, Bell’s ideas cannot be ignored.

View the full festival programme and film details online at mff.maorilandfilm.co.nz

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About the Māoriland Film Festival
 

Each March, Māoriland Film Festival brings the world of Indigenous cinema to Ōtaki for five days of screenings, workshops, art exhibitions and special events. Māoriland operates year-round from the Māoriland Hub and is operated by Māoriland Charitable Trust. 
 

68 Main Street Ōtaki

He whare taketake – a home for the Indigenous

He whare tapere – a home for the imagination

He whare kōrero – a home for conversation

Ko Te Kawa Nui Ia He Manaaki i Te Tangata

Ko Te Kawa Nui Ia, He Manaaki i te Tangata
 

Māoriland is committed to creating a safe environment for all our kaimahi and visitors. 

The values and functions of Māoriland are derived from cornerstone principles of celebration, unity, vigilance, and respecting the mana of every person and taonga in our whare. 

We ask that manuwhiri and visitors alike respect the mana of all who you may encounter. 

Some of our spaces are small and lack airflow, so consider wearing a mask while watching a film. If you are feeling sick, please stay home. 

Everyone including Kaumatua and Rangatahi, filmmakers, artists and industry, and members of the public have the right to be free of harassment, discrimination, sexism, and threatening or disrespectful behaviour - either in-person or online from others attending Māoriland events.
 

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