Hautoa Mā! The Rise of Māori Cinema

Documentary Hautoa Mā! The Rise of Māori Cinema reveals the remarkable impact Māori have made on New Zealand cinema. Alongside film clips and interviews, it goes behind the scenes on te reo movie The Dead Lands (2014). In this opening excerpt, Taika Waititi recalls the emotional impact of first seeing Once Were Warriors, and Warriors director Lee Tamahori describes his fear the movie would echo the views of bigots. Dead Lands star Lawrence Makoare (whose CV also includes te reo film The Māori Merchant of Venice) pays a memorable tribute to Don Selwyn, who trained many Māori to work on-screen. 

From a Māori perspective this is a new thing that we're trying to do. On the one hand, this is the first action movie that we've ever made, and certainly the first in the Māori language. But on the other hand it's really just a retelling of old tales.

– The Dead Lands co-producer Tainui Stephens

Key Cast & Crew

Lee Tamahori

Subject

James Rolleston

Subject

Taika Waititi

Subject

Lawrence Makoare

Subject

Libby Hakaraia

Director, Camera, Sound Recordist

Tainui Stephens

Writer, Producer, Subject, Sound Recordist