TangataWhenua.com » Maori & Film

Waititi talks about gowing up (+VIDEO)

DigitalMaori — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 03:56:54 +0000

(by TOM HUNT) For Taika Waititi the life-changing moment came as he sat in a green room wearing a g-string.

That, and other odd facts about the Oscar-nominated director, came out as he spoke about his upbringing in Doha in TEDx – an independently organised event to spread ideas.

Waititi appeared in it late last year. He said his mother was of Russian and Jewish heritage while his father was a farmer and an artist who between them ”gave birth to a beautiful Asian daughter called Taika”.

He showed old school photos, including one of him as a young boy at Wellington’s Te Aro School, and revealed some of his early artworks such as the doctored one and two dollar bills he exhibited at Deluxe Cafe years back.

As a young boy he was obsessed with Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel and ”drew it and drew it”.

He also discussed a childhood fascination with the swastika which, fearing he would get caught, he changed into a window, and then a house.

Among his bizarre inventions have been the button-down tie, an emery board guitar neck, and ”rugbaby”, which combines his love of rugby and babies.

But Waititi was introduced to the world for his Oscar-nominated film Two Cars, One Night.

The catalyst came when he was featuring as a stripper in a TV show.

I remember sitting around in the green room in my g-string thinking ‘why am I doing this, just helping someone else to realise their dream’.

So what I started doing was writing my own scripts and stuff.”

And the rest is history.

Extras wanted for short film

DigitalMaori — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 21:58:05 +0000

Kia ora

Attn: CAST CALL FOR SHORT FILM
Maumahara…Remember who you are, is a Professional short Film, being made by TOKIRUA FILM STUDIOS. Shooting dates are from the 16th – 18th March 2012, and will be primarily shot at Tamaki Maori Village. At this stage, these are the DEFINITE shooting dates. If you cannot commit 100% to these dates, please do not apply. We are currently looking for a mixture of young and old to be extras in our short film.
The film is primarily in te reo Maori. It is set in both the present day, and pre colonial days. Part of the film will be shot in Auckland, but the bulk of the film will be shot in Rotorua at the Tamaki Village.

The film is being made in order to raise funds for the Whanau Marama Parenting Programme which teaches parents, how to lovingly and effectively raise their children. Those applying for the acting roles, will also be required to sponsor their time and talent for free as well. However, there are excellent benefits for those accepted for the acting roles, which are as follows:

• EXCELLENT EXPOSURE FOR YOUR PORTFOLIO.
• ALL MEALS, ACCOMMODATION, TRAVEL EXSPENSES WILL BE PROVIDED
• HELPING TO SUPPORT A NOBLE CAUSE (Whanau Marama Parenting Programme).

Once the short film is completed we will be entering it into national and international film festivals.

Ma te wa

PRODUCTION MANAGER
Nikta Baines
+642102604191
09-551-6960
nikita_baines11@hotmail.com

Maumahara….Remember who you are a short film needs kakahu Maori

DigitalMaori — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 06:48:59 +0000

ATTN: WEAVERS/COSTUME DONATORS

Maumahara…Remember who you are, is a Professional short Film, being made by Tokirua Multimidea. Shooting dates are from the 16th – 18th March 2012, and will be primarily shot at Tamaki Maori Village.

The film is set in both the present day, and pre colonial days. Part of the film will be shot in Auckland, but the bulk of the film will be shot in Rotorua at the Tamaki Village.

The film is being made in order to raise funds for the Whanau Marama Parenting programme which teaches parents, how to lovingly and effectively raise their children

Because this is a low budget film we are looking for people who could allow us to borrow puipui, fine cloaks,pake, kaitaka, capes or any type of traditional Maori clothing . If anyone would like to donate there time to help weave some of the costumes this would also be much appreciated. This is an non paid position however we can offer a few things just to say thanks:

Credits in the Movie
Copy of the Movie on DVD
Invitation to the screening
You will also be helping support a noble cause (Whanau Marama Parenting)

The costumes borrowed will be looked after with extreme care and have someone looking after the costumes every single day we have them. If you are happy with allowing us to borrow your costumes but would rather you care for your costumes we would appoint you as head of the Wardrobe department. You would then be required to be on set from 16th-19th March. All meals will be provided and accommodation.

Thank you for interest and please call or email if you are interested or would like to know more information.

Ma te wa

Nikta Baines
+642102604191
09-551-6960
nikita_baines11@hotmail.com

Strengthening the reo in the Maori screen industry

DigitalMaori — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:48:46 +0000

A new course is being launched which seeks to focus on strengthening the use of Te Reo Maori for those working within the Maori screen and film industry.

955205: WANANGA REO PAPAHO - TE REO MAORI FOR SCREEN PRODUCTION

This course has been specially designed by Te Ara Poutama, in consultation with Ng? Aho Whakaari, to strengthen the use of Te Reo Maori for those in the Maori screen industry. The aim is to develop oral communication skills through practical, situational and functional use of Te Reo Maori in the screen industry.

The course is delivered over two sessions, to be held during weekends in March and May 2012 by Erana Foster (Waikato, Ngati Hako, Ngati Maru, Ngati Maniapoto) and Hohepa Maclean (Ngati Kahu, Ngati Hine). The first session in March is a Noho Marae, including a sleep-over for two nights. The second session in May is class-room based, without a sleep-over. The course is open to all, regardless of previous knowledge of Te Reo, and free of charge to New Zealand citizens.

DATES & TIMES
6pm, Friday March 23rd to 3pm, Sunday March 25th
8.30am, Saturday May 19th – 3.30pm, Sunday May 20th

VENUE
Powhiri, Nga Wai o Horotiu Marae, 6pm, Friday 23rd March
Auckland University of Technology, Corner Wellesley, Symonds and St Paul Streets

ENROLMENT
Places are limited. To secure your place on the programme, please complete and return the attached enrolment form before February 27th to Ella Henry. Under the Programme Pathway on the Enrolment Form please add AKCOP (Certificate of Proficiency), Paper Name: W?nanga Reo I, Paper Code: 955205.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
Ella Henry, Te Ara Poutama, Private Bag 92006, Auckland 1142
Ph: (09) 921-9999, ext 6097, Fax (09) 921-9971, Mob (021) 455-120
Email ella.henry@aut.ac.nz

#1 NZ movie, “Boy” to screen in the USA

DigitalMaori — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 03:46:43 +0000

BOY, Taika Waititi’s sleeper sensation that became one of New Zealand’s most acclaimed and honored films, as well as its biggest box office success to date, is set to hit US theatres in March 2012.

The film which will be distributed theatrically in the US by Paladin and Unison Films in association with Radius Films. In addition to conquering its homeland, the film has been a hit on the international festival circuit, having played to great acclaim at such high-profile events as Sundance and Berlin, where it won the Grand Prix for Best Feature Film (Generation), and at last year’s AFI Fest in Los Angeles, where it went on to win the Audience Award for Best International Film. BOY in select major markets early March 2012, including NYC, LA, San Francisco and Berkley.

Follow Boy the Movie on Twitter

Inspired by Waititi’s Oscar-nominated short, “Two Cars, One Night,” (which the filmmaker developed into a feature at the Sundance Writer’s Lab), BOY is set in 1984 in the remote Maori community of Waihau Bay, a location whose natural splendor only serves to underscore the hardscrabble life of its inhabitants. At the center of the story is eleven year-old “Boy” (played by newcomer James Rolleston), a high-spirited adolescent obsessed with American pop culture—especially Michael Jackson– and prone to particularly vivid fantasies about his long-absent father, (played by Waititi), whom he imagines as an adventurous world traveler. When his father returns, Boy discovers, instead, a lovable loser who has been serving a seven-year sentence for robbery, and inveterate schemer whose daydreams are no more grounded in reality than his son’s. Confronting the enormous contrast between the father he longed for and the one he has, Boy crosses the threshold into adulthood, having proven himself both strong enough and smart enough to live a better life than his dad’s.

Drawn from experiences and characters from Waititi’s childhood, BOY was filmed on the very locations where he grew up. Incorporating dream sequences, fantasies, and animated renderings of children’s drawings come-to-life, the film also boasts three elaborate musical numbers, based on Michael’s Jackson’s indelible music videos of the era, giving the film a distinctive visual dimension that conveys the unique way in which Boy sees the world. The film is infused with the same fresh comic sensibility that garnered Waititi enormous acclaim with his debut feature, the widely praised “Eagle Vs. Shark” (which also had its US premiere at Sundance), as well as the cult-favorite television series, “The Flight of the Conchords,” several episodes of which he wrote, directed, and appeared in. For his work on BOY, Waititi was awarded three New Zealand Film and Television Awards for Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor, with the film winning a total of seven, including Best Feature Film.

About the deal Urman says, “I am thrilled to be bringing BOY to American audiences. The film is a perfect blend of the exotic and the universal, the timeless and the new, and there is no question that critics and audiences alike will recognize Taika as an exciting new voice in international cinema.” Emanuel Michael of Unison Films, who produced BOY along with Ainsley Gardiner and noted New Zealand actor Cliff Curtis (“Whale Rider,” “Sunshine”), adds “After personally witnessing BOY win over audiences all around the world, I couldn’t be more excited to bring this truly heartwarming and hilarious film back home. BOY is that rare type of film discovery, like “Billy Elliott” or “Whale Rider,” that really leaves audiences exhilarated.” Michael who also produced “Eagle Vs. Shark,” will see his next production for Unison, “360”, directed by Fernando Mierelles and starring Anthony Hopkins, Rachel Weisz, and Jude Law, have its world premiere at the forthcoming Toronto International Film festival in September. It will be followed closely by the upcoming “A Late Quartet,” starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Christopher Walken, and Catherine Keener, to be released domestically by the newly revamped RKO Pictures.

BOY rounds out a particularly exciting year for Paladin, who shepherded Tom Shadyac’s I AM to a $1.6 million gross, making it one of the surprise indie hits of the season. The company has LOVE ETC. in current release, and opens Marcus Dean Fuller’s ONE FALL this month. Coming in the fall are the prize-winning documentaries, THE WHALE, (executive produced and narrated by Ryan Reynolds), and Tiffany Shlain’s Sundance hit, CONNECTED. Paladin will release Margaret Whitton’s A BIRD OF THE AIR in New York on September 23rd.

Activist and film-maker eyes John Key

DigitalMaori — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:58:32 +0000

Noted Maori activist and burgeoning film-maker, is focusing his passions and skills on his 3rd film and is currently working on a full length documentary about PM John Key.

According to the Stuff, Netana-Patuawa is seeking to “reveal the truth” with his documentary while admitting his main motivation is that he is profoundly angered by the policies of Key’s National-led government which he blames for the injustices and inequity he sees within Aotearoa.

“We live in a land of abundance, yet we have many people, particularly children, suffering. John Key is responsible for that and, as such, I intend to hold him to account. But, my doco will not seek to go on some type of vindictive `witch-hunt’.

Stuff also reported that “the Sunday Star-Times asked Netana-Patuawa for an interview about his planned documentary on the prime minister but he said he was extremely wary of non-Maori media because of their focus on his past.” and if you read that same Stuff article you’ll see that they focus on is exactly what Netana-Patuawa was concerned with (see Cup basher’s Key doco goal).

He goes on to say he wants to express his creativity as a film-maker by creating a powerful, yet artistic, documentary, told in his own unique way.

“I know making the doco from start to finish is going to be a daunting task, but I am up for it.”

Producing a documentary is an expensive business and Netana-Patuawa needs money to get his project off the ground so he is seeking sponsorship and donations, or koha.

“If just 2000 people committed to $1 a week over a one-year period, that would cover the costs of the entire documentary,” he says on his website, adding that an accounting firm has been employed to ensure all money received is spent on the doco.

He is also looking for people to help make the documentary but says he has no interest in hearing from National supporters: “A background check will be taken to make certain you are not a National supporter, as I do not want any `National spies’ relaying information back to the party pertaining to the documentary. I know this may sound a bit `paranoid’ but better to be safe than sorry.”

Netana-Patuawa began film-making in 2009 and has two short films to his credit, Te Whakapouri… The Darkening, about a Maori warrior prophet who undergoes a series of bizarre tests in his faith, and A Dignified Life, about a teenager dying of leukaemia.

Short Maori Film, needs your help

DigitalMaori — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 00:15:43 +0000

Sometimes things don’t pan out the way you think they would or should so you must take action to find another way forward.

This is what my email is about. My name is Renae Maihi and I am the writer/director of a special short film called Purerehua (Butterfly). This film is yet to be shot but we believe that it will make international ripples.

We were fortunate enough to receive $10,000 funding from the NZ film commission however it isn’t enough. My producer Sandra Richmond (Manawa Productions) has tried in every which way to makes this work but with a crew of 23, a cast of 20, 7 locations, set design, costumes, food etc you can imagine that we are overspent.

What I am appealing for is a koha/donation to help us make this film. We will be shooting from 11th-14th January 2012. I know it is the holiday season but your donation would be greatly appreciated. A friend of mine has already donated $2000 and all we need is another $3000. So, if you have any spare change, ($20), any ideas, anything at all PLEASE HELP US.

We look forward to showing you the calibre of the film that you contributed to and I personally pledge to make Purerehua something that you will be proud of. Also, if you would like to come to set we have a day in which you can pop in.

All donations can be transferred to:

Manawa Productions

12 3077 0448034 50

Please include your name so that we can give you a THANK YOU CREDIT at the end of the film.

Nga mihi

Renae Maihi
(writer/director)
021 252 9151
manawaproductions@hotmail.co.nz

The Outlook for Someday: the Sustainability Film Challenge for Young People 2011 Challenge

DigitalMaori — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 00:08:48 +0000

How are people part of the natural world?
Is social justice part of sustainability?
What part does creativity play?
Does it all connect?

MAKE A FILM, MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Make A Short Film

It can be any length up to 5 minutes.

You can make it individually or in a team.

Use any camera you like.

Choose any genre you like and interpret ‘sustainability’ in the way that makes best sense to you.

Anyone up to the age of 24 can enter the challenge.

That means anyone born in 1987 or later who is a Citizen or Resident of New Zealand or is lawfully permitted to study or work in New Zealand.

The entry deadline is 30 September 2011.

http://theoutlookforsomeday.net/

Cheers,

Jill Campbell
Youth Projects Officer
Rotorua District Council
1061 Haupapa St
Private Bag 3029
Rotorua Mail Centre
Rotorua 3046
DDI Ph: 07 351 8180
Fax: 07 350 0206

Insatiable Moon takes out top prize at American Film Festival

DigitalMaori — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 22:30:40 +0000

Low budget Kiwi film The Insatiable Moon has taken out one of the top prizes at the prestigious Moondance International Film Festival.

The American film festival, described as ‘the American Cannes’ has awarded The Insatiable Moon the Atlantis Award for feature films made outside the USA. In announcing the award, festival director Elizabeth English said the film received a high rating from the Moondance jury, and reminded her of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

Passed over for funding from the NZ Film Commission, The Insatiable Moon has achieved solid box office success in New Zealand and achieved a UK distribution deal. The film received four stars from the industry-leading Empire magazine, which described it as ‘a moving original film that deserves to be seen’, and ‘another reminder of the quality of Kiwi filmmaking’. The story is set in Ponsonby, and features such veteran NZ actors as Rawiri Paratene and Ian Mune.

For director Rosemary Riddell, it’s not her first success at the Moondance festival. In 2006 she took out the Sandcastle Award for her short film Cake Tin. Riddell is unique in being the first ever feature film director with a day job as a District Court judge.

On learning of her most recent award, Riddell said: “It’s always gratifying to be attracting recognition internationally, especially when the film was shot on a shoestring. A large part of our success is down to the quality of the acting and the experience of our cinematographer, Tom Burstyn.” Although unable to travel to Colorado to collect the award, she plans to have a quiet celebration on the day.

The screening of the film and the Awards ceremony will take place on Sunday 18th September.

Media contacts: Mike Riddell (Producer) mike@fylm.co.nz 021 2952963
Elizabeth English: (Festival Director) director@moondancefilmfestival.com +303 5450202
Film info: www.theinsatiablemoon.com

Hatekehi Maori highlighted in One-off Billy T Special

DigitalMaori — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 00:14:09 +0000

Maori Television is paying tribute to world famous Maori funny man Billy T James with a one-off special highlighting some of his best sketches.

With Billy T – Te Movie opening in cinemas on Thursday 18 August, we have selected some of Billy T James’ most renowned sketches to showcase in a one-off Billy T Special screening on Friday 2 September at 8pm.

In 1987, Billy T set up his own company to produce his television series, which contained some of his classic and best loved sketches.

The Billy T Special is the pick of those sketches, re-edited by Maori Television in collaboration with Tom Parkinson, who also produced Billy T – Te Movie. Join Maori Television for a hilarious 60 minutes that not only shows some of the best of Billy T but is a fitting tribute to the late great comedian.

Tune into Maori Television on Friday 2 September at 8pm for a hatakehi night with our Billy T Special.