Me He Maunga Teitei: Taranaki Short Films
Kiriata Screening
Me He Maunga Teitei: Taranaki Short Films
Saturday 3 February
6 pm Centrepiece: Me He Maunga Teitei - Taranaki Shorts, Len Lye Centre Cinema, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery Buy Tickets
Monday 5 February
11 am: Me He Maunga Teitei - Taranaki Shorts, Len Lye Centre Cinema, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery Buy Tickets
The KIRIATA MĀORI Showcase is a partnership between the Wairoa Māori Film Festival and the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery in Ngāmotu New Plymouth. Māori, Pasifika and Indigenous moving image art works will be screened over Waitangi weekend 2024 during the Te Hau Whakatonu exhibition.
Curator’s Statement:
Whāia te iti kahurangi, ki te tuohu koe, me he maunga teitei. An ancient Māori proverb which means “Seek the treasure that you value most dearly, if you bow your head, let it be to a lofty mountain.” So it is, we gather in the shadow of he maunga teitei–Taranaki, for a very special celebration of the works of three Taranaki descent screen artists who have indeed climbed the highest heights in their art careers: Aroha Awarau, Katie Wolfe and Rachel House. Mauri Ora! Tihei, Mauri Ora! - Leo Koziol (Ngāti Rakaipaaka, Ngāti Kahungunu)
Screen artists:
Aroha Awarau (Ngāti Maru, Ngāti Porou, Niuean and Samoan)
Katie Wolfe (Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Mutunga)
Rachel House (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Mutunga)
Rachel House (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Mutunga), The Winter Boy, 2010
Me He Maunga Teitei: Taranaki Short Films
PROGRAMME
This is Her
(Rated M: Mature)
Katie Wolfe, 2008, 8 min
"This is me. This is my husband …" So narrates Evie as she watches her younger self labour with childbirth. "And this is the bitch who will one day steal him, and ruin my life." When the bitch is shown as an angelic six-year-old the tone is set for Katie Wolfe’s award-winning black comedy (her debut short as a director). Writer Kate McDermott’s wry narration moves between then and now, as fate delivers a less than wonderful life in Auckland suburbia. Selected for the Sundance Film Festival, This is Her was a breakout festival success, earning Wolfe notice as a filmmaker to watch. (Film notes: NZ On Screen)
The Winter Boy
(Rated PG: Parental Guidance)
Rachel House, 2010, 8 min, Producer Hineani Melbourne
A mother tries to comfort her grieving son, but on each attempt her son’s silence becomes more and more deafening. An outing to the local aquarium places further strain on their troubled relationship - until her son finds a reason to let his mother in again.
Home
(Rated M: Mature)
Director Chris Molloy (Māori), Writer Aroha Awarau, 14 min 2014
Discovering her two sons have committed a heinous crime, a devoted mother is torn by the heartbreaking decision she must make. Her sons may eventually forgive her, but can she ever forgive herself?
Disrupt
(Rated M: Offensive Language)
Jennifer Te Atamira Ward-Lealand, Writer Aroha Awarau, 13 min 2021
When a burglary goes wrong, CJ must choose between his whānau and his next fix. “A whānau bond can't be broken apart, even if the trespasses made skew to forsaking and not forgiving.” — Leo Koziol, Wairoa Maori Film Festival
Redemption
(Rated R16 Drug Use, Sex Scenes, Offensive Language)
Katie Wolfe, 2010 17 min
Redemption is the dark and tender story of two Māori teenagers trying to find their way through personal hells. 2010 - Berlin Film Festival, New Zealand International Film Festival, Corona Cork Film Festival, 'Best Short Drama' Imagine Native. 2011 - Sundance Film Festival, Show Me Shorts.
Katie Wolfe (Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Mutunga), Redemption, 2010
Writer: Aroha Awarau (Ngāti Maru, Ngāti Porou, Niuean and Samoan), Disrupt, 2021
Katie Wolfe (Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Mutunga), This is Her, 2008
Writer: Aroha Awarau (Ngāti Maru, Ngāti Porou, Niuean and Samoan), Home, 2014