The Māoriland Film Festival (MFF) pitch competition went online this year with 18 projects pitching for $7000 worth of prizes. Seventeen short film and animation projects were pitched to a festival panel via Zoom earlier this week.
“All of the stories pitched were of a very high standard from a range of emerging and experienced Māori filmmakers. We are really excited by hearing the range of stories and creative ideas, especially as we set up a production house of Māoriland in 2020,” Māoriland festival director Libby Hakaraia says.
The M.A.T.C.H Tech Creative Pitch has been awarded to Utut Animations Limited, a Tainui based Māori IT company specialising in developing fun, modern, interactive content. Utut was awarded $1500 for the development of their project 'iWhenua'.
The MFF Pitch Prize $2000 for projects that speak to the theme of 'tohu; Aotearoa supernatural' has been awarded to Ricardo Giraldo for his epic fantasy film project 'Pouakai'.
“Ric is a talented scriptwriter that we wish to support to get his films production-ready. We look forward to being involved in the ongoing development of 'Pouakai' and to see your creative vision brought to fruition," the festival panel says.
A second MFF Pitch Prize $1500 has been awarded to Bailey Poching for his pitch about the Auckland dawn raids through the eyes of children. Bailey, who is of Samoan-Māori decent, combines a strong fantasy element in his filmmaking.
“At 21 years of age Bailey has already had his work shown at international film festivals. We are really excited about awarding Bailey a prize that will support his latest project, 'The Voyagers Legacy'. We look forward to screening this film at Māoriland Film Festival.”
23-year-old Aydriannah Tuiali’i is also the recipient of an MFF Pitch prize of $500 to develop her pitched project from concept to script. Aydriannah is an award-winning experimental filmmaker who has teamed up with her friend Tutanekai Cliffe to tell a supernatural story.
“A terrific talent, Aydriannah wants to use this film project to advance her producing skills. The film tells the story of siblings who embark on a journey to get rid of an evil spirit. It is a narrative that underscores the challenges young people go through as they cope with heavy burdens of life: the evil spirit being a metaphor of those burdens."
Four rangatahi have been awarded grants in the pitch competition. These included two sisters who pitched individual film projects from lockdown in Te Araroa on the East Cape.
Tioreore Ngatai Melbourne (21) has been awarded a rangatahi pitch prize of $500 to help her develop her te reo Māori film that considers colonisation and intergenerational trauma through the eyes of two children.
“Currently in her third year at NZ Drama School Toi Whakaari, Tioreore is very smart and committed to telling a valuable story that will give a 'voice to the voiceless'. A clearly presented concept pitch, we look forward to seeing the script of this unique story."
Her younger sister Kararaina Ngatai Melbourne (19) has also been awarded a rangatahi pitch prize for her contemporary film that focuses on the relationship between a young man and his older uncle. Kararaina is a member of the Māoriland rangatahi film leadership group Ngā Pakiaka.
“Kararaina’s pitch was utterly professional and at a standard that many older filmmakers would take inspiration from. She laid out her film idea clearly and we were gripped. To be shot on the East Coast, this project has the makings of a fantastic film.”
Te Mahara Tamehana has received a $500 rangatahi pitch prize for his contemporary script 'Street Lights'.
Also a member of the Māoriland rangatahi film leadership group, Te Mahara was the co-director of the short film 'Bub' that had its international premiere at ImagineNATIVE in Toronto last October.
During Alert Level 4, Te Mahara has written a number of short film scripts and been up-skilling himself in his dream to be a cinematographer. With his skills as a writer, Te Mahara has a very bright future ahead of him.
“A very impressive pitch from a demonstrably talented young man. He has serious intent to tell a story that considers difficult issues like suicide, abuse etc. Te Mahara has thought it all through – from the research to the scripting, to the production schedule. Young people telling these stories is so very important."
Another clear talent is Te Waiarangi Ratana who has been awarded a $500 rangatahi pitch prize for his short film 'Manu Masters', a coming of age comedy about a 16-year-old who wants to be recognised by his peers for his 'diving' skills. We do not want to give too much away.
Te Waiarangi Ratana is a 21-year-old filmmaker living in Wellington. He has worked on a number of local and international productions and has a passion for telling his own stories that are closer to home.
“Te Waiarangi wants to entertain – and that’s fantastic. He knows what will entertain and has clearly thought about it. He is perceptive about where humour can be found in miscommunication in intimate relationships. He’s a talented young man making his way in film, doing the hard yards on sets when he can to make a living."
Māoriland congratulates all the MFF2020 pitch winners and says it looks forward to being involved in the ongoing development of the projects so that they can be celebrated on the big screen.
“By supporting the filmmakers to develop their film stories, we hope to one day bring them to the Māoriland Film Festival and other screens around the world,” Hakaraia says.