default-output-block.skip-main
National | Architecture

Tūhoe documentary "Ever the Land" to be screened in Venice

Acclaimed New Zealand documentary “Ever the Land” about the Te Wharehou o Tūhoe will be screened in Venice this month at the beginning of the city’s famous Architecture Biennale.

Ever the Land tells the story of the design and construction of a unique cultural building for the Tūhoe iwi.

Over a two year period Ever the Land director Sarah Grohnert was granted extensive access to Tūhoe and the building site. The film was made against the background of ongoing negotiations between Tūhoe and the Crown, which have resulted in a government apology for historic wrongs and a compensation settlement.

In Venice, Te Wharehou o Tūhoe will also be represented in Future Islands, the New Zealand exhibition at this year’s Architecture Biennale. This is only the second time that New Zealand has staged an official exhibition at the world’s leading architecture event, which runs from late May until the end of November.

Ever the Land will be screened twice on the day of the public opening of the Biennale at the palazzo Querini Stampalia, a landmark building housing a leading Venetian cultural institution.

Representatives of Tūhoe and Jasmax are travelling to Venice for the film’s screenings, as are Ever the Land’s director and producer.

“We are thrilled that this powerful film telling the story of Te Wharehou o Tūhoe will be presented to an international audience in Venice,” said Teena Hale Pennington, the New Zealand Institute of Architects’ Chief Executive.

“The Venice Biennale is the leading forum for discussions about architecture and its place in the culture of countries,” Ms. Hale Pennington said. “In this context, Ever the Land’s messages about caring for the land, respecting the environment and nurturing the community are especially resonant.”

Ever the Land will be screened at 10.30am and 3.30pm on Saturday 28 May 2016 in the auditorium of the Fondazione Querini Stampalia.