2019 Director in Focus: The World

The Bastion Point occupation was one of the most important protests in the struggle for Maori land rights in New Zealand. The protest began in 1977 when the government proposed to subdivide Maori land in the Bastion Point region of Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city. The Ngati Whatua tribe resisted these plans and occupied the site for 506 days. This…

The sudden death of pioneering Maori filmmaker Merata Mita in 2010, led her son on a journey to uncover a story of mother’s love that changed the landscape of indigenous films forever. Indeed, she opened doors for indigenous voices we celebrate today; Warwick Thornton, Taika Waititi, Sterlin Harjo and Zoe Hopkins to name a few.

Merata was the first Maori…