The Māoriland Film Festival has revealed the People's Choice Award Winners - He Kahurangi Māoriland 2019.
The annual festival is held in Ōtaki and showcased 138 indigenous films from around the world this year.
MFF 2019 Trailer from Māoriland Film Festival on Vimeo.
PEOPLE'S CHOICE FOR BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY
Fast Horse
-Directed by Alexandra Lazarowich (Cree)
Siksika horseman Allison Red Crow struggles to build a team with second-hand horses and a new jockey, to take on the best riders in the Blackfoot Confederacy at the Calgary Stampede.
PEOPLE'S CHOICE FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY
Merata: How Mum Decolonised the World
-Directed by Heperi Mita (Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāi Te Rangi)
“The revolution isn’t just running out with a gun, if a film I make causes indigenous people to feel stronger about themselves then I’m achieving something worthwhile for the revolution.” - Hepi Mita.
Merata is an intimate story of the birth of Indigenous cinema told from the perspective of Mita's son, Hepi Mita.
The sudden death of the pioneering Māori filmmaker in 2010 led her son on a journey to uncover the story of his mother’s love, which forever changed the landscape of Indigenous participation in film.
PEOPLE'S CHOICE FOR BEST SHORT DRAMA
The best short drama category gave the festival organisers "quite a surprise" as four shorts tied for the people's choice. They were:
Down on the Sidewalk in Waikiki - Directed by Justyn Ah Chong (Kanaka Maoli)
Gravedigger of Kapu - Directed by Libby Hakaraia (Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Kapumanawawhiti)
Hae Hawai'i - Directed by Ty Sanga (Kanaka Maoli)
My Friend Michael Jones - Directed by Ian Leaupepe and Samson Rambo (Samoa)
My Friend Michael Jones (Short Drama, 2018) - Trailer from Run Charlie Films on Vimeo.
The winner, as pulled out of a box by First Nations filmmaker Tristin Greyeyes, was My Friend Michael Jones.
PEOPLE'S CHOICE FOR BEST DRAMA
Anori
-Directed by Pipaluk Jorgensen
Steeped in Greenlandic myths, Anori is a tragic love story about a woman who believes only in all that is good in life, but when she is confronted by the dark forces of nature, Anori is determined to bring back the light.
The modern story, set amongst incredible Greenlandic landscapes and an intensely crowded New York City, takes the viewer on a journey where myth comes to life.
PEOPLE'S CHOICE FOR BEST NATIVE SLAM
Awa
Jason Taylor (Māori), Morningstar Derosier (Anishinaabe), Tyson Mowarin (Ngarluma)