Merata: How Mum Decolonised the Screen (2019)
A documentary portrait of the pioneering indigenous filmmaker and activist Merata Mita and an intimate tribute from a son about his mother that delves into the life of the first woman from an Indigenous Nation to solely direct a film anywhere in the world. Known as the grandmother of Indigenous cinema, Merata’s independent political documentaries of the 1970s and 80s highlighted injustices for Māori people and often divided the country. Mita was fearless in her life, her activism and her art. Chronicling the director’s journey to decolonize the film and television screens of New Zealand and the world, the film documents her work, her early struggles with her family and her drive for social justice that often proved personally dangerous.
Director: Hepi Mita
Merata Mita Self (archive footage) |
|
Hepi Mita Self - Narrator (voice) |
|
Rafer Rautjoki Self |
|
Richard Rautjoki Self |
|
Rhys Rautjoki Self |
|
Awatea Mita Self |
|
Eruera Mita Self |
|
Alanis Obomsawin Self |
|
Jesse Wente Self |
|
C.M. Kaliko Baker Self |
|
Tammy Haili'opua Baker Self |
|
Heather Rae Self |
|
Bird Runningwater Self |
|
Andrew Okpeaha MacLean Self |
|
Sterlin Harjo Self |
|
Pauline Clague Self |
|
Blackhorse Lowe Self |
|
Taika Waititi Self |
|
Desmond Tutu Self (archive footage) |
Production | Cliff Curtis | Executive Producer |
Editing | Annie Collins | Consulting Editor |
Writing | Tearepa Kahi | Creative Producer |
Production | Chelsea Winstanley | Producer |
Sound | Dick Reade | Sound Editor |
Crew | Desray Armstrong | Post Production Supervisor |
Editing | Angela Boyd | Online Editor |
Directing | Hepi Mita | Director |
Writing | Hepi Mita | Writer |
Camera | Mike Jonathan | Director of Photography |
Editing | Te Rurehe Paki | Editor |
Sound | Tama Waipara | Music |
Production | Awatea Mita | Production Assistant |
Production | Manutai Schuster | Associate Producer |