A New Zealand film called Mārama has been chosen as this country’s official entry for Best International Feature Film at next year’s Oscars.
The film was written and directed by Taratoa Stappard, who has whakapapa to Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Raukawa and Ngāti Tūwharetoa. He describes Mārama as a “Māori gothic love letter” to Aotearoa.
Set in Victorian-era Yorkshire, in England, the story follows a young Māori woman who travels from Aotearoa to England, where she uncovers a painful truth about her family’s colonial past.
Stappard said he made the film to tell history “through a Māori lens: boldly, unapologetically and on our own terms.” He called being chosen for the Oscars “huge” for Aotearoa.
Annie Murray, who leads the New Zealand Film Commission, said Mārama was “fearless filmmaking” that is “culturally grounded, cinematically ambitious and unmistakably from Aotearoa.”
Before coming home, the film had already impressed audiences overseas. It had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, then screened in Zurich, Chicago and other cities, picking up several awards along the way, including best fantastic feature film at a festival in Amsterdam.
The Oscars ceremony, where the world’s best films are honoured, will be held next year.
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