MOANA & WHENUA AWARDS
POSSUM by Dave Whitehead
5 MAY 2017: Nuhaka, Aotearoa, New Zealand
The Wairoa Maori Film Festival is announcing two new prizes for 2017. The Moana Award is for the best short film directed by a person of Pasifika descent. The Whenua Award is for the the best short film directed by a person of Maori descent.
The finalists for the Moana Award are:
LADY EVA by Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson and Hina Wong-Kalu (Hawaiian)
MARIA by Jay Tauamiti (Pasifika)
WAITING by Samuel Kami (Pasifika)
I HAVE CURLS by Maria Vai (Pasifika)
LET THE MOUNTAIN SPEAK by Vilsoni Hereniko (Pasifika)
RAIDED LOVE by Destiny Momoisea (Pasifika)
The finalists for the Whenua Award are:
POSSUM by Dave Whitehead (Maori)
LAUNDRY by Becs Arahanga (Maori)
NATALIE by Qianna Titore (Maori)
TAMA by Jared Flitcroft (Maori) and Jack O'Donnell (Non-Maori)
MANNAHATTA by Renae Maihi (Maori)
THE PROMISE OF PIHA by Hanelle Harris (Maori)
Each film is being previewed by members of the two juries, the Moana Jury and the Whenua Jury.
Moana Jury
- Leanne Ferrer, Executive Director of Pacific Islanders in Communication in Hawai'i
- Tiairani Drollet-Le Caill, Founder and Festival Director of T-Tahiti Film Festival in Tahiti
- Craig Fasi, Founder and Festival Director of Pollywood Film Festival in Aotearoa
- Stella Muller, Chief of Enlightenment at Bright Sunday in Aotearoa
Whenua Jury
- Dr. Ella Henry, esteemed academic currently at AUT, media maven and famed "Aunty" of "Ask Your Aunties"
- Dale Husband, Radio Host of the Waatea Breakfast Show, celebrity at large across Aotearoa
- Tere Harrison, film maker, activist, writer, creative, healer
- Tame Iti, artist, activist, creative extraordinaire
The Moana Award and the Whenua Award will be announced at the Wairoa Maori Film Awards on Saturday June 3, Gaiety Theatre, Wairoa.
ENDS