Nau mai, haere mai – welcome to Mātaki Mai, Ōtautahi’s inaugural Māori Film Festival, presented by Kōrero ki Ōtautahi. Ko te reo Māori te take – the purpose of Mātaki Mai is to celebrate the indigenous language of Aotearoa and there’s no better time to do that than during te wiki o te reo Māori.
Ngā mihi maioha to our sponsors and supporters: HAPA, Locky Dock, Hayley Landreth, Te Taura Whiri o te reo Māori, Christchurch City Council and Alice Cinema, whom without, this would not have been possible.
Hei ākuanei – see you soon!
Poi E
‘Poi E’, a simple song with a catchy beat released 40 years ago, has become New Zealand’s unofficial national anthem. With humour, energy and emotion, the movie POI E is the story of how that iconic song gave pride to generations of New Zealanders. From Taika Waititi giving Stan Walker his quirky take on life in the 1980s to Patea Maori Club members’ straight-talking and funny memories of the song’s visionary originator Dalvanius Prime, director Tearepa Kahi (Mt Zion) captures a unique story that taps into the heart of the nation.
POI E takes the audience on a laugh-and-cry emotional journey as it lays out the hard-scrabble context from which the song was born and the relationships which shaped the song and propelled it forward.
This year we celebrate the 40th anniversary since the Patea Maori Club released their groundbreaking single!
