Indianz.Com > News > Native America Calling: How Māori filmmakers are improving representation
Native America Calling
Listen to Native America Calling every weekday at 1pm Eastern.
Native America Calling: How Māori filmmakers are improving representation
Thursday, August 8, 2024
From ‘Lord of the Rings’ to ‘The Convert’: How Māori filmmakers are improving representation
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy won 17 Academy Awards and its legacy endures nearly 25 years after the first film’s release.
The trilogy’s success has put its filming location, New Zealand, on the industry map. The motion picture business contributes at least $2.12 billion a year to New Zealand’s economy.
That’s also been a boon for Indigenous cinema. Māori film critic and programmer Leo Koziol calls it a “renaissance.” The recent Māori-led film The Convert, directed by Lee Tamahori, is garnering critical acclaim.
Join Native America Calling to talk with Koziol and hear from Māori creatives who worked on Lord of the Rings about progress on Maori representation in film since then.
YouTube Guests on Native America Calling
Leo Koziol (Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāti Rakaipaaka), founder of the Wairoa Māori Film Festival, Indigenous editor at Letterboxd, and a programmer for the New Zealand International Film Festival
Lawrence Makoare (Ngāti Whātua), actor
Hammond Peek (Ngāi Tahu and Te Āti Awa), sound recordist and production sound mixer
Ra Vincent (Te Atiawa), production designer and artist
Dr. Tom Roa (Ngāti Maniapoto, Waikato, Ngāti Apakura), Tainui leader and Ahorangi (professor) in the University of Waikato’s Te Pua Wananga ki te Ao Māori and Indigenous Studies
Search
Filed Under
Tags
More Headlines
Native America Calling: Persistent heat puts strain on people, the environment, and the economy
Chuck Hoskin: Cherokee Nation creates opportunities close to home
Native America Calling: Increasing hurdles and uncertainty put strains on Native beef producers and farmers
‘Let’s go’: Peggy Flanagan wins Democratic primary for U.S. Senate seat in Minnesota
Native America Calling: Native Playlist with Thomas Michael Swensen and Debora Iyall
Native America Calling: Tribes face record-setting wildfire destruction
NAFOA: 5 Things You Need to Know This Week (August 10, 2026)
Chuck Hoskin: Cherokee Nation invests in tomorrow’s leaders
Native America Calling: August primary elections offer insights on Native candidates’ prospects
Native America Calling: Testing the limits of religious freedom in Indian Country
Native America Calling: When is it OK to let a Native language die?
NAFOA: 5 Things You Need to Know This Week (August 3, 2026)
Chuck Hoskin: Cherokee Nation keeps fiscal promises
Native America Calling: New outbreak of food-borne illness shakes public confidence in food supply
AUDIO: Legislative Hearing to receive testimony on S.3573, S.3617, S.4368, S.4417 & S.4890
More Headlines
Chuck Hoskin: Cherokee Nation creates opportunities close to home
Native America Calling: Increasing hurdles and uncertainty put strains on Native beef producers and farmers
‘Let’s go’: Peggy Flanagan wins Democratic primary for U.S. Senate seat in Minnesota
Native America Calling: Native Playlist with Thomas Michael Swensen and Debora Iyall
Native America Calling: Tribes face record-setting wildfire destruction
NAFOA: 5 Things You Need to Know This Week (August 10, 2026)
Chuck Hoskin: Cherokee Nation invests in tomorrow’s leaders
Native America Calling: August primary elections offer insights on Native candidates’ prospects
Native America Calling: Testing the limits of religious freedom in Indian Country
Native America Calling: When is it OK to let a Native language die?
NAFOA: 5 Things You Need to Know This Week (August 3, 2026)
Chuck Hoskin: Cherokee Nation keeps fiscal promises
Native America Calling: New outbreak of food-borne illness shakes public confidence in food supply
AUDIO: Legislative Hearing to receive testimony on S.3573, S.3617, S.4368, S.4417 & S.4890
More Headlines