E rau rangatira mā o te Ao Kiriata, tēnā koutou katoa,
He Ara (Pathway) funding is intended to support Māori and/or Pacific Island filmmakers to further create a diverse range of quality New Zealand content using their own way of working.
Congratulations to the three teams selected to receive funding from Te Rautaki Māori’s He Ara Development fund.
AWA FILMS: $50,000
Awa Films is a leading indigenous production company led by award winning filmmakers Julian and Becs Arahanga. The company draws its storytelling inspiration from its name Awa, which is the Māori word for river, that weaves connections of people, water and land. There is a real passion at Awa Films to tell Māori stories to a global audience. This is captured in the company’s internal mantra "Indigenously inspired for all”. Recently Julian was awarded SPADA Independent Producer of the Year, and Becs was award the SPADA New Film Maker of the Year.
Awa Film's credits include series Colonial Combat and Songs from the Inside, short films Hinekura, Laundry and documentaries Pixie and Beyond the Battalion. They are currently developing several high end drama TV shows for local and International audiences, including Fox and I Am Māui.
PATANGAROA ENTERTAINMENT LTD – Business Development Grant: $25,000
Patangaroa Entertainment Ltd and its charity arm Mika Haka Studio are a MediaArts screen production company, est. 1999, producing global live performance, music recording, digital media, television, and film. We forge a performance genre that is distinctly Māori, distinctly contemporary and upholds international standards of excellence. Highlights include SXSW, NYC Fashion Week, AFM, ImagineNATIVE and 10 Edinburgh Fringe Festivals.
THE BROWN FACTORY – Business Development Grant - $25,000
The Brown Factory is a collective of Pasifika film, television, and content producers. The name references the first wave of pacific islanders who came to New Zealand to work as cheap labour in factories across the country. The philosophy of The Brown Factory is simple - to make more stories from the Polyverse and share them with the world. The Brown Factory recent filmography includes series shorts Tapuitea/Sina and Tuna from the Aitu series, feature film Tinā currently in script development and short film The Uniform which shoots in February 2021.