The “Grandmother” of Indigenous Filmmaking in New Zealand

Abstract

Abstract With reference to Heperi Mita’s documentary Merata: How Mum Decolonised the Screen (2018) about his mother, Merata Mita, this article illustrates the importance of Indigenous filmmaking by providing insights into the work and life of New Zealand’s first female Māori filmmaker who made a feature-length narrative. Film is an important part of identity formation and shapes the perception of (Indigenous) cultures and peoples. From the late 1970s onward, there is a growing movement in Māori filmmaking which led to changes in the representation of Māori culture in film and influenced Indigenous filmmaking on a global scale. Merata Mita plays a major role in bringing Māori behind and in front of the camera and paved the way for Indigenous female filmmakers.