Beware! New Zealand is ready to hear the roar of its first “authentic” monster movie, “Taniwha.”
“If you ask any New Zealander what our own unique Indigenous monster is, they will immediately reply: Taniwha!” explains director Libby Hakaraia.
“In our Māori culture, they are very real: Every tribe has their own. They inhabit waterways, mountains, rivers, oceans and forests, and take many shapes. They are to be feared and respected as guardians, and they are avengers of wrongs.”
Now, they will also star in the film produced by Tainui Stephens and Desray Armstrong (Māoriland Productions), recently presented to the industry insiders at Canada’s Frontières.
The “monster thriller,” already in the advanced development stage, will boast the participation of Wētā Workshop.
“In the world of this film, Aotearoa [Māori name for New Zealand] had the world’s largest birds. The moa, a flightless bird over 2.6 meters tall and the pouakai, an eagle with a wingspan of 3-4 meters.
“If you ask any New Zealander what our own unique Indigenous monster is, they will immediately reply: Taniwha!” explains director Libby Hakaraia.
“In our Māori culture, they are very real: Every tribe has their own. They inhabit waterways, mountains, rivers, oceans and forests, and take many shapes. They are to be feared and respected as guardians, and they are avengers of wrongs.”
Now, they will also star in the film produced by Tainui Stephens and Desray Armstrong (Māoriland Productions), recently presented to the industry insiders at Canada’s Frontières.
The “monster thriller,” already in the advanced development stage, will boast the participation of Wētā Workshop.
“In the world of this film, Aotearoa [Māori name for New Zealand] had the world’s largest birds. The moa, a flightless bird over 2.6 meters tall and the pouakai, an eagle with a wingspan of 3-4 meters.
- 8/2/2023
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Cornerstone is heading to the virtual EFM with New Zealand drama Whina, which stars Siren, Once Were Warriors and Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones actress Rena Owen as revered Maori activist and female rights advocate Whina Cooper.
See an exclusive first look image of Owen as Cooper above.
Cornerstone will launch worldwide sales, excluding Australia/Nz, on the film which heralds from writer-directors James Napier Robertson, who directed 2014 festival favorite The Dark Horse, and Paula Whetu Jones (Waru).
Whina (pronounced fee-nah), will see Owen play the role of Cooper, the beloved Māori matriarch who worked tirelessly to improve the rights of her people, especially women. At nearly 80-years-old Cooper became nationally revered as the ‘Mother of The Nation’ when she led the first Māori Land March over 1,000 kilometers from Te Hapua in the Far North to Wellington at the bottom of the North Island of New...
See an exclusive first look image of Owen as Cooper above.
Cornerstone will launch worldwide sales, excluding Australia/Nz, on the film which heralds from writer-directors James Napier Robertson, who directed 2014 festival favorite The Dark Horse, and Paula Whetu Jones (Waru).
Whina (pronounced fee-nah), will see Owen play the role of Cooper, the beloved Māori matriarch who worked tirelessly to improve the rights of her people, especially women. At nearly 80-years-old Cooper became nationally revered as the ‘Mother of The Nation’ when she led the first Māori Land March over 1,000 kilometers from Te Hapua in the Far North to Wellington at the bottom of the North Island of New...
- 2/11/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
When local newspapers complain about traffic jams caused by Nicole Kidman filming (in New South Wales’ picturesque Byron Bay) and Natalie Portman stopping Sydney traffic by wearing revealing shorts, there is a sense that normality has returned to everyday life in Australia. The film industry is back in production high gear.
Indeed, films starring Zac Efron (“Gold”), Chris Hemsworth (“Escape From Spiderhead”), Joel Edgerton and Tom Hanks, are all currently lensing in different parts of Australia. Portman is preparing to shoot Marvel’s “Thor: Love and Thunder” while Kidman and Melissa McCarthy were recently shooting Hulu miniseries “Nine Perfect Strangers.” George Miller is shooting his “Furiosa,” a “Mad Max” spinoff, for Warner Bros.
Neighbor and sometime rival New Zealand is equally busy. Disney’s “Avatar” movie franchise and Amazon’s “Lord of the Rings” TV series are
both moving again after a coronavirus hiatus. A slew of local movies is also now shooting.
Indeed, films starring Zac Efron (“Gold”), Chris Hemsworth (“Escape From Spiderhead”), Joel Edgerton and Tom Hanks, are all currently lensing in different parts of Australia. Portman is preparing to shoot Marvel’s “Thor: Love and Thunder” while Kidman and Melissa McCarthy were recently shooting Hulu miniseries “Nine Perfect Strangers.” George Miller is shooting his “Furiosa,” a “Mad Max” spinoff, for Warner Bros.
Neighbor and sometime rival New Zealand is equally busy. Disney’s “Avatar” movie franchise and Amazon’s “Lord of the Rings” TV series are
both moving again after a coronavirus hiatus. A slew of local movies is also now shooting.
- 12/9/2020
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
A warrior returns from death to make things right in the realm of the living in The Dead Lands. An original series from Shudder and New Zealand’s Tvnz, The Dead Lands will premiere January 23rd on Shudder and Tvnz OnDemand, and the official trailer has now been revealed, offering a look at the show's eerie, atmospheric action.
Press Release: December 5, 2019 — Shudder, AMC Networks’ premium streaming service for horror, thriller and the supernatural, announced today that its new original series The Dead Lands, a co-production with New Zealand’s Tvnz, will premiere with two episodes on Thursday, January 23, across all of Shudder’s territories. It will also air on Tvnz OnDemand in New Zealand immediately after its international debut. Subsequent episodes will premiere on both Shudder and Tvnz OnDemand weekly.
The Dead Lands features a supernatural adventure set in a mythic Māori past, with an aesthetic that’s part Ash...
Press Release: December 5, 2019 — Shudder, AMC Networks’ premium streaming service for horror, thriller and the supernatural, announced today that its new original series The Dead Lands, a co-production with New Zealand’s Tvnz, will premiere with two episodes on Thursday, January 23, across all of Shudder’s territories. It will also air on Tvnz OnDemand in New Zealand immediately after its international debut. Subsequent episodes will premiere on both Shudder and Tvnz OnDemand weekly.
The Dead Lands features a supernatural adventure set in a mythic Māori past, with an aesthetic that’s part Ash...
- 12/6/2019
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Nzfc CEO Annabelle Sheehan.
New Zealand Film Commission (Nzfc) CEO Annabelle Sheehan believes there are currently two global drivers of change in the screen industry.
The first is the rise of streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, AppleTV+ and Amazon – the latter of which has just confirmed it will shoot the series The Lord of the Rings in Nz.
The second is a push towards a more diverse and inclusive industry, both behind and in front of the camera.
It’s this second driver that the Nzfc’s upcoming global summit Power of Inclusion will seek to explore head on in partnership with Walt Disney Co. and Women in Film and Television (Wift) International.
The October event has already attracted an impressive array of both international and local speakers including actress and activist Geena Davis; Black-ish and Grown-ish star Yara Shahidi; director Niki Caro, Pose creator Steven Canals, The Black List...
New Zealand Film Commission (Nzfc) CEO Annabelle Sheehan believes there are currently two global drivers of change in the screen industry.
The first is the rise of streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, AppleTV+ and Amazon – the latter of which has just confirmed it will shoot the series The Lord of the Rings in Nz.
The second is a push towards a more diverse and inclusive industry, both behind and in front of the camera.
It’s this second driver that the Nzfc’s upcoming global summit Power of Inclusion will seek to explore head on in partnership with Walt Disney Co. and Women in Film and Television (Wift) International.
The October event has already attracted an impressive array of both international and local speakers including actress and activist Geena Davis; Black-ish and Grown-ish star Yara Shahidi; director Niki Caro, Pose creator Steven Canals, The Black List...
- 9/23/2019
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
Exclusive: Toa Fraser’s action-thriller sells to UK, Germany and China, among others.
Xyz Films has closed a raft of deals led by a UK sale to Icon Film Distribution on The Dead Lands, already seen by press and industry and received its world premiere on Sept 4.
Rights have also gone to Ascot Elite for Germany, Movies Inspired for Italy, Fabula Films for Turkey, Falcon for the Middle East and Hgc for China. The Jokers previously acquired rights for France.
Toa Fraser’s New Zealand-set action-thriller is based on a screenplay by Glenn Standring, who produced with Matthew Metcalfe, Norman Merry and Tainui Stephens.
The film was shot on location in Auckland and the central North Island of New Zealand and follows a chieftan’s son who sets out to avenge his father’s murder.
James Rolleston from Boy stars alongside Lawrence Makoare, Te Kohe Tuhaka, Xavier Horan, George Henare and Rena Owen.
Ian Dawson at [link...
Xyz Films has closed a raft of deals led by a UK sale to Icon Film Distribution on The Dead Lands, already seen by press and industry and received its world premiere on Sept 4.
Rights have also gone to Ascot Elite for Germany, Movies Inspired for Italy, Fabula Films for Turkey, Falcon for the Middle East and Hgc for China. The Jokers previously acquired rights for France.
Toa Fraser’s New Zealand-set action-thriller is based on a screenplay by Glenn Standring, who produced with Matthew Metcalfe, Norman Merry and Tainui Stephens.
The film was shot on location in Auckland and the central North Island of New Zealand and follows a chieftan’s son who sets out to avenge his father’s murder.
James Rolleston from Boy stars alongside Lawrence Makoare, Te Kohe Tuhaka, Xavier Horan, George Henare and Rena Owen.
Ian Dawson at [link...
- 9/9/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Venue: Sydney Film Festival
In the stunning docu-drama "Rain of the Children", New Zealand-born filmmaker Vincent Ward revisits the past to unravel a mystery that's niggled at him for three decades. Here meticulous research reveals the family secrets burdening the stooped old Maori woman who was, in fact, the subject of Ward's 1978 observational film "In Spring One Plants Alone". It's a masterful companion piece -- a kind of marathon director's cut -- but it also stands alone as a haunting historical epic. "Rain" is guaranteed a warm Art House reception.
Ward introduces us to his 21-year-old self with amusement. Back then he was an earnest art student, who lived with 80-year-old Puhi and her mentally ill adult son, Niki, in the remote ranges of New Zealand's north island. He recorded striking images of this old woman scratching out a lonely existence and fussing over her son. But he sensed a troubling undercurrent and, 30 years later, set out to discover what it was she was trying to chase away with her ceaseless praying.
Combining early photographs, personal narration, interviews with descendants of her tribe and gloriously shot re-enactments, Ward paints a portrait of a remarkable woman who believed she was cursed -- and for good reason.
After being chosen by the Maori prophet Rua Kenana to marry his son, she fell pregnant at the age of 14. Over the years, she had another 13 children, all but one of whom either died or was taken from her. Niki was her only surviving child.
It's a tragic tale, compelling in its personal detail and almost mythic in its sweep. As he showed in "Map of the Human Heart", Ward is a romantic, but here he undertakes an almost forensic exploration of both rational and mystical interpretations.
Is Puhi cursed, as much of her tribe believes, or the victim of bad luck? Was her son brain-damaged in an accident or truly visited by demons? Ward communicates through grand gestures and indelible images: The stark beauty of a White Horse standing watch over a suddenly orphaned Niki is not soon forgotten.
Production companies: Wayward Films, Forward Films and Vincent Ward Films. Cast: Puhi Tatu, Niki Takao, Temuera Morrison, Rena Owen, Miriama Rangi. Director: Vincent Ward. Screenwriters: Vincent Ward, Alison Carter and Louis Nowra. Producers: Margaret Slater, Tainui Stephens and Vincent Ward. Director of photography: Adam Clark, Leon Narbey. Production designer: Shayne Radford. Music: Jack Body and John Gibson. Costume designer: Pauline Bowkett, Gavin McLean. Editor: Chris Plummer. Sales agent: New Zealand Film Commission/Rialto.
No MPAA rating, 98 minutes.
In the stunning docu-drama "Rain of the Children", New Zealand-born filmmaker Vincent Ward revisits the past to unravel a mystery that's niggled at him for three decades. Here meticulous research reveals the family secrets burdening the stooped old Maori woman who was, in fact, the subject of Ward's 1978 observational film "In Spring One Plants Alone". It's a masterful companion piece -- a kind of marathon director's cut -- but it also stands alone as a haunting historical epic. "Rain" is guaranteed a warm Art House reception.
Ward introduces us to his 21-year-old self with amusement. Back then he was an earnest art student, who lived with 80-year-old Puhi and her mentally ill adult son, Niki, in the remote ranges of New Zealand's north island. He recorded striking images of this old woman scratching out a lonely existence and fussing over her son. But he sensed a troubling undercurrent and, 30 years later, set out to discover what it was she was trying to chase away with her ceaseless praying.
Combining early photographs, personal narration, interviews with descendants of her tribe and gloriously shot re-enactments, Ward paints a portrait of a remarkable woman who believed she was cursed -- and for good reason.
After being chosen by the Maori prophet Rua Kenana to marry his son, she fell pregnant at the age of 14. Over the years, she had another 13 children, all but one of whom either died or was taken from her. Niki was her only surviving child.
It's a tragic tale, compelling in its personal detail and almost mythic in its sweep. As he showed in "Map of the Human Heart", Ward is a romantic, but here he undertakes an almost forensic exploration of both rational and mystical interpretations.
Is Puhi cursed, as much of her tribe believes, or the victim of bad luck? Was her son brain-damaged in an accident or truly visited by demons? Ward communicates through grand gestures and indelible images: The stark beauty of a White Horse standing watch over a suddenly orphaned Niki is not soon forgotten.
Production companies: Wayward Films, Forward Films and Vincent Ward Films. Cast: Puhi Tatu, Niki Takao, Temuera Morrison, Rena Owen, Miriama Rangi. Director: Vincent Ward. Screenwriters: Vincent Ward, Alison Carter and Louis Nowra. Producers: Margaret Slater, Tainui Stephens and Vincent Ward. Director of photography: Adam Clark, Leon Narbey. Production designer: Shayne Radford. Music: Jack Body and John Gibson. Costume designer: Pauline Bowkett, Gavin McLean. Editor: Chris Plummer. Sales agent: New Zealand Film Commission/Rialto.
No MPAA rating, 98 minutes.
- 6/30/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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