March 24, 2019
Wairoa Festival mahi acknowledged
The director of the Wairoa Maori Film Festival says it’s time to think big.
Leo Koziol was given a $20,000 New Zealand Film Commission He Tohu Whakanui special acknowledgement for his contribution to the industry.
That includes running the festival for the past 14 years, curating the Ngā Whanaunga Māori Shorts section of the NZ International Film Festival and Māori film selections for festivals around the world.
He hopes to use the pūtea to link up with more indigenous film festivals around the world, as well as strengthen the Wairoa festival.
"We’ve got a very strong and close relationship with the local council down there, they of course have the stunning Gaity Cinema and of course my whānau in Nūhaka who are the caretakers of the histroric Kahungunu Marae, but hey whānau, it's time to think big. There's a regional growth fund, why don't we build a movie studio in Wairoa, why don't we start making movies out on the East Coast," Mr Koziol says.
He says it has been a privilege to watch the growth of Māori filmmaking over the past 14 years.
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