May 05, 2023
Wairoa Film Festival delayed until spring
The Wairoa Māori Film Festival has been delayed until October because the town is still cleaning up after Cyclone Gabrielle.
The festival has traditionally been held over Queen’s Birthday weekend.
Director Leo Koziol says he’s disappointed by the delay, but the new date may mean a great spring event.
“Springtime arrives very early in Wairoa so it will be warm weather, it will be a fun place to come for films on the marae, movies on the paepae, as well as in our gorgeous cinema in Wairoa, and by then our roads will be open and our people will be able to look after the manuhiri like we always want to,” he says.
Mr Koziol says the festival’s number one focus is the ability to manaaki the manuhiri who come from around the world to celebrate indigenous filmmaking.