"Festival organisers are looking forward to another successful and exciting festival next year, which will be held over Queen's Birthday Weekend, Friday May 29th to Monday June 1st 2009, at the Taihoa Marae, Wairoa," said Festival Chairperson Huia Koziol. "We are also hoping to screen feature films at the Gaiety Cinema, and will be hosting our Gala Awards Dinner at Wairoa War Memorial Hall."

This is the fourth incarnation of the Wairoa Mäori Film Festival, the first in 2005, followed by further festivals in 2006 and 2008. Each festival has focused on a theme, and on presenting a retrospective of various film-maker's and actor's works. Film retrospectives have been presented of the works of Ramai Hayward, Barry Barclay and Don Selwyn. "We are hoping to similarly profile a great Mäori director, actor or actress at the next festival," says Mrs Koziol.

The 2008 festival's focus was on the environment, "Te Reo O Te Whenua, Te Karanga O Papatuanuku". The 2009 festival theme will be peace, and in particular the price indigenous societies must pay to live in peace, security and self-determination in a world of conflict, turmoil and resource scarcity. The festival theme in 2009 will be "Kia Tau Te Rangimarie" – "Peace In Our Time."

As was the case last year, it is hoped to follow up the Wairoa Mäori Film Festival with a Matariki Travelling Programme of Mäori and indigenous films touring to Invercargill, Wellington, Auckland and Taumarunui.

Confirmed sponsors of the Wairoa Mäori Film Festival include Creative New Zealand Te Waka Toi. Festival guests will be hosted at the Taihoa Marae, the ancestral marae of Sir James Carroll and Lena Manuel.

Festival dates:

The confirmed date and venue for the Wairoa Mäori Film Festival 2009 is:

Wairoa Mäori Film Festival

Taihoa Marae, Mahia Road, State Highway 2, Wairoa (screenings also at Gaiety Cinema)

Matariki Queen's Birthday Weekend, Friday May 29th to Monday June 1st 2009

It is hoped to follow up the Wairoa Mäori Film Festival with a Matariki Travelling Programme touring to Invercargill, Wellington, Auckland and Taumarunui.

Festival entries:

Entries are open to Mäori and indigenous film-makers, scriptwriters and directors, with categories including feature film, short film, feature documentary and short documentary. International entries are open to indigenous film-makers in a directing, scritpwriting or producer role. The closing date for the first round of festival entries is December 19th 2009. The entry form is available at the festival website: WWW.MANAWAIROA.COM

Authorised by: Te Roopu Whakaata Mäori I Te Wairoa, Wairoa Mäori Film Festival Society Inc., PO Box 85, Nuhaka, Wairoa District, Aotearoa New Zealand. Email: maorimovies@gmail.com Phone: 06 837 8854 (Chairperson) 09 528 3157 (Festival Director) Website: www.manawairoa.com

[WMFF release – 487 words]