LOGAN has a proud New Zealander population and a film which is touring the Southeast Queensland region is making them proud.
Muru, which is playing at Logan Hyperdome’s Event Cinemas, is the first New Zealand film to win the Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) Cultural Diversity Award under the patronage of UNESCO which will be presented at the 15th Asia Pacific Screen Awards in the Gold Coast on November 11.
This groundbreaking film has also been selected as New Zealand’s official 2023 Academy Awards submission Best International Feature Film.
The film is about a police sergeant who must choose between duty to his badge or his people.
It’s a fictional film but draws from actual history as the government invokes anti-terrorism powers and launches an armed raid into the officer’s community.
Writer and director Tearepa Kahi said the first draft of the film was faithful to historical events, but they later chose to abandon the idea of a full recreation after some advice from locals.
“Papa Tame organized a meeting with his village and we were there, and the question rose from the floor by an auntie, ‘Boy, is this film about one day?’,” Mr Kahi told MyCity Logan.
“She said, ‘The New Zealand government have been doing this, taking this course of action against us for more than a day, they’ve been doing it for over a century so why would you reduce the story to one day?’.”
The decision not only made the story stronger but also captured the hearts of audiences and critics alike.
“It’s a great affirmation of what we do, but what we’re aiming for is bringing the story to life, bringing the valley to the people,” Mr Kahi said.
The film is a story about the people from the people.
Māori artist and activist Tame Iti helped tell the story of Muru from the beginning.
He’s now playing himself in front of the camera.
Mr Iti said he was heartened to see his village playing a role in the film and interacting with the star-studded cast. From the children to the grandmothers and even the animals, it felt like a huge show was happening in the village, he said.
“Having Cliff Curtis coming into the village is a big thing for our community. And people like Manu Bennet and Jay Ryan, having these guys coming into the village was a big thing and they were like ‘wow’. It was so lovely to see.”
Mr Kahi said that the opportunity to turn something that was traumatising for the community into an uplifting and communal experience was a good lesson for both cast and crew.
“Muru” is a Māori concept for forgiveness. Both Mr Kahi and Mr Iti are optimistic that Muru will spark new conversations on bringing people together.
“My hope is that it does bring us together in some way. What happened with the police, even with all the Pākehā living in Aotearoa, I can feel beautiful things are happening. I can feel it, because they are talking,” Mr Iti said.
