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Maori Proverb:
'Ehara toku aroha I te kiri aroha, engari he aroha no te whatumanawa.'
'My love is not skin deep, but a swelling of the passion of my heart.'
The time-honoured subject of love and its conflicts feature in a compelling new Maori drama series called Aroha. 'Aroha', the Maori word for love, is a six-part anthology of half hour stories that were created to "bring more love into the world".
Written, produced and acted in the Maori language, Aroha is the first series of its kind to be developed in New Zealand and features an outstanding lineup of Maori actors. Temuera Morrison, Rena Owen, Cliff Curtis, Taungaroa Emile, Ngarimu Daniles and Pua Magasiva all give stellar performances, but the writers and directors behind them add even more weight to their work.
Three of the films (Mataora, Haka and Siva and Tiare) screened at the recent International Film Festival in Auckland to critical acclaim.
The innovative dramas have also won praise in several
overseas film festivals including the Dournanez Film Festival in France, the Hawaiian International Festival and the Message Sticks Film Festival in Sydney, Australia.
Melissa Wikaire and Karen Sidney, the producers of the Aroha series,
say it's been a whirlwind year for them screening the series around the
world. They even scored an award at the Canadian Imagine Native Arts Festival for Best TV Programme last year.
"These
are contemporary love stories which appeal to everyone," says Wikaire.
"We're really pleased that these films have had a great reception in so
many places. Our vision is for secure, supportive and widespread indigenous
perspective and we want to be at the forefront of evolving an indigenous
film and media industry."
Wikaire and Sidney head DFM Productions, the company that produced Aroha with funding from Te Mangai Paaho, (the Maori Broadcasting Funding Agency in New Zealand) and support from the New Zealand Film Commission. English subtitling on the films have given the stories wide appeal, and their subject matters are fresh, sexy and diverse.
In Irikura, two soul mates (Ngarimu Daniels
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and Cliff Curtis) meet each other after centuries of searching for one another.
Pua Magasiva is a 19-year-old Samoan man in Haka and Siva who falls in love with a 45-year-old Maori woman (Ngawai Greenwood) - and causes all hell to break loose.
Unresolved guilt brings SAS officer Matiu (Te Kauri Wihongi) to the brink of self-destruction in Mataora. Only the affirmation of his rich Maori ancestry reconciles him with his estranged family.
Tiare is the story of a shy young Rastafarian, Charlie (Taungaroa Emile), who's unable to express his love for the beautiful Erana (Stacey Daniels).
In He Poraruraru Tahei Simpson and Scott Morrison star as Kahukura and Johnny, a bride and groom more interested in eternal love than Nanny Reko's warnings of relationship troubles.
And Mere Boynton stars as Lily in Te Ao Mahana, a beauty consultant who overfeeds her obese son with love - and food.
Wikaire and Sidney say they are negotiating to have the series broadcast on TV channels in New Zealand and overseas and may look at showing it on the Maori Television Service when it starts at the end of the year.
"Our aim is to promote Maori stories, craftspeople and language in the New Zealand and international markets," says Wikaire. "We want to do this in a vibrant and effective way that appeals to the modern world."
For more information about Aroha, email
Melissa Wikaire at
wahine@ihug.co.nz
or Karen Sidney at
karensidney@hotmail.com
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