Mana Wahine

Pania Newton draws on the power of her t?puna to rise against a corporate body and protect ancestral land.

Pania  is one of the co-founders leading SOUL, a collective of M?ori and non-M?ori activists who are fighting for the return of the 1000-year-old historical site Ihum?tao to the rightful guardians of the land.

This short documentary follows Pania's personal journey, highlighting what it takes to lead a protest group, with the pressures and sacrifices made in order to fight for what she believes is right.

This is ultimately a story of hope. No matter what happens, Pania promises to fight.

THE PROJECT

MANA WAHINE has been selected as part of the successful Loading Docs short documentary initiative. The principal funder is NZ On Air, with support from Te M?ngai P?ho and the New Zealand Film Commission.

We are excited to be part of this initiative and we want you to come on this filmmaking journey with us.

This is our first collaboration together as filmmakers and we look forward to sharing this film with you.

WE NEED YOUR HELP

In order to unlock the contribution from Loading Docs of $5500, we need to raise AT LEAST $2500 through Boosted. This is where we need your help. We need these funds to pay our crew, equipment and flights to follow SOUL to Wellington to film a march as part of their story.

This is an all-or-nothing campaign. If we don't reach our target, we won't be able to make this documentary!

Our stretch goal is to raise $5000 through Boosted. This will help us to also license archival footage, which we hope will play an integral part in the telling of this story. By looking to the past, we can hopefully project a better future for all of Aotearoa.

This is your opportunity to help us get this important film out into the world. Please donate to our kaupapa and share this with your friends!

Ng? mihi nunui ki a t?tou k?toa

THE TEAM

There are many people supporting this kaupapa, but here are some of the key crew involved:

Corinna Hunziker - Director

With four years directing experience of youth series Both Worlds for TV3, Corinna (Ng?puhi, Ng?ti Kahu) learned how empowering it is for minorities to have their voices heard, and that storytelling can make a difference, and in some small way shape the world we live in.

Corinna was also recently chosen as the trainee director on the upcoming TVOne drama feature film Runaway Millionaires shadowing experienced director Danny Mulheron.

Mia Henry-Teirney - Producer

Mia (Ng?ti Kahu ki Whangaroa, Te R?rawa, Ng?ti Kuri) is a M?ori producer, that has produced short film My Brother Mitchell, series 1 of Baby Mama's Club, and was the intern producer on Mahana. Mia is passionate about sharing indigenous stories with global audiences, and has worked as a production manager and coordinator on various local and New Zealand productions.

Evan Howel & Jason Antonio Crane - Directors of Photography

Annie Hubbard - Editor