''Ngati'' is a 1987

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

feature film directed by Barry Barclay, written by Tama Poata and produced by John O'Shea.

Production

''Ngati'' is of historical and cultural significance in New Zealand as it is the first feature film written and directed by

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

. Producer John O'Shea, an icon in New Zealand's film industry, was the founder of independent film company Pacific Films. The film is set in 1948 in a small town on the east coast of New Zealand during the impending closure of a freezing works and the threat of unemployment for the local community. ''Ngati'' was screened as part of Cannes' Critics Week.

Synopsis

Set in and around the fictional town of Kapua in 1948, Ngati is the story of a Māori community. The film comprises three narrative threads: a boy, Ropata, is dying of leukaemia; the return of a young Australian doctor, Greg, and his discovery that he has Māori heritage; and the fight to keep the local freezing works open. Unique in tone and quietly powerful in its storytelling, Ngati was Barry Barclay's first dramatic feature and the first feature to be written and directed by Māori. Ngati screened in Critics' Week at Cannes.

Cast

The film features veteran stage and screen actor Wi Kuki Kaa in the lead role of 'Iwi'.

Awards

* Best Film, Taormina Film Festival, Italy * Best Film, Best Original Screenplay, Best Male Actor (Wi Kuki Kaa): 1988 New Zealand Listener Film & Television Awards

References

External links

Watch Ngati movie clip at NZ On ScreenOfficial NZ Government Film website
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Interview with director Barry Barclay on Youtube
New Zealand drama films Films set in New Zealand 1987 drama films 1980s New Zealand films Māori-language films Films set in 1948 1987 films Films about Māori people {{NewZealand-film-stub