Arrived in Wairoa after dark, and met the festival organiser Leo Kozoil at the Nuhaka Marae.  He kindly offered to show me where I was staying back about 10 klms along the road at the Morere Hot Springs.  Thankfully I followed him, and despite trepidation about the possible rising waters in the creek took my little car up the sandy track to a lovely paddock where a number of stand alone cabins had been constructed.  Very cosy. I went back to the marae that evening and met lots of new people, had a kai, watched some fantastic short films in the spacious and beautiful Nuhaka marae, voted on said films and drove myself back to the whareiti for a good nights sleep. In the morning, I crossed the stream on the very exciting swing bridge to the roadside cafe, had a bite and headed to the Marae for our Russian Snark screening.

The screening of Russian Snark went really well with good attendance and the Q & A had lots of really interesting questions and perspectives shared afterwards.  The crowd really seemed to enjoy  our film and the ideas it communicated.  Some of the audience have since recommended the film to theaters in their areas which is really cool.

More kai, and more films that day and then a drive around the incredibly wild and beautiful Mahia Peninsula, coming back to watch Katie Wolfe’s thought provoking films This is Her and  Nights in the Gardens of Spain.  Awards ceremonies followed with much aroha and some lovely awards bestowed on the filmmakers at our table, and of course some great kai!.  The kareoke was choice as well!

Sunday morning it was a trip to the Morere Hot Pools for a fantastic walk through the bush, lots of beautiful native birds, oxygen and a soothing hot soak in the pools.  Heaven! Then back to the marae for a kai and a chance to see Hook, Line and Sinker, and another film I produced – Hugh and Heke. Lots of laughter and  support for this film too, which stars Pete Smith and Geoff Dolan. More kai – (what a festival – everything is so close and intimate and you will never go hungry)  the ladies in the whare kai never stopped getting the next meal prepared…great work ladies!  And my last meal with them was one of my personal marae cuisine favourites – mutton birds…Yum – what a treat!

Back to my whareiti for a moemoe before getting up super early to drive back to Gisborne for my 6:40am flight to Auckland.  Leo had selcted Hugh and Heke for the Matariki Festival film screenings so if you want to see it, the free programme is here:

Matariki Festival Marae Film programme:

Makaurau Marae, 8 Ruaiti Road, Ihumatao, Mangere, Manukau City

• Friday 24 June, 7pm Rangatahi Shorts 2011, 8.30pm Matariki
• Saturday 25 June, 6pm Rangatahi Shorts 2011, 7.30pm Hugh and Heke

Te Mahurehure Marae, Premier Avenue, Pt Chevalier, Auckland

• Friday 1 July, 7pm Rangatahi Shorts 2011, 8.30pm Matariki

Awataha Marae, 58 Akoranga Drive, Northcote, North Shore City

• Saturday 18 June, 6pm Rangatahi Shorts 2011, 7.30pm Hugh and Heke

On Friday I left our busy office in Avondale and got down to Gisborne.  Stopped at the Odeon CInema to say hi to Raey Wheeler who I had talked to on the phone.  I got to the theatre and the Russian Snark poster was already up in the lobby which was great to see. I asked for Raey and was shown up to her amazing private diggs attached to the  cinema. She has been running that theatre for more than 40 years and is a real icon in the Gisborne community.  She invited me to share afternoon tea and I felt very honoured!  Between cups of tea and thin slices of date bread, old china and a real step back in time, (as well as downloading the film I had brought for screening onto their system), she told me about the history of the theatre and her life. What a tough and fascinating woman. With film downloaded, I headed off to the Wairoa Maori Film Festival where Russian Snark had been officially selected to screen. Haere ra Gisborne. Enjoy Russian Snark!

At the end of the month we learned that we had been selected for the Wairoa Maori Film Festival in Gisbourne early June.  Along with another film from the Godzone Pictures stable – Hugh & Heke, it will be screening on Matariki/Queens Birthday weekend at the Nuhaka Marae near the Mahia Peninsula.  We have never been there before so will head down to represent.  Looking forward to getting to that part of the country again as it’s been quite a while.