Big Screen Symposium 2018
I received a grant from the NZ Film Commission to attend the Big Screen Symposium 2018: Tuning Into the Zeitgeist. So very excited to see Anna Serner, the head of the Swedish Film Institute, speak.
The venue was awesome, much better than it has been in previous years. I arrived and found myself on the tangata whenua side of the powhiri. Shock! Horror! Geez, I’m not going to know the waiata!! And bloody sure enough, I didn’t. It truly is our consummate fear. This is what happens when your friends hijack you and you can’t get away because it’s all started!
The opening address OMG! WANURI KAHIU… what an amazing inspirational brave woman!
Definitely a highlight for me, and now very keen to see the film Rafiki, and I will. I was so moved by her struggle but also her insistence of the celebration of African storytelling. JOY in the works that are being made by her AFRO Bubble gum group of artists. It is a thorn in my side that we are constantly as Maori, being overlooked to tell our own stories in favour of our European contemporaries who insist on telling our stories for us in whatever way they choose. This seems to be the more palatable way to go. Those who have no idea of any other reality than the middle or upper class white trope, of how we should be portrayed, especially when it comes to telling stories about Indigenous people. Her korero encouraged me to keep to my plan, no matter how many rejections I get - I have my stories to tell the only way I know how to… from my point of view, from my lived experience.
I attended the panel discussion - THE WINDY ROAD OF FILMMAKING - Lynette Wallworth and David Lowery.
Loved Lynette Wallworth’s ‘new technology ancient understandings’ talk. What a thoroughly humble genius. Her stories were relatible and I found her delivery endearing. I went to chat with her afterwards and hope to see one of her exhibitions in Sydney.
I also attended ‘From Script to Screen’ with David Lowery. Not anything new, but good to hear.
I went to ‘Vai - Pacific Perspectives’ and cannot wait to see this after the most heartfelt passionate addresses by these amazing women. I was super impressed by all the women but ultra impressed with Ofa Likiliki and her spiel, such passion! I am trying to figure out how I can use her, she is amazing.
I went to ‘content marketing’ with Anna Dean, and found this to be very interesting and quite overwhelming. She talked about marketing people like Taika Waititi and then someone asked “What if you are not Taika?” This is when the discussion became relevant to most of us.
I connected with a few people, John Davies, Rachel Jean; mostly with people I have known for a while and it was good to catch up. It was an awesome and worthwhile experience and I would like to thank the NZFC for giving me the money to attend. Keep doing the symposium - it is a valuable experience for everyone.
What I mostly learnt is the same struggles are being had by women and indigenous women everywhere. Still fighting and still having to be “grateful” for the opportunity to tell our stories. I was also the ONLY one in a wheelchair which made mingling hard, as the common areas were all places where you stood around tables.
People were generally good but I couldn't hang out with the general populace and had to rely on people to get me food, which my friends did, but I’m just saying…
