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Juggling motherhood, activism and filmmaking, Merata Mita was a trailblazer and a dynamic figure in New Zealand politics.
Pioneering Maori filmmaker Merata Mita is the subject of this rich and personal portrait by her son. Juggling motherhood, activism and filmmaking, she was the first Maori woman to make a feature film.
Bringing her work to life in a tapestry of film scenes, tv interviews and news footage is her youngest son and archivist-turned-director Heperi Mita. Heperi explores their experiences as a family, and the effects that domestic violence and police brutality had on their lives.
She was campaigning for women’s rights within Maori culture, as well as women’s rights in general. She was also campaigning for indigenous women’s rights, as well as women’s rights in general. Her feminism is went much further beyond a one-size-fits-all women rights.
Using media opportunities to raise issues, and express the need for representation on screen of indigenous people, by indigenous people; Merata emphasised the importance of decolonising the arts. Merata: How Mum Decolonised the Screen is a brilliant insight into the indigenous politics of New Zealand, and portrait of a radical, trailblazing woman.