'Mārama': A Māori Horror-Revenge Film About Ancestral Resistance to Colonization
Writer-director Taratoa Stappard's horror-revenge film "Mārama" tells the story of a young Māori woman who travels from New Zealand to England in the Victorian era seeking information about her heritage, only to face oppression and exploitation. The film is inspired by Stappard's ancestral women who defied colonial restrictions by maintaining their cultural practices of dance (kapa haka) and tattoos (tā moko). It serves as both a horror movie and a tribute to Māori resistance against colonization.
Key quotes
Writer-director Taratoa Stappard is an artist who tells stories of his lineage, and his latest film, 'Mārama,' is a tribute to the ancestral women who risked it all to do the same during a much more oppressive time.
Mārama, who was separated early from her parents, jumps at the opportunity, but is soon given a strange offer by a British...
The film is a tribute to the defiant ancestors who maintained their cultural practices of dance and tattoos despite colonial oppression.
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