Tauihu Media’s short film Pūmanawa: The Gift, directed by Poata Eruera and produced by Tauihu Media’s Tui Ruwhiu and Eruera, has been selected for the Dreamspeakers Film Festival.

Dreamspeakers is a prestigious festival in Edmonton, Canada for indigenous film. It runs from 28 – 31 May 2014.

Pūmanawa: The Gift will screen on the Saturday 31 May in the Short Film Programme.

Dreamspeakers Film Festival

The Dreamspeakers Film Festival is an international festival that celebrates the latest works by Indigenous peoples.

The Dreamspeakers Festival Society supports and educates the public about Aboriginal culture, art and heritage. It is a resource for Aboriginal filmmakers, directors, scriptwriters, cameramen, technicians, actors, musicians, storytellers, artists and craftspeople. The society is also a resource bank – a way to get in touch with Aboriginal filmmakers, performers and artists. And through Dreamspeakers, Aboriginal people receive training in arts, culture and festival operations.

For further information about Dreamspeakers, visit the website here.

Pūmanawa: The Gift

Pūmanawa: The Gift was directed by Poata Eruera,  written by Marie Thompson and Wayne Te Tai, and produced by Tui Ruwhiu and Poata Eruera. It it one of four films developed through Ngā Aho Whakaari’s short film initiative Aho Shorts.

The film tells the story of of a young woman who is serious about a Christian boyfriend. Her mother fears it will threaten a spiritual gift both women have inherited. She takes her daughter back to her own tragic past to show how loneliness, hope and faith can turn love into turmoil. Finally, the daughter must consider the meaning of love and the value of her precious gift.

Aho Shorts

Pūmanawa: The Gift stems from the Aho Shorts strategy to grow film story telling talent in the regions. This initiative was developed by the guild for Māori in film and television – Ngā Aho Whakaari – and funded through them by the New Zealand Film Commission. Over a two year period, writing workshops were held in the Hokianga, Waiariki and Waikaremoana. Pūmanawa:The Gift springboards from the Hokianga and is the first of the Aho Shorts to be completed. The original story comes from Hokianga writers Marie Thompson and Wayne Te Tai.

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