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Ngā Aho Whakaari Members Spotlighted at Big Screen Symposium
Ngā Aho Whakaari Members Spotlighted at Big Screen Symposium - Don't Miss Out!
Big Screen Symposium is this Friday, 4 July and Saturday, 5 July at the University of Auckland City Campus. BSS 2025 is guided by the theme Ko te Kore, Ko te Pō, Ki te Whaiao, Ki te Ao Mārama… Our Potential — the vast, untapped, and diverse possibilities within Aotearoa’s screen sector.
We’re delighted to spotlight a selection of Ngā Aho Whakaari whānau and friends taking the stage at BSS. A few tickets are still available, with industry concessions for guild members and students.
Tihini Grant — Kaikōrero
Script to Screen Rangatira, Tihini Grant, is our Kaikōrero. Tihini will represent and guide us as Manuhiri (visitors) at our Pōwhiri with our Mana Whenua partners Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei. Tihini is an award-winning independent writer/director with over 20 years of experience in the NZ film and television industry. Raised in tribal traditions of his Ngāti Pikiao people, Tihini is a keeper of traditional histories and a fluent speaker of Te Reo Māori with a commitment to indigenous stories.
Michael Bennett - Murder in Aotearoa - The Connection between Whenua & Story (Te Ahuhanga Mai O Te Pakiwaitara i Te Whenua)
11:40am, Day 1
Karin Williams moderates a conversation with Michael Bennett (The Gone), Philly De Lacy (A Remarkable Place to Die), Tim Balme (The Brokenwood Mysteries) exploring three successful New Zealand TV series and each one’s relationship between the whenua that nurtures their stories and the genre of crime drama.
Chelsea Winstanley, Tweedie Waititi, Mia Henry-Teirney — Matewa Media - Bringing Disney Classics into Te Ao Māori (Te Whakamāori i ngā Kiriata Disney)
11:40am, Day 1
Chelsea Winstanley, Tweedie Waititi and Mia Henry-Teirney will share how Matewa Media worked with the biggest entertainment company in the world to produce Disney Reo Māori films for audiences in Aotearoa and around the world. Established in 2017, Matewa Media is a multi-media organisation whose goal is to contribute to te reo Māori, the culture and indigenous stories. To date their Reo Māori titles include The Lion King, Moana, Encanto, Coco, Frozen and most recently Moana 2.
Briar Grace-Smith, Shoshana McCallum — A Writer's Kōrero (Kōrero Nā Ngā Ringatuhi)
2:50pm, Day 1
Briar Grace-Smith (Swift Street, Waru, Cousins) and Shoshana McCallum (Madam, Head High, Inside) and will delve into the complexities of writing for screen in Aotearoa, sharing insights into their craft, creative process, and the cultural and personal forces that shape their work. Shoshana and Briar will speak to the importance of voice, representation, and the courage it takes to tell the stories only you can tell. A must for screenwriters.
Tiki Taane, Mike Jonathan — Composing for Film Masterclass (Te Wānanga Pūkenga: Ngā Mahi Tito)
2:50pm, Day 1
Tiki Taane and Arli Lieberman will guide you through how they crafted the transcendent soundtrack within Ka Whawhai Tonu, with real examples and live playing in the room, giving you a unique insight into this amazing collaboration. Joined by director Mike Jonathan, the team will explore how they worked together to craft with precision and passion the film’s composition.
Dr. Karaitiana Taiuru, Tim Hamilton and Tihini Grant (Moderator) — The Aotearoa Screen Debate - “AI will save our Screen Industry” (He Tautohetohe - "Mā te 'AI' tātou e ora ai")
Day 1, 5:30pm
Dr. Karaitiana Taiuru is one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s leading voices in digital technology ethics and Māori data sovereignty. With over 30 years in the sector and deep expertise in integrating mātauranga Māori with emerging technologies, he brings a unique perspective on how AI impacts not just innovation, but identity, sovereignty, and tino rangatiratanga in the digital realm.
Tim Hamilton is an accomplished filmmaker whose income is largely supplemented from winning short film competitions. Renowned for his innovative yet “safe” homemade camera gear, stunts equipment and budget-conscious visual style, he has gained recognition among established directors and major brands worldwide.
Tirohanga Māori - Storytelling by Māori
Day 2, 9.00 - 10.00am
A kōrero with leading screen sector Rangatira as they explore screen storytelling through a Māori lens, and the diversity that entails. Tihini Grant, Kath Akuhata-Brown and Mike Johnathan alongside Te O Kahurangi Waaka, Manukura of the New Zealand Film Commission, will have a kōrero with renowned International Indigenous storyteller and producer Bird Runningwater about Māori and indigenous storytelling. Unlike any other session at BSS 2025, in this one our panel will encourage a group discussion, exploring what it means to tell authentic Māori stories guided by Te Ao Māori - from process to perspective, from values to voice. How do we honour whakapapa and whenua on screen?
Purchase Tickets Here
Ngā Aho Whakaari Members Spotlighted at Big Screen Symposium - Don't Miss Out!
Big Screen Symposium is this Friday, 4 July and Saturday, 5 July at the University of Auckland City Campus. BSS 2025 is guided by the theme Ko te Kore, Ko te Pō, Ki te Whaiao, Ki te Ao Mārama… Our Potential — the vast, untapped, and diverse possibilities within Aotearoa’s screen sector.
We’re delighted to spotlight a selection of Ngā Aho Whakaari whānau and friends taking the stage at BSS. A few tickets are still available, with industry concessions for guild members and students.
Tihini Grant — Kaikōrero
Script to Screen Rangatira, Tihini Grant, is our Kaikōrero. Tihini will represent and guide us as Manuhiri (visitors) at our Pōwhiri with our Mana Whenua partners Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei. Tihini is an award-winning independent writer/director with over 20 years of experience in the NZ film and television industry. Raised in tribal traditions of his Ngāti Pikiao people, Tihini is a keeper of traditional histories and a fluent speaker of Te Reo Māori with a commitment to indigenous stories.
Michael Bennett - Murder in Aotearoa - The Connection between Whenua & Story (Te Ahuhanga Mai O Te Pakiwaitara i Te Whenua)
11:40am, Day 1
Karin Williams moderates a conversation with Michael Bennett (The Gone), Philly De Lacy (A Remarkable Place to Die), Tim Balme (The Brokenwood Mysteries) exploring three successful New Zealand TV series and each one’s relationship between the whenua that nurtures their stories and the genre of crime drama.
Chelsea Winstanley, Tweedie Waititi, Mia Henry-Teirney — Matewa Media - Bringing Disney Classics into Te Ao Māori (Te Whakamāori i ngā Kiriata Disney)
11:40am, Day 1
Chelsea Winstanley, Tweedie Waititi and Mia Henry-Teirney will share how Matewa Media worked with the biggest entertainment company in the world to produce Disney Reo Māori films for audiences in Aotearoa and around the world. Established in 2017, Matewa Media is a multi-media organisation whose goal is to contribute to te reo Māori, the culture and indigenous stories. To date their Reo Māori titles include The Lion King, Moana, Encanto, Coco, Frozen and most recently Moana 2.
Briar Grace-Smith, Shoshana McCallum — A Writer's Kōrero (Kōrero Nā Ngā Ringatuhi)
2:50pm, Day 1
Briar Grace-Smith (Swift Street, Waru, Cousins) and Shoshana McCallum (Madam, Head High, Inside) and will delve into the complexities of writing for screen in Aotearoa, sharing insights into their craft, creative process, and the cultural and personal forces that shape their work. Shoshana and Briar will speak to the importance of voice, representation, and the courage it takes to tell the stories only you can tell. A must for screenwriters.
Tiki Taane, Mike Jonathan — Composing for Film Masterclass (Te Wānanga Pūkenga: Ngā Mahi Tito)
2:50pm, Day 1
Tiki Taane and Arli Lieberman will guide you through how they crafted the transcendent soundtrack within Ka Whawhai Tonu, with real examples and live playing in the room, giving you a unique insight into this amazing collaboration. Joined by director Mike Jonathan, the team will explore how they worked together to craft with precision and passion the film’s composition.
Dr. Karaitiana Taiuru, Tim Hamilton and Tihini Grant (Moderator) — The Aotearoa Screen Debate - “AI will save our Screen Industry” (He Tautohetohe - "Mā te 'AI' tātou e ora ai")
Day 1, 5:30pm
Dr. Karaitiana Taiuru is one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s leading voices in digital technology ethics and Māori data sovereignty. With over 30 years in the sector and deep expertise in integrating mātauranga Māori with emerging technologies, he brings a unique perspective on how AI impacts not just innovation, but identity, sovereignty, and tino rangatiratanga in the digital realm.
Tim Hamilton is an accomplished filmmaker whose income is largely supplemented from winning short film competitions. Renowned for his innovative yet “safe” homemade camera gear, stunts equipment and budget-conscious visual style, he has gained recognition among established directors and major brands worldwide.
Tirohanga Māori - Storytelling by Māori
Day 2, 9.00 - 10.00am
A kōrero with leading screen sector Rangatira as they explore screen storytelling through a Māori lens, and the diversity that entails. Tihini Grant, Kath Akuhata-Brown and Mike Johnathan alongside Te O Kahurangi Waaka, Manukura of the New Zealand Film Commission, will have a kōrero with renowned International Indigenous storyteller and producer Bird Runningwater about Māori and indigenous storytelling. Unlike any other session at BSS 2025, in this one our panel will encourage a group discussion, exploring what it means to tell authentic Māori stories guided by Te Ao Māori - from process to perspective, from values to voice. How do we honour whakapapa and whenua on screen?
Purchase Tickets Here