Monster Children Short Film Awards Presents MAHIKA KAI
In the second year of Monster Children Short Film Awards, in partnership with Lake Wānaka Tourism, we’d proudly like to present MAHIKA KAI.
Having won the 2023 Monster Children Short Film Award for NGURRAWAANA created with Juluwarlu Art Group and treatment for a hypothetical film based in Wānaka, Kieran Mpetyane Satour from Garuwa was selected to bring that treatment to life with his First Nations approach that centered around Kāi Tahu experience, worldview and perspective. In line with last year’s theme of regeneration, MAHIKA KAI follows a family of Kāi Tahu cultural conservators on their mission to rehabilitate disintegrating landscapes through the regeneration of their traditional food gathering practices set in stunning Wānaka.
As director Kieran Mpetyane Satour further explains,
“With deep ancestral knowledge and connection to the whenua (land) of Wānaka, Tūmai Cassidy and his Whanau (family) are revitalising traditional Māori food practices, including tuna (eel). Their intricate relationship to Country has developed over many generations of tautiakitaka (guardianship) and cultural practice. More than environmental restoration, it is a powerful act of cultural activism, embodying resilience in the face of enduring legacies of colonial dispossession. Whilst their efforts in caring for this remarkable landscape bring vitality and renewed growth to both the community and the local ecosystems, the eels and native fish of Te Waipounamu remain under great threat, with the operators of the dam refusing to install systems that will allow them to swim freely through the waterways.”
MAHIKA KAI is a beautiful reminder of the importance of being respectful of our natural environments, both at home and when we travel. The film premiered at Māoriland Film Festival in Ōtaki and featured in Wao Film Festival, Darwin International Film Festival and Underdog Film Fest. MAHIKA KAI will screen at SXSW Sydney this week and Aesthetica Film Festival in the UK later this year.
Tēnei kā mihi kau atu ki kā uri o Tahu Pōtiki, ki kā Kaitiaki katoa o kā whenua taurikura e hāroa nei e te kāhu, o Te Waipounamu. Ki a koutou i whakaae mai kia horaina ake kā kōrero tuku iho a taua mā, a poua mā, kei te mihi.
We acknowledge the descendants of Tahu Pōtiki and all Custodians of the lands overlooked by the soaring hawk, of Te Waipounamu — the mighty South Island. We thank you for allowing us to share the knowledge passed down by your ancestors.
