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The Lord of the Rings film trilogy won 17 Academy Awards and its legacy endures nearly 25 years after the first film’s release. The trilogy’s success has put its filming location, New Zealand, on the industry map. The motion picture business contributes at least $2.12 billion a year to New Zealand’s economy. That’s also been a boon for Indigenous cinema. Māori film critic and programmer Leo Koziol calls it a “renaissance“. The recent Māori-led film The Convert, directed by Lee Tamahori, is garnering critical acclaim. We’ll talk with Koziol and hear from Māori creatives who worked on Lord of the Rings about progress on Māori representation in film since then.
GUESTS
Leo Koziol (Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāti Rakaipaaka), founder of the Wairoa Māori Film Festival, Indigenous editor at Letterboxd, and a programmer for the New Zealand International Film Festival
Lawrence Makoare (Ngāti Whātua), actor
Hammond Peek (Ngāi Tahu and Te Āti Awa), sound recordist and production sound mixer
Ra Vincent (Te Atiawa), production designer and artist
Dr. Tom Roa (Ngāti Maniapoto, Waikato, Ngāti Apakura), Tainui leader and Ahorangi (professor) in the University of Waikato’s Te Pua Wananga ki te Ao Māori and Indigenous Studies
Billboard Music: The Bridge of Khazad Dum (song) Howard Shore (artist) The Fellowship of the Ring [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] (album)
Break 1 Music: I Am (song) Stan Walker (artist) I Am [From the Ava DuVernay feature film ‘Origin’] (album)
Break 2 Music: Believer (song) Deerlady (artist)
Outro Music: The Breaking of the Fellowship (song) Howard Shore, Edward Ross (artist) The Fellowship of the Ring [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] (album)
Listen to extended interviews…
Dr. Tom Roa
Here’s an interview with Dr. Tom Roa (Ngāti Maniapoto, Waikato, Ngāti Apakura). He’s an elder who has spent decades revitalizing te reo Māori. Here he talks about the current state of the Māori language and why he chose to translate books like “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and “The Hobbit.”
Lawrence Makoare
Here’s an extended interview with Lawrence Makoare (Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāti Rakaipaaka). He is an actor whose credits include: Rapa Nui, What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?, Dead Lands and The Convert. Here he talks more about the importance of Māori representation, turning down Once Were Warriors and his relationship with acting.
Hammond Peek
Here’s an extended interview with Hammond Peek (Ngāi Tahu and Te Āti Awa) sound recordist and production sound mixer. He won two Academy Awards for sound with Return of the King (2003) and King Kong (2005). Here he talks more about his work in sound and the future of Māori representation in media.
Ra Vincent
Here’s an extended interview with Ra Vincent (Te Atiawa). He is a production designer and artist. He’s nominated for two Academy Awards. The first was The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) for set decoration and Jojo Rabbit (2019) for production design. Here he talks about his early career start on Lord of the Rings, collaborating with directors Peter Jackson and Taika Watiti (Te Whānau-ā-Apanu) and mentoring others.
