KEYNOTE: The Cinema of Survival
Event Details
Please join us for the keynote address from Libby Hakaraia (Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga, Ngāti Kapu), as part of the Biennial Screen Studies Association of Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand (SSAAANZ) Conference 2026.
The talk is free to attend, but registration is essential.
NB. Conference delegates do not need to register again.
Abstract
In filmmaking, applying the concept of "making do" is often understood in a Western context as surviving on low budgets or pulling off guerrilla filmmaking. It takes on a much deeper, culturally grounded meaning through the lens of te ao Māori.
Rather than a compromise born of scarcity, "making do" in Māori cinema is underpinned by cultural foundations and protocols known as tikanga including Rangatiratanga; self-determination & narrative sovereignty, cultural adaptability; Kaitiakitanga; environmental reciprocity & Wairuatanga; acknowledging spiritual realms. Of utmost importance is the collective approach in Mãori filmmaking that involves not just filmmakers but their communities. It’s this approach that has seen Māoriland become an ecosystem of Māori screen that defies making do.
Lineup
Libby Hakaraia
Libby Hakaraia (Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga, Ngāti Kapu) heads Māoriland Films with a slate of projects in development. Her producing credits include the feature films Cousins (2022) and Kōkā (2024). Libby has directed five shorts that have screened worldwide and produced 32 short films through Māoriland. Honoured as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to media and film, Libby is also a Merata Mita Sundance Fellow and recipient of the WIFT Entrepreneur Award. In 2025, Māoriland was awarded the Global Production Award for Economic and Social Impact, and Libby was inducted into the Kapiti Business Hall of Fame for her contribution to the regional economy.
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