We Are Still Here weaves together eight powerful indigenous stories across Aotearoa and Australia.
Premiering at Whānau Mārama: the New Zealand International Film Festival, the film spans 500 years, beginning with the British arrival and ending in a dystopian vision for 2274.
Producer Mia Henry-Teirney says the film champions indigenous voices that have weathered 250 years of colonisation.
"We all wanted to make a statement about our people being survivors, about them being resilient, and this film is a celebration of that."
Henry-Teirney says Māori and First Nations creatives worked on the unique collaboration for three years.
Digital cooperation
"It's an international co-production and we wanted to get to each other's territories to build those hononga (connections) but, with restricted travel, we've had to work digitally. That's been a challenge for us because, as indigenous people, our strengths come in working together."
She says We Are Still Here highlights the intergenerational trauma created by colonisation, and the lasting effect on Māori and First Nations peoples.
"We had four teams in Aotearoa and four teams in Australia. We came together across various development wānanga about colonisation."
Their collaboration led to the film, a retelling and foretelling of the complex history and identity of indigenous peoples.
Henry-Teirney says We Are Still Here is a vehicle to motivate global indigenous storytelling.
"It's a point of conversation for us to talk about these things so that we can empower Māori storytellers to tell stories they want to tell."
We Are Still Here will be released in cinemas in Aotearoa later this year.
