The story of MĀRAMA is set in 1859, following a young Māori woman, Mary Stevens, who travels to North Yorkshire, England, to uncover her family history.
Although the film is set in the United Kingdom, the entire production took place in New Zealand. The crew used the rugged coastline of Dunedin to represent the English moors, while the manor house interiors were meticulously built as sets in Auckland studios.
For writer-director Taratoa Stappard (Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Tūwharetoa), the original plan was to shoot in England, but the funding and resources available in New Zealand proved to be the best path forward.
“It felt right actually telling this story that’s quite heavy, quite tapu story here on home ground on the whenua.”
By shooting locally, the team ensured the storytelling remained grounded in Māori.
“I was able to use more Māori actors; we had a lot more Māori in our casts and in our crew.”
Operating under a system of Tikanga to protect the spiritual safety of the cast
The story touches on tapu subjects, such as the historical theft of toi moko. Producer Rickylee Russell-Waipuka and other cultural advisors ensured that everyone followed a strict cultural safety framework, including daily karakia and water cleansing at the end of filming.
“We are dealing with confronting and very tapu kōrero, and so we needed to make sure to protect our cast to protect our crew that are working on this kaupapa day in day out.”
These practices were used as practical tools to help the cast and crew move away from the heavy themes of the day.
For Mihi Te Rauhi Daniels, who was raised in te ao Māori, this spiritual atmosphere was a vital addition to the film set to keep their wairua calm and protected.
“Āe, he wāhi tapu, heoi anō ki te hunga mō ngā tikanga Māori i tau tērā momo wairua kia tau ai ngā piropiro kia tau ai ngā kare ā-roto i roto i a au ā i roto i te kaupapa.”
Actor reactions to the weight of the story
The lead role was played by Ariāna Osborne, whose character undergoes a transformation, eventually reclaiming her identity as Mārama.
The role required high levels of grief and anger, and Osborne used the daily rituals as a boundary to separate her personal well-being from the character’s experiences.
“Because the film touches on so much brutality in our history... I felt like I really needed and felt really lucky that we had things like karakia implemented during our shoot days”
For experienced actress Turia Schmidt-Peke, the presence of tikanga allowed them to explore parts of the story that are often considered tapu.
“I roto i ngā mahi karakia, ko au hoki e mahi ana i aku ake karakia i mua ake i taku piki atu i ngā mahi ki ngā wāhi rikoata, me te mea hoki, kei reira ētahi wāhanga kāore pea te iwi māori e tino whakaae ana ki ērā wāhanga.”
For Taratoa Stappard, he hopes the film resonates with the viewers and that they see the history reclaimed and told with pride.
MĀRAMA will be in theatres on the 12th of February.
