Native America Calling

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 screenwriter and programmer Leo Koziol calls it a “renaissance.” The recent Maori-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 Maori representation in film since then.