NZIFF Q&A - Merata Heperi Mita

NZIFF Q&A - Merata Heperi Mita

My film is....
A family story about a solo mother of 5 who struggled through social upheaval to pioneer a cinematic art form.

The moment I'm most proud of is....
Sharing the bittersweet nostalgia I feel when revisiting my family’s past.

The reason I carried on with this film when it got tough is.....
I felt a huge sense of responsibility to my family to portray their story with integrity, and because the story was too inspirational to give up on.

The one moment that will resonate with an audience is.......
My sister’s honesty around the sacrifice she and her family made as children while their mother documented some of the ugliest aspects of New Zealand’s society.

The hardest thing I had to cut from this film is........
One of my brothers passed away unexpectedly two weeks after I interviewed him, so cutting anything out from him was very hard for me as I felt that seeing him on screen was a way of being close to him again.

The thing I want people to take from this film is ......
Great people aren’t necessarily motivated by ambition or political ideals. Smaller, more intimate drives such as love of family, can be just as powerful.

The reason I love the NZIFF is.......
Over the years the festival has entertained me, educated me, horrified me, made me laugh, broken my heart, helped me escape, made me want to make a difference. It’s where I go to feel the full spectrum of the human experience.

What the 50th NZIFF means to me is......
The continuation of the annual ritual of trying to juggle life around obscure film showings during times where I probably should be taking care of more pressing responsibilities…  Long may it continue!