Rules and Terms

Māoriland exists to uplift the perspective and stories of Indigenous peoples.

Māoriland considers film, video, digital and interactive media work and artwork (all mediums) made by Indigenous creatives.

To be eligible for your work to be presented or displayed by Māoriland, an Indigenous creative must be credited in a key role such as director, producer or screenwriter. Artworks must be created by an Indigenous individual.

The Indigenous creative must self-identify with and be recognised as an Indigenous person. Indigenous peoples are also known as Tangata Whenua, Aboriginal, Native, First Peoples or Tribal Peoples who belong to; or who have had an uninterrupted relationship with their land. This is distinct from those people who have arrived from another place to live in a country. The festival cannot advise an individual if they are Indigenous or not.

While a key creative involved in the project must be Indigenous, the issue or content of the film may be non-Indigenous. This recognises the diverse experiences, identities and perspectives of Indigenous people(s), worldwide.

Where the eligibility of a submitter is unclear, Māoriland may follow up with the submitter to clarify eligibility, or the work will be deemed to be ineligible.

Māoriland prioritises work that:

• Innovatively presents unique and new Indigenous perspectives
• Upholds the mana and inspiration of our storytellers – guided by our elders and taught by our children.
• That respects our audience – Māoriland is rooted in the traditions and language of the hapu and iwi of Ōtaki. It is our honour to extend manaakitanga to all who present their work and experience those presented within Māoriland.
• Provides a portal to the Indigenous world for ALL peoples.
• Relevance of work in regards to emerging themes and issues that shape our wider Indigenous experience.

 Requirements for submitters:

• All submissions must be complete to be considered for selection. 
• All non-English language films must have English or Maori subtitles for final viewing, Indigenous languages may be unsubtitled if the overarching message of the film is clear.
• Preview screeners and exhibition masters must have no commercial blacks or broadcaster promos.
• The deadline for film festival submissions is October 31, 2023. Late submissions will be considered until November 30, 2023.
• If your work is not ready for the deadline and you wish it to be considered for this year’s Festival, please contact maddy@maorilandfilm.co.nz immediately