If you’re looking for another double feature, Taika Waititi is an executive producer to two new New Zealand films at the Sydney Film Festival, We Were Dangerous by Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu and The Mountain by Rachel House. Both directors are Māori women, lifting up female Indigenous voices in their country onto the big screen.
We Were Dangerous is set in 1954 New Zealand, where Nellie and Daisy face the challenges of an institution for delinquent girls. This is Stewart-Te Whiu’s first feature film; she was previously one of nine Māori woman filmmakers featured in anthology Waru, an impactful story based around child abuse in Indigenous communities.
Her latest had its world premiere at SXSW, with members particularly impressed with the acting chops of co-lead Erana James (star of Amazon’s The Wilds). Anthony writes: “Erana James I was unfamiliar with your game but I am now a devoted fan. As funny as it is frustrating to see religious hypocrisy attempt to dismantle Indigenous culture but there’s nothing more resilient than a teenage girl. Had me from the first moment and held me to the final cheer-worthy moment.”
