Set in and around the fictional town of Kapua in 1948, Ngati is the story of a Māori community. The film comprises three narrative threads: a boy, Ropata, is dying of leukaemia; the return of a young Australian doctor, Greg, and his discovery that he has Māori heritage; and the fight to keep the local freezing works open. Unique in tone and quietly powerful in its storytelling, Ngati was Barry Barclay's first dramatic feature and the first feature to be written and directed by Māori. Ngati screened in Critics' Week at Cannes.
Toward the end of Ngati, wahine toa Sally speaks on Māori autonomy; she calls for the community to reclaim ownership of its farms and fisheries. This polemic sums up the intention of director ...
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Pacific Films
Television, 1987 (Full Length)
Also directed by Barry Barclay
Television, 2001 (Excerpts)
A series of half-hour dramatic narratives steeped in Māori spiritualism
Available on DVD from ScreenLine.
Finalist - Most
Outstanding Website
The ONYAs 2010
Best Entertainment Website
Finalist – Website design
Qantas Media Awards 2009
NZ ON SCREEN 2010
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Venus Yerkovich
Posted at 11.41PM - 20.11.2009
This is the film that made me fall in love with anything Kiwi made.
This film and Patu - a very close second. And it was the music, Haere Mai, that got me as well. I am 60 now and I cant get enough. This film is the best in my view, in that it showed us as we are, for the first time that I can remember, no bull, just us as we are and from then my radar was on to anything Kiwi. And that includes music as well.