Cousins

Sunday 1 May | 5:30PM
ACMI

This event has now ended. Tickets no longer available.

Pre-film kapa haka performance by TuiaTHT

Before this screening, we will be honoured with an introduction, performance and ceremony in celebration of Maori traditions, including some of those depicted in the film, Cousins.

Film Synopsis

Connected by blood but separated by circumstances, three Māori cousins spend a lifetime in search of each other. Based on the 1992 novel by Patricia Grace.

Mata, introverted and a seer of spirits is the child of a Māori mother and an abusive Pākehā (white) father. Makareta, raised to be the princess of her tribe, is educated in both worlds. Missy, cheeky, insecure and often overlooked, is the heartbeat of her family.

After Mata is stolen from her whānau, placed in an orphanage and watched over by a vengeful guardian, she lives out her childhood in fear and bewilderment, saved only by her imagination. Back on the land, Makareta flees an arranged marriage and Missy takes her place as bride, amalgamating the land and taking on the mantle of kaitiaki (guardian). However the pair never give up hope that Mata will come home.

From two of the writers and directors of Waru, Ainsley Gardiner and Briar Grace-Smith, Cousins is a moving drama of the powerful bond between family despite the tyranny of time and distance.

Film Info

Director: Ainsley Gardiner, Briar Grace Smith

Country: Aotearoa New Zealand

Year: 2021

Duration: 98 minutes

Language: English, Maori

Genre: Narrative

Awards: Māoriland Film Festival – Opening Night Film, Wairoa Māori Film Festival, Nuuk International Film Festival, imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival

Screening Location: ACMI, Federation Square, Melbourne | Plan your visit to ACMI

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