ARRAY Releasing has acquired the 2019 Sundance and Berlinale Film Festivals Official Selection, MERATA, directed by film archivist Heperi ‘Hepi’ Mita.
A documentary portrait of the pioneering indigenous filmmaker and activist Merata Mita, MERATA is an intimate tribute from a son about his mother that delves into the life of the first woman from an Indigenous Nation to solely direct a film anywhere in the world.
ARRAY has acquired distribution rights for the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom. The announcement was made today by ARRAY Founder, filmmaker Ava DuVernay.
Known as the grandmother of Indigenous cinema, Merata’s independent political documentaries of the ‘70s and ‘80s highlighted injustices for Māori people, and often divided the country. Mita was fearless in her life, her activism and her art. Chronicling the director’s journey to decolonize the film and television screens of New Zealand and the world, the film documents her work, her early struggles with her family and her drive for social justice that often proved personally dangerous.
“Through his film, director Heperi Mita introduces a new generation to an artist and cultural leader that everyone should know. We at ARRAY are honored to distribute this beautiful film about the legacy, dignity and talent of the great filmmaker, mother and icon, Merata Mita,” stated ARRAY’s Vice President Tilane Jones.