Congratulations to Libby Hakaraia whom Sundance Institute has announced as this year’s Merata Mita Fellow! Along with many other accomplishments Libby is also a WIFT Board Member, and in 2018 she won the Imagezone Women in Film and Television Entrepreneurship Award, as well as being a finalist for the Te Māngai Pāho Te Reo Māori Champion Award at this year's WIFT Awards.
Libby is a dynamic Indigenous storyteller with over 30 years of experience in the screen industry as a director, writer, and producer. She has a slate of film projects in development, including her highly anticipated directorial debut feature film, Taniwha, to be produced by Tainui Stephens and Desray Armstrong. Her talent and dedication have been recognized worldwide, and she is a producer of two Māori feature films, Cousins (2021) and Kōkā (2023, currently in post-production).
“It is an honor to receive this award. It comes at an exciting time for me and the projects I have been developing whilst building the Māoriland Film Festival over the past decade. Merata Mita was an inspirational storyteller who challenged Indigenous filmmakers to strive for excellence in their craft. She remains a motivating force for me and for so many others and hence why I am humbled to be the recipient of this year’s Merata Mita Fellowship.”
Merata Mita (Ngāi Te Rangi/Ngāti Pikiao) is known as the first Māori woman to solely write and direct a dramatic feature film. As an advisor and artistic director of the Sundance Institute Native Lab (2000–2009), she uplifted the voices and encouraged the creative development of countless Indigenous talents.
Sundance Institute awards a fellowship in her name to an Indigenous woman-identified filmmaker from a global applicant pool. The fellowship, now in its ninth year, includes year long support with activities, including attendance at the Sundance Film Festival, access to strategic and creative services offered by Sundance Institute’s artist programs, a cash grant and mentorship opportunities.
Encouraging self-determination in storytelling for Indigenous filmmakers and decolonizing the screen has been a goal at Sundance Institute since its inception. Native American filmmakers participated in the founding meetings of Sundance Institute and its first filmmaking lab in 1981.
Read here for full press release.