Taika Waititi’s New Zealand production company Piki Films is currently developing three projects with Māori writers that will focus on stories about the effects of colonization. He will be producing these films alongside his partner Carthew Neal.
They will be producing two films and a TV series and Neal is heading up the development of the projects alongside producer Morgan Waru.
The first film will be an adaptation of Tina Makereti’s novel The Imaginary Lives Of James Pōneke. “It tells the story of a Māori teenager in the 1840s who travels to London to appear as a live exhibit amongst Māori artifacts. He initially enjoys the attention and hedonism of London, but soon discovers he can’t get past being labeled as a savage,” Makereti said in a statement:
“It seems strangely timely to see this story developed into a film, as we witness the toppling of colonial statues and attitudes.”
The second film project is an adaptation of Angella Dravid’s stand-up comedy show Down The Rabbit Hole. It retells her true story of “running away to marry a man three times her age on the other side of the world, before landing in a female prison in the UK.”
Dravid will write the script alongside Briar Grace-Smith (Waru), who said:
“Angella’s true story is so extraordinary and she has such a unique point of view. I’m excited to bring it to life with her.”
The final project is a crime series titled Better The Blood. The story follows “an obsessive Māori detective as she hunts down an indigenous serial killer revenging the wrongs of New Zealand’s colonizers.”
The series was created by Michael Bennett and Jane Holland, who previously collaborated on the 2018 television film In Dark Places. Bennet said:
“This story allows us to explore the long-term scars of our brutal colonial history in the context of a visceral and popular genre.”
It’s said that each of the film projects will continue to implement Piki’s trademark blend of comedy and drama, while the series will “breakout into the thriller realm.”
Piki is currently in negotiations with directors for these projects, and they are looking to have “ indigenous voices at the center of the creative team.” Casting is also in the early stages, and it’s also reported that the majority of the projects will be shot in New Zealand.
When talking about the inspiration behind these projects, Waru said:
“Globally, these calls for racial equality and reconciliation of the past are louder than ever. We feel so passionately about those stories, and we have the means and momentum to bring them to a global audience.”
These all sound like great projects that will be worth checking out.
Source: Screen Daily