Events › Te Whakairo - Ngā Kī O Te Tai Ao

Te Whakairo - Ngā Kī O Te Tai Ao (The carvings carry the stories of the world)
A film by Vanessa Wells
Running time: 13:42

Two talented carvers from each end of Aotearoa New Zealand take their whakairo (carving) to Antarctica in response to New Zealand's kaitiakitanga (guardianship) of the world’s largest marine protected area -
The Ross Sea.

No bookings required

Vanessa Wells is a filmmaker and theatre practitioner who has worked in the arts industry for over 20 years. Her debut feature documentary film "East To East" about a group of teenagers completing the iconic Coast to Coast multi-sport event screened to sell-out houses at NZIFF 2018.

Working with Vanishing Point Studio on award-winning interactive work such as "Give Kate A Voice" and "Living Flowerwall" and a collaborative approach to film has led her to explore the educational and short documentary genre, and in 2018/19 her work led Vanessa to Antarctica twice. The first trip to the Ice produced an educational children's play (which toured NZ primary schools in late 2020) and also created content for Sesame Street, which has since commissioned a further 7 short films from Vanessa's production company Elanti Media. The second trip to the Ice resulted in a short documentary "Te Whakairo" - premiering at Show Me Shorts Festival 2019 before touring festivals worldwide. From 2018-20, Vanessa directed 22 episodes for the social media series "Braveheart Christchurch", generating hundreds of thousands of views on Facebook for the NZ local non-profit.

Vanessa has a feature documentary on climate change and the Antarctic - "The Climate Canary" - due for release in 2024. Vanessa is also co-vice President of WIFTNZ, having been on the board since 2015.

See "The Climate Canary" trailer on Wednesday 4 October at the panel discussion with
Dr Natalie Robinson, Jacqui Stuart and Rose Foster-Dyer - Life in a frozen ocean

All welcome
Bookings required.