Ko Au - I Am

A short drama, 'Ko Au - I Am' follows Jackson, a white-passing Māori man struggling to maintain his connection to his taha Māori after his mother's passing. His identity is challenged in various ways throughout, adding to his turmoil. After counsel from his cousin Whina, he decides to return to his marae in order to reconnect.  By the story's end, he realises that he is Māori, no matter what.

I'm Wiremu Black-Hyland, the writer and director. I'm an aspiring filmmaker currently studying at South Seas Film School. I'm joined by Robin Chuter as producer, Eamon Longmann as the 1st Assistant Director and Gabriel Fletcher as Director of Photography.

The rest of the crew consists of Rohan Patel as Camera Assist, Aiga Unasa as Gaffer (lighting), Pene Kingi-Waiaua on sound and Josiah Mariott-Simeon as Boom Op.

The musical score will be composed by Braidy 'Braidoxx' Henry, a longtime friend of mine who has helped me record several compositions in the past.

All donations will go towards making the best film we can possibly make. This includes:

• Location hire
• Gear hire
• Catering
• Compensation for outsourced cast and crew

As a man of mixed Māori and Pākeha ancestry, I never quite felt "Māori enough" growing up, especially as someone who doesn't look like a stereotypical Māori. As such this project was heavily inspired by my own life. Several small details are taken verbatim from my own experience, such as Whina's nickname for Jackson - 'Milkybar'.  I want to tell a Māori story that can be appreciated by audiences of any background while paying homage to some of the people I've met during my life who shaped my outlook on the world, who I am and the stories I want to tell.

When I first attempted to connect with my tikanga I was often told that I was 'too Pākeha to be Māori' or 'too Māori to be Pākeha, which made it extremely difficult to really feel like I fit in. I even at some points decided to ignore my Māori side, which only left me feeling even more lost. Therefore I want to show with this film that it doesn't matter whatever percentage of whatever ancestry you have; that whakapapa is yours, and no one can deny you that.