Independence Ave SW
Washington
DC 20560
One Woman One Vote 2020 Presents Merata: How Mum Decolonized the Screen
(New Zealand, 2018, 89 min. Director: Hepi Mita)
Saturday, March 7, 2 p.m.
Rasmuson Theater
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.
Merata Mita was a woman of firsts: the first Māori documentarian, the first Māori woman to write and direct a feature film on her own, a trailblazing activist who broke taboos in New Zealand by speaking openly of racism and domestic violence. Her most important role was being a mother. Merata Mita’s youngest child, filmmaker Heperi (Hepi) Mita, tells Merata’s story through a unique lens that shares her inspirational life and legacy.
The museum is hosting Merata in collaboration with the One Woman One Vote 2020 Festival—films, concerts, exhibitions and public events celebrating the centennial of the 19th Amendment presented by an association of national organizations and cultural institutions. Bringing together a coalition of women in the film and media industry, the festival embraces both history and contemporary issues that make a difference for all women today.
