Mana Tangata*: A Conversation With Chelsea Winstanley

*Power and status accrued through one’s leadership talents, human rights, mana of people.

An Academy-nominated film producer, best known for producing Jojo Rabbit and What We Do In The Shadows, Chelsea Winstanley has built an international profile in helping tell dynamic and innovative stories. At the same time, she has always maintained her leadership in supporting Indigenous stories both in her homelands and abroad.

Winstanley has empowered visual sovereignty with the whenua (family), and enhancing the space of changing the lens with films like Merata: How Mum Decolonised the Screen and Toi Tu Toi Ora – Visual Sovereignty, which both feature trailblazing, and predominantly female, Maori creatives.

In-conversation with producer Pauline Clague, Winstanley will explore the craft of creative documentary producing, decolonising the gaze and the system, telling stories from multiple perspectives, creating the space for the next generation to thrive, and celebrating Indigenous narratives.

 

Image Credit: Merata: How Mum Decolonised the Screen, Arama Pictures, 2018