Renae Maihi

Renae Maihi (Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāpuhi) is an award-winning Māori filmmaker whose storytelling blends powerful Indigenous narratives with bold cinematic vision. She is the only Māori woman director to have had two feature films premiere at any A-list film festival—first with the critically acclaimed WARU (2017) and then with We Are Still Here (2022) at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

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Her work has earned international recognition and major awards, including Best Screenplay at the NZ SWANZ Awards, the Grand Jury Award for Outstanding International Narrative Feature at the Asia Pacific Film Festival (LA), and the Telefilm Award for Best Dramatic Feature at the imagineNATIVE Film Festival. We Are Still Here also achieved theatrical success across Australia and New Zealand, placing in Netflix’s Top 4 in 2023.

 

A fearless filmmaker and advocate, Renae is committed to bringing Indigenous storytelling to the world. Her bold vision extends beyond cinema—she has stood at the forefront of change, winning the landmark Maihi v. Jones case, further proving her dedication to Māori representation and justice.

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In 2024, Renae was invited to Berlinale Talents, a prestigious program within the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) that recognizes bold and visionary filmmakers from around the world. As her global presence continues to grow, she is represented by 5XMedia, further solidifying her place as a leading voice in Indigenous storytelling.

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To learn more about her journey, vision, and whakapapa (ancestry), visit the About section.

To explore her body of work, visit the Body of Works section.