Renae Maihi
Writer | Director
Renae Maihi is an award-winning Māori writer and director of the Ngāti Whakaue and Ngāpuhi tribes.
Raised within Te Ao Māori, Renae grew up surrounded by the stories, language and traditions of her people. From an early age she was captivated by cinema, performing plays and watching Hollywood films on VHS. Those early experiences sparked a lifelong fascination with storytelling and the power of film to connect people across cultures.
A graduate of Māori Performing Arts (Drama) and an alumna of Berlinale Talents, Renae creates bold, emotionally resonant films that have screened at major festivals around the world.
While her first features draw deeply from Māori stories and worldview, Renae's creative ambition has never been defined by a single culture or genre. Inspired by filmmakers such as Steven Spielberg, Jane Campion, Chloé Zhao and Celine Song, Renae is drawn to stories that reveal the emotional heart of the human experience, regardless of culture or genre.
She believes the most powerful films are deeply personal yet universally understood.
Renae is currently developing THE TOHUNGA and The White Feather Prophecies, continuing to build a body of work that is both distinctly her own and speaks to audiences around the world.
Awards & Recognition
Recognising excellence in storytelling across film, theatre and international festivals.
BEST DRAMATIC FEATURE FILM
October 2022
We Are Still Here received the Best Dramatic Feature Award at imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, the world's largest Indigenous film festival. The award recognised the film's powerful storytelling and marked another international milestone for Renae, whose films have maintained a longstanding relationship with the festival since the premiere of Waru in 2017.
Nia Tero Fellowship Award
January 12, 2023
Renae was selected as a recipient of the Nia Tero Storytelling Fellowship, an international initiative supporting Indigenous storytellers creating impactful work for global audiences. The fellowship brought together a cohort of Indigenous filmmakers, artists and changemakers from around the world, strengthening creative collaborations and supporting the development of Renae's future projects.
CAREER AWARDS
2010 - 2023
2023
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Nia Tero Storytelling Fellowship Award
2022
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imagineNATIVE Film Festival, Best Dramatic Feature (We Are Still Here)
2018
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New Zealand Film Commission Māori Screen Excellence Award
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Asia Pacific Film Festival, Grand Jury Award for Outstanding International Narrative Feature (Waru)
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Seattle International Film Festival, SIFF Audience Award (Waru)
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Wairoa Māori Film Festival, Indigenous Rights Award
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Whakapapa Film Festival (Italy), Filmmaker Award
2017
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New Zealand Writers Guild Award, Best Feature Screenplay (Waru)
2013
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Playmarket New Zealand, Best Play by a Māori Playwright (Patua)
2010
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imagineNATIVE Film Festival, Best Short Film (Redemption, co-writer)
“What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?”