Roman museum to host screening of behind-the-scenes Maori art film

An acclaimed film centering Maori art arrives in Rome for a May 15 screening.

TOITŪ: Visual Sovereignty, the debut directorial feature from Academy Award-nominated producer Chelsea Winstanley, goes behind the scenes of the largest Māori art exhibition in Aotearoa New Zealand’s history. Palazzo Esposizioni Roma hosts a free showing of the English-language flick with Italian subtitles, as testament to the film’s reach.

Following curator Nigel Borell’s vision for Toi Tū Toi Ora: Contemporary Māori Art, the film captures both its record-breaking success and the behind the scenes conflicts that arise when Indigenous sovereignty challenges institutional power. It explores thematics of indigenous artistic self-determination, an unflinching and deeply personal look at the politics of power, authorship, and identity.

Featuring rare access and the voices of celebrated artists such as Shane Cotton, Emily Karaka, Taika Waititi, Brett Graham, Ngahina Hohaia, the Mataaho Collective and Reuben Paterson, this is a powerful portrait of cultural resilience and authorship.

The film more recently traversed the 2024 Venice Biennale and won the Golden Lion by the Mataaho Collective.

The film screening at Palazzo Esposizioni Roma will be followed by a Q&A by director and co-producer, Chelsea Winstanley. For more information, please visit the museum’s website.