First Contact (1983 film)
"First Contact" is the first documentary in what later became known as "The Highland Trilogy". The other two films are "Joe Leahy's Neighbours" (1989) and "Black Harvest" (1992). These three films, between them, have won some thirty major awards, included each film winning both the Grand Prix at the Festival Cinéma du Réel in Paris and AFI Award for Best Documentary.
Merata Mita
Mita was the first indigenous woman and the first woman in Aotearoa New Zealand to solely write and direct a dramatic feature film, "Mauri" (1988) - notwithstanding Ramai Te Miha Hayward's co-direction of "To Love A Maori" (1972). An accomplished documentary director and producer for more than 25 years, Mita made landmark documentary films such as "Patu!" (1983) about the violent clashes between anti-apartheid protesters and the police during the controversial 1981 South African Springboks rugby tours in New Zealand. and "Bastion Point: Day 507" (1980), about the eviction of Ngāti Whātua from their traditional land. "Hotere" (2001) documented the life and work of well-known Māori artist Ralph Hotere. She also directed the music video "Waka" for hip-hop artist Che Fu.