A Māori woman’s fight to reclaim her identity yields bloodshed in the trailer for Mārama.
The genre-bending Gothic horror tale marks the feature debut of Indigenous Māori writer-director Taratoa Stappard.
Dark Sky Films and Watermelon Pictures will open the film on April 17 at the IFC Center in New York City and the Laemmle Monica Film Center and Laemmle Glendale in Los Angeles.
Set in Victorian England circa 1859, a young Māori woman is summoned from New Zealand to North Yorkshire. Upon uncovering her horrific colonial heritage, she is compelled to confront and destroy the titled Englishman who devastated her family.
Māori actor Ariāna Osborne stars alongside Toby Stephens (Die Another Day), Umi Myers (Bob Marley: One Love), Erroll Shand (“Chief of War”), Jordan Mooney (“The Bluff”), Mihi Te Rauhi Daniels, and Turia Schmidt-Peke.
Sharlene George of The Sweetshop produces with Rickylee Russell-Waipuka, Rouzie Hassanova, and Paraone Gloyne. Executive producers include Victoria Dabbs, Gal Greenspan for Sweetshop, Jill Macnab & Phil Bremner for Vendetta Films, and Badie Ali, Hamza Ali, & Greg Newman for MPI Media.
Mārama premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival and went on to play Fantastic Fest, Sitges, AFI Fest, Palm Springs International Film Festival, and more.
