Merata Mita—Decolonizing the Screen

A conversation between author Leah Vonderheide, and media scholars Missy Molloy and Russell Campbell to discuss the work of Merata Mita.

This talk was part of the Between the Lines: Recent Books in New Zealand Studies seminar series.

Presenter: Leah Vonderheide

13 May 2026

The Stout Centre’s seminar series continues with the forthcoming book on the life and work of Māori filmmaker Merata Mita (1942-2010).  The volume will explore Mita’s myriad on-screen roles, her early collaborative projects and connect her groundbreaking films to her work on social justice and self-determination.  It will thereby offer new readings of her passionate advocacy to decolonize the screen.

A conversation between author Leah Vonderheide and media scholars Missy Molloy and Russell Campbell to discuss a leader in the film and television industry of Aotearoa New Zealand (and beyond) for over three decades.