MĀRAMA

MĀRAMA

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MĀRAMA is a boldly imaginative gothic horror set in the moody landscapes of Victorian-era England, where shadows conceal more than the eye can see.

In 1859 North Yorkshire, a young Māori woman, torn from her homeland, struggles to reclaim her identity against the suffocating weight of colonial oppression. Written and directed by Taratoa Stappard, this genre-defying work fuses cultural reclamation with the macabre, weaving Māori traditions and perspectives into the fabric of gothic storytelling. As supernatural forces close in, her fight becomes both physical and spiritual—a visceral journey to reclaim her mana and survival.

Starring breakout talent Ariāna Osborne (TANGATA PAI, HIFF45), alongside Toby Stephens and Umi Myers, MĀRAMA delivers a haunting, blood-soaked vision that Stappard dubs “Māori Gothic Horror.” With its collision of atmospheric dread, cultural depth, and unflinching violence, the film reimagines the gothic genre through the lens of Aotearoa’s cultural heartbeat, forging a chilling and wholly original cinematic experience.