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Mārama was the first feature length script that director Taratoa Stappard ever wrote, and he talked to Deepest Dream about finishing his screenplay. The movie hits theaters on April 17, and Stappard ultimately pitched his movie as a Gothic horror film that is akin to “Get Out meets Lady MacBeth.” Check out our full interview in the post as he talks about Mārama, his personal connection to the Maori culture, and how he was able to finish his screenplay.
Read more: Screenwriting Tips From Mārama Director Taratoa Stappard: Apply, Apply, Apply!
Taratoa Stappard spent nine months in 2020 as part of the imageNative Indigenous Screenwriting Intensive in Toronto. “They literally paid us a little stipend,” said Stappard. “And I was also receiving feedback from my fellow writers and from top standard script consultants. That might not be a very useful answer because not everyone can get in on the indigenous screenwriting intensive, obviously. But it’s what allowed me to finish the first draft of my first ever feature screenplay. It was the first screenplay I’ve ever written.”
Set in 1859 Victorian England, Mārama centers on Mary (Ariana Osborne), a Maori woman who traveled from New Zealand on a 73-day trek to gain information on her parents. Toby Stephens is Nathaniel Cole, a rich former whaler who lords over the people around him. An exploration of cultural “theft” and the many faces of horror, Mārama boasts a layered performance from Osborne and an immersive storyline. It’s a standout gothic horror that is worth a trip to your local cinema.
“Ariana is the film . . .she smashed it out of the park,” said Stappard, who admittedly got emotional at times watching Osborne at work. “Come and see this film, just to see a star in the making in my obviously biased but humble opinion.”
The oft-used phrase “write your own story” certainly applies to Stappard, and his resilient efforts in developing and finishing his screenplay also led to a writers program at the Toronto International Film Festival and a program called the ZFF Academy at the Zurich International Film Festival.
“I would recommend to anyone who is writing like I was for the first time,” said Stappard. “Just apply for every single possible program you can with your treatment, your first draft – whatever it is they need. And I would suggest maybe avoid those ones that charge you $50 or $100 to apply because that’s bulls**t (and) a Ponzi scheme. Apply to the ones that are free for application. Yes, there will be a lot of other people applying for it (but) it changed everything for me because it alllowed me to receive useful (and) actionable feedback.”
Full interview with Taratoa Stappard:
